CorporateResponsibility.Net

Finding a job in the CR field. An interview with Acre Resources

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This is the first interview in a series of interviews with key representatives in the Corporate Responsibility Sector. This week we have interviewed Acre Resources Ltd.  Acre Resources was one of the first CR recruitment agencies in the field and currently has the largest global database for CR professionals.

Interview:

1)    Could you tell me a little bit about what Acre is doing?

Acre Resources has grown from 6 employees to 15 within the last 2 years and now has the largest global database of CR professionals in the world. We receive over 900 CVs per month and have over 18.000 visitors to our website per month. This is up from 11.000 monthly visitors only 2 years ago.
We have had a lot of repeat business as CR specific recruitment is becoming more and more popular. The number of jobs we have worked on from 2004 to 2005 increased by 97%, then by 39% the following year and this growth has continued over the years with an increase from 2006 to 2007 of 29% more jobs worked on 11% prediction for 2007 to 2008. 62% of Acres work is repeat business which means that a lot of companies are now expanding their teams to include more CR professionals.

2)    What has changed in the Corporate Responsibility (CR) recruitment field in the past few years?

The CR recruitment field is getting more specialised. Several years ago candidates wanting to get into the CR sector tended to have general experience across the environmental field.  Nowadays more specific jobs and skill sets are needed such as Climate change, Socially Responsible Invest (SRI), community experts, etc. And there are a lot more candidates out there that have relevant CR qualification now in comparison to several years ago. These specialised jobs are in a much higher demand now than some years ago and it is likely that this move to specialisation will continue in the coming years. Part of the reason might also be that there are a lot more CR and Sustainability related courses and University modules out there now and that the importance of CR is steadily growing within our global society.

3)    What are the future trends and developments in the CR recruitment field?

CR is likely to develop into a separate recognised specialisation next to climate change, environment and community amongst others. The competition for interesting positions is likely to increase as well as more and more people would like to work in the CR sector and its appeal of being able to “Make a difference” in our world. CR jobs will also diversify into different areas such as communication, stakeholder engagement, SRI, consulting, reporting and management of internal relationships.

4)    What about the jobseekers profiles, qualifications, etc? Have they changed?

There are a lot more qualified jobseekers out there now then before as mentioned in question 2. One interesting trend is that we are getting a lot more junior jobseekers then before. We still have a lot people wanting to change their careers, the so called mid-career movers, but we have a lot more junior jobseekers out there now.
Therefore clients can be a lot pickier as well now as there are now more experienced and qualified candidates out there. It is fair to say that it is a very candidate driven market out there now.
Previously CR professionals would move up through the company from non-CR roles and get CR related experience in the field.  Now people are going straight into CR as their first position and progressing up a CR career ladder.

5)    Is there some advice you could give jobseekers on how to best get into the CR field? What should they do in order to be considered qualified?

Be proactive and try to convey your passion and desire to work in the CR field. Then start to network and research the industry. For a graduate the ideal way to get into the CR field is to look for one or two internship opportunities or post graduate courses. For everyone else it is important to present your CV in that way that sells your skills and qualifications in the best possible way. Show what your strengths are and why you are the most qualified person for the job.

6)    Everyone is talking about the implications of the Credit Crunch. Has the Credit Crunch been affecting your business?

Not yet. We have not seen the credit crunch affecting recruitment within the CR sector yet. May has been a bit slow but it is picking up again. I think part of the reason is that the Renewable Energy and Climate Change sector are booming at the moment and so is the recruitment in these areas. It seems that CR and Climate Change are too important within business agendas to be dropped by companies.

7)    What do you have as upcoming projects, etc?

We will start work on the second CR salary survey at the end of this year. The survey will be launched and published early in 2009.