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Career Transitions

resources on finding the right sustainability company

Finding “the right company”

A lot of people ask how they can know whether a company is a 'sustainability focused' company. Some companies are known for this, others may just be using it as a marketing tool. How do you know which one is legitimate? It will take some research. Here are some tools to get you started. You may want to look at companies that are either certified as B Corps or that rank in the top of some of the sustainability or purpose/mission-type reports or that are members of certain associations. You may want to consider companies that you buy from, if you're buying from them based on their reputation in this area. Also, don't write off companies with names that don't have a 'green' name or feel. There are plenty of those that are not well-known but that are doing good nonetheless.

B Corps 

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

You can see all of the B Corps by looking through the directory 

Here are a few:

  • Patagonia

  • Seventh Generation

  • New Belgium Brewing

There are plenty of "100 best companies" lists. Here is one that ranks companies by corporate responsibility issues, including environment, climate change and human rights. 

  • CR Magazine's 100 Best Corporate Citizens 2020

  • Forbes 2017: The Worlds Top CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] Companies

    • Note that you should understand what these reports/rankings are based on. For the Forbes list, in the article, it states "Reputation Institute managing partner Fernando Prado stressed to FORBES that the CSR ranking is largely about perception and the results of its annual surveys are merely an indicator of which firms consumers believe are socially responsible."

  • Greenbiz surveys experts worldwide to develop its 2020 sustainability leaders report. Unilever and WWF top the list for private sector and NGO, respectively.

  • The 2021 World’s Most Ethical Companies®Honoree List, list of 135 companies across the globe that have been ranked as most ethical. These are not necessarily ‘sustainability’ companies but you can cross reference this list with others to see if the same companies are showing up on multiple lists.

  • JUST Capital. “Our annual Rankings reflect the performance of America’s largest publicly traded companies on the Issues that matter most in defining just business behavior today. The Issues, and their weights in our model, are determined by our polling of the American public. The 2021 Rankings were published on October 14, 2020.”

BSR™ develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration. Here is a listof BSR's corporate members. (Being a member doesn't necessarily mean the company is devoted to sustainability but it at least gives a list of companies to start researching.)

Ceres' Company Network "comprises 50+ companies, nearly 75 percent of them Fortune 500 firms, setting the highest bar for sustainability leadership." Here are those network members.

Net Impact has a toolkit on finding the right company for you. 

In a Conscious Company magazine special issue from 2017 , there is an article titled "The Landscape: Who are the key players?". It lists several organizations and their key industry partners or well-known members. 

GameChangers lists numerous companies on their website who have committed to being more about purpose than profit. 

If you really want to dig deep, you can search for companies on GRI's Sustainability Disclosure Database). It will either identify GRI submitted reports or it will identify non-GRI reports that may be found on the company's website. 

Here is a list of local businesses across the US that have made the declaration that the US Chamber of Commerce does not speak for them regarding climate change. You can search by city and state to find businesses in your area. 

**Related to finding the right company, and even before finding the right company, identify career options. This US Career Institute blog post has descriptions of several different career paths. As you read through these descriptions, consider your strengths and passions. [Thank you to Ms Platt’s class for sharing this article!]

Networking (Relationship Building)

Many jobs aren't posted; they are created for someone. You could be that someone! Networking/relationship building is a critical component to making that job creation happen.  Keep in mind that many jobs are found through your network. And many jobs are created for a particular person. Check out 5 Tips to Create a Job That Doesn’t Exist Yet:

1. Stop searching for open positions.

2. Do your research and create a plan.

3. Determine how companies can capitalize on your talent.

4. Connect with the right people.

5. Perfect your pitch.

Consider networking strategically. We've had clients successfully use networking to find a new job. They used their existing network to find contacts that could help them with their job search. Is there one or more contacts in your network who work in a sector you're interested in? A company you want to learn more about?

One way to network is outlined in this HBR article, Find a Job with Massive, Structured Networking. It shows you how much you could be networking and lays out six steps to developing a new network and using that network to find a new job or career.

1. Broadly define your network.Consider former classmates, colleagues from earlier employers, business relationships outside your institution, and civic acquaintances.

2. Create a new network along the way. Ask people who else to call.

3. View discussions as learning opportunities, not just job inquiries.

4. Contact people in different ways. 

5. Be systematic with good record keeping. 
Consider a spreadsheet.

6. Periodically evaluate your progress and whether to change the approach.

Your Network is Your Net Worth. A quick read, this brief post identifies the importance of maintaining a strong network for purposes of career change and advancement. Here are the tips listed:

  • Relationships matter. Take time to build relationships before you need them. When you proactively build relationships without any pretense, you will have a better opportunity to sustain the relationship as the person won’t feel like you are using them.

    1. It’s not who you know; it’s who knows you. The best exposure is when others vouch for you and acknowledge your contributions. However, remember that people vouch for those they know and trust.

    2. Look for ways to help others. Being proactive indicates that you are a person that takes the initiative. Volunteer your time to help others or be the “go to person” when someone needs something done. It usually pays dividends in the future.

Job Boards

There are many job boards. This Page is organized by category. These categories do not include all boards in each category. Rather, the lists are those that would be useful to sustainability professionals. In addition, remember to check individual company and organization job boards.

Sustainability, Environmental, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), & Social Impact jobs

  • Sustainabilityjobs.org – Job search engine that finds job listings from company career pages, other job boards, newspapers and associations.

  • Green Jobs Network – "connects employers with job seekers who are interested in jobs that focus on environmental or social responsibility. This is a service of Green Jobs Network, a social enterprise based in the San Francisco."

  • Ceres — "A sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. Through powerful networks and advocacy, Ceres tackles the world’s biggest sustainability challenges, including climate change, water scarcity and pollution, and inequitable workplaces."

  • Environmental Career – "Provides employers and job seekers with comprehensive career, and staffing services in the environmental, sustainability, natural resources, energy, and green jobs sectors."

"BSR™ is a global nonprofit organization that works with its network of more than 250 member companies and other partners to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR™ develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration."

  • BSR » CSR Jobs Page – Jobs at BSR member companies.

  • Just Means – "The leading community for CSR & sustainability news and content."

  • NetImpact.org – An association for emerging business leaders with 400+ chapters in various cities around the world.


"Our programs help new leaders broaden their thinking, build their networks, and scale their impact beyond just individual actions. Simple ideas—from healthy school lunches to water conservation—become powerful initiatives with real impact."

"The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment is the leading voice advancing sustainable, responsible and impact investing across all asset classes. Its mission is to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment and the generation of positive social and environmental impacts."

Climate Change Jobs

Non-Profit Jobs

  • Idealist – A great job search engine with several international NGO opportunities; also US-based nonprofit jobs.

  • Koya Leadership Partners — Koya is a recruiting and executive search company and also lists open positions it is seeking to fill on its website. Commongood Careers merged with Koya.

  • Bridgespan.org – Bridgespan Group; Forbes top 7 website for nonprofit jobs.

  • Work for Good – Originally founded as Opportunity Knocks, one of the first job boards focused exclusively on mission-driven careers, Work for Good has helped more than 30,000 organizations find the talent they need.

  • ExecSearches.com – Serves large to small non-profit, government, education and health entities to fill executive, mid-level and fundraising positions.

International Jobs

  • Idealist — A great job search engine with several international NGO opportunities; also US-based nonprofit jobs.

  • EnvironmentJobs — A portal for environmental and NGO related jobs; very international.

  • Environment Jobs UK — Several nonprofit and public sector environmental posts in the UK and international

International Development Jobs

  • Globethics.net — Formerly LifeWorth job site. Not just international development, this site has a multi-dimensional classification of job postings.

  • Development Aid — Regular visitors to the site can access some job postings but you must be a member to see the full job board. The organization also provides other career services for a fee such as broadcasting your CV to recruiters and tailoring your resume.

"We specialize in connecting donors, agencies, consultancy firms, NGOs, and individual consultants working for international development."

"The Jobs Market is a free platform for NGOs and social enterprises to recruit dynamic professionals with a global outlook."

  • DevNetJobs — Another job board that makes some jobs available for free but other jobs require membership to view. This site includes international development, health, aid, and environment jobs around the globe.

  • InterAction — NGO Job Board. Careers in relief and development.

  • Relief Web — Humanitarian and development jobs.

  • VSO – Has both a site for volunteer opportunities and jobs with VSO

"VSO is the world’s leading international development organisation that works through volunteers to fight poverty."

Philanthropy Jobs

  • Philanthropy News Digest — Job openings at U.S. foundations, grantmaking public charities, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions

  • Chronicle of Philanthropy — The Chronicle of Philanthropy lists job opportunities largely in the nonprofit and grant making arena.

  • Council on Foundations — This is a fee-based service of foundation focused jobs in the U.S. and around the world.

Policy/Public Affairs Jobs

Compilations of Job Sites

Other Job Sites

Professional Groups

This is not a comprehensive list of professional associations. The sustainability field is varied as are the professional associations. This list is meant to provide you with some of the key member organizations and associations for sustainability professionals. There are additional, more specialized groups at the end. If you have others you'd recommend, please email me!

For individuals

 Trade associations & nonprofits with corporate members

**These can be a good starting place to search for potential companies you'd want to work for. Look at the members of the organizations that cover the area you're interested in.

Other specialized groups & associations

Resume Resources

1. Examples of resumes by industry 

o   Note that if you use a template, there may be code that can throw off the ATS (applicant tracking system). Because of this, draft your resume from scratch (using the examples of resumes if you'd prefer) rather than using a template. 

o   This site has resume templates with ATS-friendly fonts (note: it is still recommended to follow the guidance in point 2. below.)

2. How to get your resume past ATS

Key takeaways from the article:

o   Don't use templates

o   Use keywords from the job posting and from the company's website

o   Don't use graphics

o   Use .doc, not .pdf

o   This video on getting your resume past ATS also shares a process for incorporating keywords into your resume and with what frequency keywords should appear.

3. Do's and Don'ts of Resume Editing 

o   Do list your most impressive and relevant achievements first

o   Do optimize for applicant tracking systems

o   Do include soft skills

o   Do tailor your resume for different jobs

o   Do try getting your resume to fit exactly one page [Two pages is OK and some experts say that more than two is acceptable.]

o   Don’t mention the obvious

o   Don’t get overly fancy with pictures and colors

o   Don’t use weak action verbs

o   Don’t be inconsistent

o   Don’t forget to ask someone to proofread

4. Writing a resume profile. 

Tips on what to include in a resume profile and sample resume profiles.