- Karyn Lewis, Alumna
Finding a Job that Aligns with Your Values
Settling for one of the first job offers you receive post-graduation is easy to do. Everyone isn't fortunate enough to receive offers from their internships or have a job secured before graduating. Not having the next year or so of your life planned is no reason to jump into any opportunity that comes your way.
This is an age of change and consciousness. It's becoming more mainstream to speak your mind and stand up for your cause, whatever it may be. With this comes the complications of finding a career that aligns with your morals and values. This can be hard depending on location and finances. Most people aren't able to graduate and contribute their time to helping impoverished communities or to protest ivory hunters, so how can you find a job that allows you to pursue your passion while earning a stable salary and not working for a company that contradicts your values? Companies that contradict an individual's values can be anything from lacking fair trade to having a CEO who has publicly stated their political views or personal views on certain demographics. Just as a conscious shopper would discontinue consumption, a conscious job seeker wouldn't be interested in the company.
This isn’t a sense of entitlement or saying that you're above working certain places. This is standing for what you believe and figuring out a way to progress the changes you want to see instead of contributing to the issues. The fact is people just want to know that the work they are doing is meaningful. This will vary from person to person, so listing your values and skills will help you to have a clearer idea of what you're looking for in an employer. You can take this information and create a "Target Employer List." Hopefully, this list will help you to narrow down potential employers. From there you can begin building a portfolio that aligns with the missions of these companies and take the first steps to accomplishing your goals of working with a compatible employer.
