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Have a look at careers websites including , , and to find out what roles in this sector involve and how to get into them. These are some of the job profiles available:

• - role can be done in a corporate context

Because CSR involves a range of sectors and jobs, there is not one single list of skills required by all employers.

Technical skills required will depend on the specific role.

However, evidence of the following will usually be necessary:

• communication skills
• business/commercial/political awareness
• leadership
• problem-solving
• decision-making
• empathy
• adaptability
• team working

Starting salaries for graduate jobs in this sector can vary depending on the position.

To get an idea of typical starting salaries use the following resources:

• our  offers access to The Pay Index. This shows you how salaries vary across different roles, industries and locations
• job profiles, such as those listed on  or 
• vacancy sites such as  and 

For information about how to negotiate a salary, visit Handling job offers.

• Browse our NCL Graduate Employment and Work Experience directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed.
• Use LinkedIn’s  to find out what Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are doing now. You could ask to connect with them, to gain advice and insights into their career. See Ãå±±½ûµØ Alumni on LinkedIn to help you get started or watch our quick tutorial on  [3:13±Õ. &²Ô²ú²õ±è;
• Attend alumni events, such as Ãå±±½ûµØ Develop, to hear directly from our graduates.  
• Sign up for mentoring support with  a²Ô»å . These aim to match students with industry professionals who can provide invaluable insights. Register to be connected for a one-hour meeting. 
• Attend events such as recruitment events and  employer and sector insights. Hear about graduate jobs, placement schemes, build your network and ask questions.   

Searching for reviews online can be a useful way to get an idea of what to expect from certain roles or employers. Reviews are written by employees with different opinions about what makes a good employer.

Use the following review sites for inspiration and insight into the recruitment process:

• - placement year reviews written by students
• – graduate job reviews
• – company reviews from employees

Read career guides for this sector, such as:

Use online magazines and journals to follow news from your industry. Reading about trends and developments is important for applications and interviews.

Examples include:

Attend events to hear directly from professionals in the industry.

See our events page for recruitment events and employer and sector insights.

Join CSR related student societies. has societies that campaign for humanitarian causes or charities. Examples include and .

Use social media to find industry insights

Join on LinkedIn to keep up to date. Posts often include news, events and opportunities. You can also find useful insights on careers on X and TikTok. Treat these with caution, as not all content may be accurate.

Find out more about how to use social media for your career.

Consider joining a relevant professional body/industry network

Professional bodies often:

• run networking events
• have specialist groups you could join
• post vacancies on behalf of their members
• have member directories, useful for speculative applications

Key organisations include:

Finding professional bodies worldwide

³Ò´Ç¾±²Ô³Ò±ô´Ç²ú²¹±ô’s country guides include details of more professional bodies. Find them under ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each individual country guide.

Apply for advertised opportunities as early as possible.

UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers’ close applications as soon as their places are filled.

Employers in this sector will be looking for evidence of your interest in CSR. This might be through, for example, undertaking work experience in a related field or shadowing.

Formal internships and placement years specifically in CSR are rare. They tend to be advertised only when a business requires it. Companies that sometimes offer internships in this area include:

You can develop skills transferable to a CSR role by gaining experience in a charity or NGO. You could also get them in a corporate organisation.

Use our resources to get started:

• - search for internships and placements in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
• Internships, placements & shadowing - links to vacancy sites
• Global work experience - for internships or placements abroad
• Charities and Voluntary Organisations has more examples of relevant work experience.
• Other Occupations pages also list work experience. This can help you develop transferable skills to take into this field.

Other sources include:

• - lists internships in the charities and voluntary sector
• - provides paid 8–12-week environmental internships. These are for student and recent graduates in small and medium businesses. (They are only available in Scotland)

The Careers Service runs flexible term-time and summer internships with local employers and on campus. NCL internships are aimed at all students, from any stage.

Search for these under Vacancies on . Type in ‘NCL internship’ into the text search box.

You can find these advertised throughout the academic year. Full-time summer opportunities are advertised from around March.

Access GoinGlobal for internships in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

• additional vacancy websites
• CV, application and interview advice
• advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world.

If you’re looking for inspiration, try searching our directories. You can see where our students have had internships and placements in the last five years. To see all results in a search category, keep the search field blank.

The resources in this section advertise both graduate jobs and graduate schemes. See our graduate jobs page to understand the difference between them.

For graduate schemes, apply as early as possible. Specific CSR graduate schemes are rare. CSR may feature more as a part of your role within a more general graduate scheme. For example, this could be in a management role.

UK applications typically open early in the academic year from September or October. Some close as early as November-December. Many employers close applications as soon as their places are filled.

Graduate jobs tend to be immediate start positions which can be available all year round. You are more likely to apply for these towards the end of your studies.

Large private sector companies sometimes have CSR departments. They can also have CSR functions located within other departments.

Some large accounting and consulting firms are competing with niche CSR firms. They sometimes offer their own CSR client services. See accountancy and tax and management consultancy for vacancy sites.

Public sector CSR careers are found in national and international government organisations.

Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) engage in CSR advocacy. Some think tanks and academic institutions do too.

These groups promote the use of CSR within the private and public spheres. Examples include: , and .

Examples of graduate schemes that state they commit to CSR include:

• . They allow graduates on its schemes to participate in
• recruitment has a strong
• highlight their mission in their recruitment information
• highlight sustainability in their graduate programme
• have a community relations department

Search with the term 'CSR' or 'sustainability' on a graduate scheme's website to see their CSR commitment.

See Researching Employers for more ways to research companies.

Use our resources for more vacancy sites:

• MyCareer - search for graduate schemes and graduate jobs in the North East, UK and overseas. Register/log in to access vacancies and sign up for personalised email alerts
• Graduate Jobs – lists graduate vacancy sites

See also the vacancy sections of:

• government and politics
• charities and voluntary organisations
• development

Vacancy sites for CSR roles

• - sustainability related vacancies
• - includes CSR and sustainability opportunities.
• - advertises CSR positions.

See International jobs for details of overseas vacancy sites.

Access GoinGlobal for job adverts in over 120 global locations, updated daily. Search for opportunities in the local language, as well as in English. You can also use their country guides to find:

• additional vacancy websites
• CV, application and interview advice
• advice on living and working in different countries and cities around the world

Start by identifying organisations you are interested in. Our guide to finding organisations below can help. Then use the following steps to approach them speculatively about possible opportunities:

1. Identify a contact name to address your cover letter to. Call or email to find out who handles recruitment within the organisation. Or, find a key contact in the department you want to work in.
2. Send them a tailored CV and cover letter. Express your enthusiasm for the sector. Show that you have researched the company.
3. Follow up your speculative application with a phone call, or email, around a week later. This shows you are serious and motivated.
4. If your application was unsuccessful, ask for feedback or advice, and keep trying!

You can use this approach at any point in the year. We recommend that you:

• start your research as early as possible to gather relevant contacts
• contact organisations around three months before you want the opportunity to begin

Many larger companies now publish information on their CSR activities on their websites. The following list companies recognised as having a good CSR record:

You can also:

• find organisations on MyCareer. Select ‘search' then 'organisations’
• use the business directories and databases on our Researching employers page
• search for companies on LinkedIn. The tool shows you where Ãå±±½ûµØ graduates are currently working
• browse our directories. See where our students and graduates have had work experience, or been employed

Below are examples of organisations who have a North East base. They have specifically highlighted corporate responsibility/sustainability.

Check their websites for advertised vacancies. They may also be worth approaching speculatively to ask about work experience or graduate level positions.

• - international chemical company, has a base in Gateshead.
• - clothing manufacturer based in Sunderland.
• - UK government department. Responsible for environment, food and rural affairs policy and regulations
• - bases across the UK, including the Northeast.
• - housing group based in Sunderland. They have a strong sustainability and social responsibility focus.
• - offer CSR opportunities to companies.
• - has a clear CSR focus.
• - describe themselves as a socially responsible company.
• - Northeast based electricity supplier, offering sustainable energy solutions.
• - contributes 1% of profit to a community action fund on an ongoing basis. Support community events, business and cultural institutions.
• - co-operative lending society based in Ãå±±½ûµØ.
• - sustainable transport charity with Ãå±±½ûµØ office
• - has bases in Tyne and Wear
• - Environmental and sustainability consultancy based in Ãå±±½ûµØ.
• UK fair trade organisation, based in Gateshead.

You can also use the following site to find organisations to approach:

See jobs for more useful websites, in particular, public sector links.

• - search employers by sector
• Professional body websites sometimes include member directories, which are helpful for finding employers.

Search GoinGlobal's employer directory for company information in 196 countries. Their country guides list professional bodies around the world.