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Alumni News in This Issue

• Co-Founder of Ben & Jerry's Among Lineup in Dean's Speaker Series

Career Corner by John Worth

Summertime … and Your Job Search Isn't Easy
You may currently be conducting a job search and having a hard time staying motivated. You may have managed to convince yourself that there's no point in doing anything in the summer. Everyone is on vacation, and nothing will be going on, right?

Wrong. While it is true that many people take vacations in the summer, most companies do not shut down for the summer, and position vacancies must be filled.

Perhaps it is time to destroy a few myths and provide some suggestions that might help fight the summer doldrums.

The job search can wait for the fall. If you were to analyze the effort and time used for your job search in the spring, you would probably find that the demands of your full-time job (or family) kept you from the level of effort you intended. If that was true in the spring, and your situation will be unchanged in the fall, what makes you think you'll get any more accomplished then?

I'd rather be at the beach, on my deck or sitting by the pool. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), your laptop can be your beach, deck or pool buddy. With the advances in cell phones, laptops and wireless technology, you can search company Web sites, send networking e-mails or conduct informational or job interviews on the phone while basking in the sun. (Do be careful with the sunscreen though, for it will blur the screen and will drive your IT support staff crazy.)

It's hard to get organized in the summer. If it was hard to get yourself motivated and organized in the spring, why are you surprised that it is difficult now? If there are fewer people in your department around during the summer (or if your work day is less hectic this time of the year), August might be an ideal time to schedule serious job search time. If you finally get around to taking some well-deserved time off, you can combine some relaxation with some productive job search time.

You have nothing to gain but a great new job. Actually, this is not a myth but an absolutely true statement. The economy is improving, companies are hiring and the job market is heating up. As you continue to procrastinate, more positions will be filled. One of them might be that perfect job you're seeking.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact me at or at (919) 962-5608 if you have specific questions.

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Alumni News

Co-Founder of Ben & Jerry's Among Lineup in Dean's Speaker Series

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. will speak about social responsibility at UNC Kenan-Flagler Oct. 21 as part of the Dean's Speaker Series. Free ice cream will be served at the event, which is open to the public. R.S.V.P. for the 5:30 p.m. Greenfield lecture at .

Dean's Speaker Series: For information on upcoming speakers, including lectures by Gwen Ifill, moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week," and C. Michael Armstrong, former chairman of AT&T and Comcast, visit http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/News/Events/index.cfm. Lectures begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Maurice J. Koury Auditorium. Parking will be available in the business school deck.

Greenfield also will give the keynote address for the 2004 Undergraduate Business Symposium, an annual highlight of the BSBA Program, on Oct. 22. This year's theme is "Break Out of the Cubicle." For more information about the BSBA Symposium, visit http://public.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/bsba/symposium/.

More about Ben & Jerry's: In "Ben and Jerry's Double-Dip: Lead With Your Values and Make Money, Too" (Simon & Schuster, 1997), the authors make a case for 'values-led' business, a term borrowed from Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick. Leading by example, Greenfield and co-founder Ben Cohen have proven that a business can be profitable, deliver quality products and be socially responsible at the same time.

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. was valued at approximately $237 million in 1999. Not bad for two guys who in 1978 took a $5 correspondence course from Penn State, made a $12,000 investment and moved into a renovated gas station in Burlington, Vt. Ben & Jerry's soon became known throughout Vermont for its rich, unusual flavors and community-oriented approach to business. In 2000, consumer products giant Unilever purchased Ben and Jerry's Homemade Inc. for $326 million.

Being socially responsible - or practicing this form of "caring capitalism" - has brought challenges for the company. Like many organizations, Greenfield and Cohen were concerned with top competitors (i.e. Blue Bell Creameries, Dryers's Grand Ice Cream Holdings Inc. and Nestle's Haagen-Dazs), accountability to stockholders and their commitment to customers to be socially responsible.

They have been recognized for their company's commitment to social responsibility by the Council on Economic Priorities and by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Council awarded the company the Corporate Giving Award for donating 7.5 percent of their pre-tax profits to nonprofit organizations through the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. They are active in the Social Venture Network and in Businesses for Social Responsibility.

"Corporations are realizing that the old command and control of hierarchical structure doesn't work with today's workforce," Greenfield said. "American business knows it needs something different, and there's a feverish search on for the new management systems that will work. It makes them open to the possibility that caring capitalism, where you consider effects on the community alongside products and profits, might actually work."