Career Basics Course: Week 6, Day 26

“The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life; it’s so easy to make it complex.”— Yvon Chouinard

“To do good, you actually have to do something.” — Yvon Chouinard

“Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base. Without a healthy environment, there are no shareholders, no employees, no customers, and no business.” — @Yvon Chouinard

Create A Company Brief

SOMETIMES WE THINK we know a company based on its reputation, but we rarely do a deep dive into what it is really about. ...

We rarely perform this level of investigation on a company before joining. However, uncovering this information can help you build mission alignment and it help you speak from a place of authenticity when you write an email that will get you the job.

Here are some introductory questions you should try to address during your personal due diligence process.

• What is the stated mission and vision of the company?
• What does the company offer or sell? How does this align with its vision?
• How is the organization structured internally?
• What is the culture of the organization?
• How is it funded? Is it financially secure?

The Exercise

Sometimes, talking to strangers can be a good thing. Talking to someone you don’t know at an established company will help you find those companies you may want to work for and build your network within the industry. This exercise will prove to the BCorp, or any potential employer that you are truly committed to working in their industry. Here’s how to talk to someone you don’t know and set yourself up for a job:

1. Go through this list?of 1000+ companies on the?BCorp website
2. Choose five companies that grab your attention?or are working within the industry that interests you.
3. Identify the established companies?of your chosen industry that these five BCorps are trying to disrupt or reinvent.
4. Identify someone at an established company, (they don’t necessarily have to be a high-level employee) and?send a cold outreach email?that:
5. Requests a phone call or meeting
6. Mentions you want to discuss their industry and get the lay of the land from someone who is seasoned
7. Says you aren’t looking for a job
8. References something online that makes them an interesting person to talk to and states this
9. When you get your meeting,?seek their opinion?on the BCorps that are trying to reinvent their industry by asking questions like:
10. Do you know of any of these BCorps? Are they addressing a real need?
11. What does a large incumbent company like yours think about these upstarts?
12. What do you think these upstart companies are doing right or wrong?

Note: "A Certified B Corporation is a company that has voluntarily met the?highest standards for social and environmental performance. These standards are intentionally set high and are meant to recognize leading companies. The standards are developed independently and cover a company’s impact in key areas, including Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers." (source: cultivating capital)

Note: This is either ...

• Way 19, if you reference the 2018 version of the book, which I have, or,
• I'm going to recommend that you look at?Way 21 (Talk to a Company You Do Not Know) in?50 Ways to Get a Job: An Unconventional Guide to Finding Work on Your Terms

For me, ... here are my five that I will build a company brief around:

1. King Arthur Baking Company
2. Cream City Conservation
3. Carpe Diem Education
4. B-People Group
5. EnGen (here's a sample of what this B-Corp does)

"EnGen's mission is to remove English as a barrier to educational and career opportunities for immigrants, refugees, and speakers of other languages in the U.S., using a proprietary online and mobile platform. EnGen supports the needs of New Americans as they are working towards career and academic credentials, offering them English skills as well as the resources they need for their personal integration goals." EnGen

That's all for this evening.

Much peace and joy.

A Happy Monday?-- Gearing up ... Week 6, Day 26.?

We have welcomed two individuals who will continue throughout the remaining 5 weeks of Career Basics Course as Contributing Respondents. They are:

• Caila Howell?... a business/digital marketing professional and education advocate. We're delighted that Caila has joined us in this journey.
• Kathleen O'Brien 欧凯林?... a mission-motivated, people-oriented and a collaborator between and among cultures. We're delighted that Kathleen has joined us in this journey.

Thanks for accompanying us on this journey. All the best to the you and your family as we begin the weekend.

All the very best to everyone. Much peace.

Gerald and?Al Nunez

P.S. Ramadan Mubarak, Happy Easter and a Happy Passover to all who celebrate.