The CR Career Ladder

May 27, 2010 1:00 PM ET

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) May 27, 2010 -  Corporate responsibility (CR) remains a profession dominated by career switchers who have transferred their skills and experience into this evolving sector from another profession. But there is also an emerging group of professionals who have only ever worked in CR.  

The 2010 Corporate Responsibility Salary Survey, conducted by recruitment company Acre, in partnership with consultancy Acona and publication Ethical Performance, showed that on average, respondents had fourteen years’ work experience and over half had moved into their current job from another profession.   The survey also showed that one in ten respondents had only ever worked in a CR focused job, double that of the previous years survey.. There were also a growing number of participants who held a CR related qualification.   The growing number of individuals who have only ever worked in CR indicates that corporate responsibility is maturing as a profession, and Acre observed that an array of both junior and management level roles continued to be created throughout the down-turn.   Shannon Houde is a career coach at Acre and has helped many professionals develop their careers in CR. “I have always had clients from a range of backgrounds coming to me with the desire to move into the CR sector. But increasingly I am seeing mid level professionals, who have specialist qualifications and focused experience in the CR sector, coming to me for guidance on their next career step. A ladder for CR professionals is definitely emerging as individuals are now working their way up from CR assistants to managers and directors.”
The emergence of a career ladder for the CR sector is an increasingly positive sign that the sector is here to stay and will become as dominant a business function as are HR, marketing and finance.  

Further information on Acre Resources - www.acre-resources.com

  For more information, or to interview Andrew Cartland, Acre’s Managing Director or Shannon Houde, Acre’s Career Coach contact:
Bethany Cox Marketing Manager Acre Resources beth@acre-resources.co.uk 0203 170 8030 www.acre-resources.com   Notes to editors:
  • Established in 2003, Acre Resources is the leading specialist recruitment company for the Corporate Responsibility, Climate Change and Environmental sectors.

  • Acre was the first recruitment agency of its type, established by Andy Cartland and Tom Leathes, both of whom have extensive experience in the ‘green’ sector and providing top quality recruitment solutions

  • Acre’s head office is located in central London where they have a team of 16 specialist consultants

  • Statistics above have been taken from the 2010 CR Salary Survey conducted by Acre in partnership with Acona and Ethical Performance

  • Acre’s career coaching service gives individuals the tools, clarity and confidence to achieve their career goals within the CR and Sustainability Sectors.

  • Shannon Houde, MBA, is a career coach with a focus on helping sustainability professionals match their values and skills to viable career options in the corporate responsibility and sustainability fields. She has chosen sustainability career coaching to combine her experience as a hiring manager, a life coach and a CSR consultant, after having started her career 16 years ago in corporate recruiting.

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