Careers in ESG! Advice on work/study, resume-building & networking [ft. Ewha GSIS grad Sooyoung] 

Hello I have few questions. Would u be able to suggest few universities for MSC and also if you are aware of job opportunities in the EU countries

@@sofysimon4537 Hi! I believe ESG-related institutions hire from a variety of backgrounds, so it'd be great if you could narrow down what programs you are looking at in terms of major. There are also lots of job opportunities in the EU, including research/ratings firms/think tanks, investing institutions and both the public and private sectors. You could try LinkedIn, Indeed, or even DevEx (the latter with more focus on development) for job opportunities. Best wishes!

I've been looking to pivot into ESG. With so many ESG standards, what are the most useful ESG standards to learn?

As you pointed out, there are many standards and guidelines out there. If you’re just starting out, I’d recommend taking a look at international initiatives/indexes to get a birds’ eye view of the industry. UN PRI, TCFD, GRI, and ESG indexes/ratings (MSCI, Sustainalytics, ISS, Bloomberg, etc.). If you’re interested in ESG as a career, you might also want to see if the ESG certification from the CFA Institute or other institutions would be worthwhile. Best wishes!

Thank *you* so much for meeting with me! I already received feedback from students that your insights were really helpful. Looking forward to celebrating the end of 2020 (and beginning of 2021!) with you very soon~ 🙏🏻

Your journey has taken you to places and given such a varied experience. I have an opportunity to study about sustainable finance in Ireland. With your experience in this field of so many years, would you suggest someone from finance background, to obtain a degree in Sustainable finance or can one venture into by exploring the roles?

Thank you for supporting her! ^^

There's definitely a case to be made that you don't have to sacrifice one for the other. It's a tough balance, but there are lots of folks working to make it happen -- you included! ^^

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! ^^

I’m so glad you found the video helpful! With your financial acumen, there will be lots of exciting career opportunities for you. Just as a side note, I’m planning to upload a follow-up video on ESG with Sooyoung towards the end of February. Hope you’ll check it out & best wishes! ^^

@@DARITVKOREA thanks, I look forward to that! :)

Wow, you’re right - so many similarities! Since you have a passion for sustainability like Sooyoung, I’m sure you’ll find lots of promising career opportunities in no time. Wishing you all the best! 🙏🏻

I’m so glad you enjoyed the video! I’m sure Sooyoung will be reaching out to you if you got in touch with her on LinkedIn. Although Sooyoung may be able to share some more details, financial analysis here primarily refers to analyzing a company’s current financial statements and also simulating impacts on future firm performance based on changes in ESG factors/performance/risk. Since you’re interning at an asset management firm, you would have great access to PMs who can share some insight on how they may reflect ESG in investments (although many don’t ^^) and what tools they use to make those investment decisions. Actual simulation and detailed financial statement analysis would also be conducted by sellside analysts (as I was before), but you’re in a great position to access those resources. Best wishes with your career search and please feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn as well! ^^

@@DARITVKOREA wow seems like there are much things i could learn and study for esg in this firm now than i have expected and much clearer now! and hope to have more conversation on linkedin too!

@@user-wx2ez2ho8s I'm excited to have that discussion as well! 화이팅~~ ^^

I look forward to it! 🙌🏻🙏🏻

안녕하세요. ^^ 다양한 학문에서 접근할 수 있다고 생각되는데요, finance 에 대한 이해가 특히 도움될 수 있는 부분은 asset allocation/investment considerations 이해하는데에 있어서인것 같아요. 투자자의 입장에서 ESG 가 왜 중요하냐 물어보신다면, 투자 대상을 선정하는 과정에서 ESG 이슈에 따른 리스크(혹은 기회)를 파악하는 것인데 finance 에 대한 지식이 전혀 없다면 소통자체가 어렵지 않을까 싶습니다. ESG 이슈에 관심 있다고 하셨는데, 좀 더 구체적으로 define 하면 좋을것 같아요. E-S-G 이슈 별로 한번 고민해보셔도 되고, 아니면 관심있는 institution(예, 기업에서 ESG 전략 및 목표를 세우는 업무, 실제 투자를 하는 투자가관/자산운용, ESG 연구나 평가하는 research institute 등)을 생각해서 준비하셔도 되요. 졸업하셨는지 모르겠지만, 이쪽 분야에서 연구하고 계시는 모교 교수님들 찾아뵙고 자문 구하는 것도 도움될것 같아요. Best wishes!

There’s some encouraging evidence out there that shows companies are embracing sustainability/ESG - so glad you’re also passionate about the field! ^^ 🙏🏻

@@DARITVKOREA yes Prof.. especially in Indonesia some companies (listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange) have applied ESG but some of them didn’t disclose their activities related to ESG which lead us to make an assumption whether they did it or not.. It would be great if we can discuss CSR topics or ESG topics as well, Prof.. your contents really inspired me to take another challenging journey.. thanks Prof ❤️

You must be going through a very tough time.. we definitely want to find work that is fulfilling and also gives us energy. Thank you for reaching out and hopefully we can map out a path that doesn’t perpetuate burnout! 🙏🏻

@@DARITVKOREA I wanted to stop before I am getting myself into depression. Therefore, I applied GKS this year and chosen Ewha GSIS to pursue my further study in P.h.D majoring in International Business. Hopefully, I could successfully leave everything as for now, to get some time for me to recharge and regain my passion again. I watched all your videos, and your lovely smile always brightens up my day. I hope one day we can meet in person. Thank you so much, Professor.

Aww, thank you so much for your lovely message and I can’t imagine the tough time you’re going through. There are plenty more smiles to be found on my channel and I would certainly love to meet you should you come to Seoul - I know a few tasty cafes you might enjoy! 언제나 화이팅~~ 🙏🏻

​@@DARITVKOREA Thank you for the words of encouragement, professor. Hopefully, everything will go smoothly. I can imagine how awesome it would be that we could spend the whole evening chit-chatting at a lovely café . I will definitely rewatch all your videos and anticipating more smiles in your new uploads. 😘

I can’t wait!! 🍵☕️🙈