What are some companies that are liberal minded, yet financially successful. I’m looking for some places to work after I graduate and get my degree in marketing, but I want a fairly lax social environment. I’m not saying this is where I’ll work, but I’d just like to try them out and see what they offer/say. So far I’ve thought of Google and Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
Thanks.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t have the education to be too selective. Marketing grads are a dime a dozen. You’re going to have to send out scores, if not hundreds, of resumes to get a job offer.
Your best bet to find a good working environment is to use the interview process. There are thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of places to work with fun, relaxed workplaces, and you haven’t heard of 99.9% of them. I know a company in Syracuse I guarantee you have never heard of where they have inflatable dinosaurs all over the place and hold contests to see who can decorate their office in the craziest manner. Great place to work, but you’ve never heard of them. Trying to find big brand name companies is a mistake; small to medium sized companies are a much larger market for your services and offer, in many ways, better places to work.
Use the interview process. Go in and when they ask if YOU have any questions, ask frank and honest questions about the work environment to see if it’s uptight or relaxed. Asking a lot of questions makes you look good besides.
As well, don’t believe a company’s press releases about whether or not they’re “liberal.” A lot of palces that claim to have really fun working environments turn out to be a place where, yes, you don’t have to wear a tie, but there’s backstabbing a-plenty. It’s all about you going in, getting a tour, and seeing if the place is comfortable or not.
Check the HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (PDF). While it’s not exactly an indicator of “liberal”, there is a bit of correlation between liberalness and support of same-sex benefits. Another way is to google “socially responsible investing” or something similar and find some of the mutual funds that specialize in companies that are socially liberal. Look at the companies in which they invest. (try http://www.socialinvest.org/ for starters).
Opps, forgot to add the URL in that first link:
I completely agree with you.