Young finance professionals can do their bit for the greater good and make their working life count in many different ways. It’s not only about taking a year out! From finding a finance role within a charity or working for a B Corp, to using a recruitment agency such as Core3 to find your next finance role, the possibilities are endless!
If you type ‘gap year’ into Google, you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with all the stereotypical results – from Australia to Africa, from being a ski instructor to a charity volunteer – all bases are covered, and the UK Government now even has a dedicated page to explain what a ‘gap year’ means too.
A gap year was traditionally an opportunity to take time out, find yourself, and have some fun before getting stuck into the world of work. But this approach was relevant only at a time when the world was a much more rigid place – there was a certain order that everyone was expected to follow, and standards or expectations existed to measure how ‘successful’ someone’s career was.
These days, more and more young professionals are looking for ways to do their bit for the greater good, wherever they are. At the end of the day, finding your purpose doesn’t always have to be done in the outback or the exotic, or cost thousands of pounds; increasingly, people are finding creative ways to discover their purpose in the everyday of their hometown and local community, alongside their family and friends…and even in their workplace.
Over the past few years, we’ve been given a stark reminder from mother nature, that life is too short for such rigidity – it’s not too much to ask that work is fun, fulfilling and life-giving.
With the rise of a new generation of value-led leaders, the notion of a gap year is not only more relevant than ever before, but also more accessible. So how and where can you take this alternative approach?
B Corps
To become a B Corp, a business must adopt a framework of behaviours and commitments, including the legal requirement to consider the impact of their decisions on their stakeholders, which of course includes their workers. Therefore, B Corp finance jobs are underpinned with a commitment to employee well-being and offer the freedom and space for you to find your place and make a difference.
B Corps, by definition, are visionary – always looking to the future with sustainability in mind. Working in a B Corp finance job affords employees the ability to see exactly where they can make a difference, and how they can build this into the foundation of a career which is an extension of their values and worldview.
A B Corp finance job is more likely than any other to offer flexibility as standard and will often be the first to trial and experiment with new ways of working. Having the flexibility to explore interests and causes, without having to stop working, is one way in which the traditional gap year can be turned on its head.
Charities (Non-Profit Organisations)
Working in a charity finance job is, for all intents and purposes, practically the same as any other finance job. The difference comes in the motivation and reason for the charity – they exist not to make a profit in and of itself, but to make a profit that can be used to support a specific cause.
Rather than a typical transactional process within business, i.e. money paid in exchange for the provision of goods or services, a charity has to manage donations for a cause. In some ways, it could be argued that competent financial employees are of even more importance when dealing with money that has been freely given when there is nothing immediately tangible to show for it.
Working for a charity is not just about serving donors though, it is also an opportunity for finance professionals to partner their skills and expertise with a cause they are passionate about, and in so doing, further the impact that charity can have in the world.
Historically, NPOs have relied on volunteers to keep costs down, but having a team or individuals running the finance department, who are lacking in dedicated expertise for the role, could be risky. Charities instead need people who are not just passionate about the cause, but also have a dedicated set of skills.
Values fit
When searching for a job that enables you to explore your passions, discover your purpose and align your values, you need to partner with a recruitment agency that fits. At Core3 we work with businesses who have the same desire as us – to change the world by being values-led.
Our mission is to pioneer the ‘conscious recruitment’ mindset; putting people, planet and progress first. We believe it’s not enough to simply get someone an interview, having matched them up with a job using a list of tick-boxes – we have the long-term in sight, placing people in the right place at the right time, so they go on to have the most fulfilling career they can possibly have.
We value relationships over transactions, every time.
If you are looking for an alternative gap year experience in an environment that provides the freedom to explore who you are, partnering with a recruitment agency like Core3 is the place you’ll want to start. With our determination and intentionality to nurture careers and prioritise people, planet and progress, you can be confident that you’ll be starting off on the right track.
