A cover letter, covering letter, or even covering email is a document that goes along your CV and forms part of your job application. But why is it so important? Writing a personalised cover letter gives you the chance to introduce yourself to the hiring manager and make them think about your application. In fact, an application with a cover letter is always stronger than one without. This is especially true for jobs in the creative industry, where promoting yourself is everything. So, we decided to put together this cover letter checklist to guide you and help you check all the cover letter requirements.
Your personal details: your cover letter should contain your full name, address, phone number, email address, and useful links (e.g., LinkedIn profile, portfolio). Your details must be consistent with your CV and follow similar formatting, font and style.
Hiring Manager’s details: you should always address the Hiring Manager by name, if it’s not provided, make a call and find out who it is. It adds a personal touch and can make the difference between being called for an interview or being declined right there and then. So next time, address your cover to the right person.
Job title and reference number if there is one: make sure to include the job title and, if applicable, the job reference. The company you’re applying to might be advertising various roles at various levels, so it is always important to distinguish between the jobs.
Opening sentence: include a brief opening sentence to introduce yourself. Capture the reader’s attention by adding a powerful opening statement. This will highlight your expertise and why are you a great fit for the position.
Company research: show that you’ve done your homework. Include short information about your reasons for applying with THIS company and for THIS position. You can consider things like company values, work culture, clients, and company statistics or results. Or simply explaining it has always been your dream to work with them.
Your experience: include details of your most relevant experiences. Read the job description again and identify some of the key skills the company’s looking for. Demonstrate you are a strong match by incorporating those key skills. Mention how they relate to your previous work experiences. Give clear examples – do not simply repeat your CV.
Specific questions: answer the Hiring Manager’s questions. If the job description asks you to answer any specific questions such as “how would you deal with this situation?” make sure to include your answers in the cover letter.
Structure your answers: use the STAR method to provide examples. The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method allows you to highlight particular skills and qualities clearly and concisely. But you should also remember to show your personality.
Include your personality: show who you are. While it’s important to use the company’s tone of voice when writing your answers, make sure to be yourself. With this in mind, you will stand out from the competition and make a positive impression.
Use bullet points: break the text down. Break your answers down to deliver your message to the reader quickly. If you have one long block of text, include a couple of bullet points to make it more interactive and interesting. After all, you want to catch your reader’s attention…
Closing paragraph: thank the reader and reiterate your interest. Thank the Hiring Manager for taking the time to read through your cover letter. It shows appreciation. Make sure to also express your interest in the role again and demonstrate you are eager to start.
Identify the next steps: follow up with the employer. Explain how you can be best reached and when you can follow up for a possible interview.
Sign off: add your signature. End the cover letter with a formal closing. Use ‘yours sincerely’ or “best wishes” when you have addressed the hiring manager by their name. And ‘your sfaithfully’ when you did not know their name (but this should be avoided, find out their name!)
Formatting: be consistent. Consistency is key when you are applying for a job in the creative industry. Try and match your CV format, including any special fonts, colours, and designs. This will show that you are conscious of your representation and that you can adhere to brand guidelines (even if they are your own).
Length: pay attention to it. Ideally, your cover letter should not be over one A4 page long or between 350-400 words. If you have gone over that – try to paraphrase and use some bullet points to cut back on the length.
Spacing up your cover letter: it depends. Your cover letter should not be double-spaced. Keep it tight and single-space your letter. Of course, if you have used a special design in your CV, then your cover letter should match that formatting. It should be consistent with your CV, even if it means not single-spacing it.
Spelling and grammatical errors: proofread it! From the moment the Hiring Manager opens that cover letter to the first time they meet you, you’ll be assessed. Make a positive impression and proofread your cover letter. You can also ask a friend or a family member. Roles in the creative industry needsgreat spelling, grammar and punctuation, fact!
Action words: be the storyteller that you are. Describe your experience as you would tell a story. You are entering a creative profession, so that would be expected of you. Use action verbs and words to highlight your accomplishments within your previous role(s).
Don’t assume: say it as it is. Don’t assume the reader knows all abbreviations related to your field. Explain technical language or language used in your previous role that might not be clear to all. Use abbreviations only when you have explained the meaning of the word.
Numbers and statistics: visualise your competencies. Did you manage the marketing budget in your previous role, or did you increase the marketing ROI by 25% in just two months? See the difference? Mentioning numbers and statistics in your cover letter will present tangible results to the Hiring Manager.
File format: choose between a PDF or a DOCX file. The most accessible file formats by employers are PDFs and DOCXs. Alternatively, you can also write a covering email, in which case you do not need to save your file. Add a subject line, preferably with your full name, the job title of the role, and the reference number.
You are now completely ready to send in your application and start preparing for your interview! Check out our list of useful tips and advice that will help you land your next job.
To have the best interview experience, it’s super important that you are well-prepared, have done your research, and are ready to make the best out of the opportunity. There is so much to prepare and here follows some great tips and advice for you. Getting to interview is such a great and positive part of the job application process, you really must make sure you are ready to truly demonstrate that you are the right person for the role.
You’ve already done a great job in demonstrating through your brilliant CV and covering letter that you are very worthy of consideration for the role, now it’s time to demonstrate that in person (even if the first interview is via video link). Whether you are at entry-level or in a senior leadership role, the same advice applies every time. Turning up for an interview without extensive preparation is frankly, just a waste of time (yours and the potential employers).
Interviews should be an enjoyable and informative experience on both sides and your efforts in preparation will definitely put you in a much stronger position after the interview, and you will feel 100% more confident during the meeting.
This is probably the most important tip – prior to the interview research the company in depth. Start by looking through their website and understanding the company. Pay close attention to the products or services they provide. Record everything you research and find such as the company’s revenues, annual data reports, target audience, competitors, new product releases, role in the industry, and all recent news coverage. Ensure you fully understand the requirements for the jobs you are applying to. Read the job description thoroughly and ensure you have referenced it back to your CV on all the key points. Always look through their social media presence, and understand the platforms they use the most.
Before the interview, refresh your memory with your own professional experiences. Every interview should be an opportunity to leverage your experience in the context of the PR, communications, digital marketing jobs, or marketing jobs you are applying for. Go through your CV and list out the projects you have spearheaded, the times your innovative idea was successful, and when you’ve needed to problem solve. Reflect on these experiences and think about how they added value to the company. An easy way to do this is by prepping a specific experience to talk about for each requirement of the position. This shows that you understand the position fully and that you have got the experience for the position.
Turn all your past experiences and successes into a brand and add value to yourself. Stories are great, but numbers stand out more, particularly for digital marketing jobs. Back up your success and experience with data and metrics. For example, tell the interviewer how much profit or sales you’ve generated in your current role, explain how many advertisement clicks were generated from your ad campaigns, and how many followers you gained on the social channels you managed. From this, you are proving the value you will bring to the company and that you understand that activity needs to lead to results.
To help with tip three, use the star method to ensure you convey your answers in a structured way. The STAR method stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result (this is where you can quantify your success). Here is some information and examples of STAR. This method can help you prepare some answers that highlight your particular skills and qualities in a structured way and always come across as meticulous and organised.
Along with leveraging your experience and quantifying your success, prove to the interviewer that you will be an asset to their company. A great way to do this is by explaining to employers how you see yourself helping the company in the first three months, and offering them a proposal based on your employment. Highlight how you will be an asset in their upcoming projects, your ideas for improvement or growth, and how you see yourself fitting into this marketing job and their team.
When you are interviewing for a marketing position, show your creative side. If you’re a copywriter, bring some writing samples or special ads with you. If you are managing an account, show how you’ve sold to clients. Instead of saying what you can do for their brand, prove it with examples. Along with this, have a list of references printed out and ready to show the employer.
Remember an interview is a dialogue, not a monologue. You can size up the company as well as the other way round. Prior to the interview, during your research, make a list of thoughtful questions that highlight your understanding of the company. Your questions should also showcase your interest in the role and demonstrate your relevant expertise. Asking questions about their market and growth plans demonstrates your interest in the company and shows you have researched them. Make sure you have at least five questions, so you are always ready. Take your notebook, that’s fine too!
When you show up to the interview, dress as though you’re ready for the job. If the company is a little more fashion-forward, show that in your outfit during your interview. Similarly, if you are interviewing at a professional business, dress professionally. No matter if your interview is via Zoom or in-person, dress for the position. Along with wearing a professional outfit, ensure your background is prepped for virtual interviews. That means a plain background, a quiet area, and a fully charged computer with good Wi-Fi. Top tip; ask! Your consultant will be able to help you with what the dress code is at the company, or ask directly from your HR or recruitment contact – it’s okay to ask!
93% of employers use social media to screen interview candidates before or after their interviews. This is a crucial place to underscore the expertise you’d bring to digital marketing jobs and showcase how you market yourself. Start to brand yourself now if you haven’t already started to. If you can’t show that you can market yourself, it’ll be difficult to show a personal brand that you can market their brand. Promote your skills and develop a following on popular social networks like LinkedIn. Ensure your social media platforms highlight your experience and work in a positive light. Interesting article here, from HR Magazine, discussing this exact point!
Any candidate who wants to land the job should show an appropriate level of confidence. Get some ideas about how to help you build your confidence prior to the interview. You are the expert on your own experiences and strengths, so show that with confidence. Employers want to hire marketers, for example, who can confidently lead their next marketing campaign, so it’s important to bring this energy to your interview.
Istoria Group, the Bristol-based collective of creative agencies, has announced two new Group-level appointments. Silka Mitchell is the new Group Creative Director, whilst Bryn Isaac has been named Group Financial Director.
Istoria Group, which became a B Corp last autumn, is comprised of exhibition and events specialists Ignition, known for being sustainable pioneers and as recipients of The Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Sustainable Development 2020-25; hospitality and retail designers Phoenix Wharf, known for their work for regional operators such as Yeo Valley, The Bristol Loaf, Better Food and Spicer + Cole, as well as for national retailer SpaceNK and Apprentice winner Harpreet Kaur – and purposeful digital transformation experts Tiny Spark, whose virtual exhibit expertise during the pandemic helped Istoria Group survive the period’s challenging business conditions.
Silka Mitchell
‘Creative Director at Group level was an important role to fill and it was proving difficult to find the right candidate’, Sam Rowe, Istoria Group’s CEO commented. ‘We were delighted therefore to be introduced to Silka Mitchell, who brings not only top London agency experience as a former Director of both Brinkworth and Neu Architects, but also broad international experience, delivering projects in the commercial and public realms across Europe, Western Asia and China. Silka is German-born and has lived and worked in both Germany and in the UK. Her languages and multi-disciplinary, cross-sector experience will bring fresh energy and a new level of design sophistication to our studio.’
‘My ambition is to help Istoria Group grow and develop an even stronger 3D identity’ Silka Mitchell commented, ‘becoming known for creative originality and excellence. I look forward to unlocking further potential from the talented studio and to bringing in the next generation of talent to complement my vision. I further hope to instil creative leadership, inspiration and motivation and improve processes and the working environment through creative intervention and dialogue. I’m really excited to be working with a business with such a wealth of knowledge, strong ethics and a truly sustainable ethos.’
Bryn Isaac
New Group Financial Director Bryn Isaac is Bristol-born and bred and brings great expertise in and knowledge of regional markets and business to his role. Bryn joins Istoria Group after 8 years as Financial Director of We Are Fearless, an integrated marketing agency specialising in sports, culture and music sponsorship and partnerships. He has also worked with both start-up and group-owned agencies previously, including TBWA/Worldhealth, Momentum Worldwide and Given London. For Istoria Group, Bryn will provide the financial lead within the business across all the agencies in the Group and will manage financial planning covering both opportunity and risk.
‘I aim to use my experience of young and dynamic businesses to update processes and modernise systems at Istoria Group to help all parts of the business become more efficient and productive’ Bryn Isaac commented. ‘I’m looking forward to working alongside the leadership team to plan future strategic business growth, both operationally within the internal team and externally as the business grows in size.’
‘I am delighted that Bryn has joined us as Finance Director’ Sam Rowe added. ‘Bryn’s relevant knowledge and experience are vital as we continue our ambitious plans to grow and develop sustainable creative solutions for clients. As a B Corp, our ambition is to grow in the right way – with the right clients and the right team in place. These two new senior appointments are a huge leap in the right direction.’
Since 2009, the Bristol based creative recruitment agency mustard jobs has grown exponentially. As a result the business requires a fresh perspective to enable success during this time as they grow and scale the business. The intention of these roles is to prepare the business for onboarding more staff, increasing the sales aspect of the business and improving the operations to support this increase in business activity.
Promoted internally, these director level roles have produced an advanced progression route for high achieving members of staff.
Archie Harvey, previously an Associate Director, leading the XP division (Experiential, Events & Exhibitions Recruitment) has now been promoted to Sales Director. Having amplified the XP division’s output, he is perfectly placed to take on this new role, working with mustard’s Divisional Leaders to elevate the client and candidate experience, helping them to understand the best recruitment solution from the range of products that mustard provides.
“9 years ago I joined mustard off the back of working in the music festival industry with no previous experience in recruitment, so it’s personally an exciting period of time to be taking on the responsibility for business wide sales at mustard. We have a fantastic team of dedicated Manager’s and Consultants that I can work with to get us there, along with the freedom to implement our sales strategy and direction. At the moment, an ever changing market makes this a challenge but one I’m looking forward to continuing to tackle it!” – Archie Harvey, Sales Director.
At the forefront of mustard’s business operations, Joe Bungey has been placed as Operations Director. Having started his journey as a trainee recruitment consultant in the BE division; Joe worked his way up the business with skill, passion and determination. This new role will support all the departments of mustard and oversee management of the systems we use to provide the best possible service to both candidates and clients.
Keeping the people within the business happy is a crucial element to growing and scaling a business, therefore mustard have promoted Phil Boshier to Associate Director of People and Culture. This new role involves developing our existing sales staff but also managing our internal recruitment strategy, along with onboarding and training new starters. As a previous team leader to the ID division, Phil’s an expert in our culture and has gone above and beyond to support the mustard family.
“The whole team has worked super hard to grow and scale the business over the last few years, as a bigger business we can provide opportunity to capable and loyal members of the team. All 3 of these people add real value in their respective arena’s to help us push on further in a structured and organic way… exciting times!” – Peter Browne, Founding Director.
B2B and corporate PR and communications specialists, AMBITIOUS PR is celebrating the second year of achieving 50% year-on-year revenue growth.
Now, the agency is setting its sights on £1.65million revenue in 2023, securing its position as one of the largest independent PR agencies in the South West.
The agency’s expansion over the last year came from new retained clients including Acorn Property Group, Albert Goodman, BGF, Lifetime, Neighbourly and Truespeed. Growth also came from the agency’s existing client base expanding their remit.
To drive forward further development, AMBITIOUS is investing in marketing technology to deepen the insight they can provide to clients through data and analysis.
The agency will also be launching a dedicated digital PR offering and an end-to-end content strategy, creation, and marketing service.
Based on client demand for international PR support, AMBITIOUS has joined the IPRN (International Public Relations Network) – the international network for independent agencies. This will provide clients with access to a global network of PR agencies as well as driving new business and international knowledge transfer.
In the last year, AMBITIOUS owners Lis Anderson and Sarah Woodhouse have promoted four team members and have now created four new positions which will represent a 22 per cent growth in headcount, taking the agency to a 22-strong team.
Sandra Hodgson has been promoted to Finance Director, Joe Wright to Strategy Lead, Katy Barney to ESGLead and Joanne Wilson to Office Manager.
AMBITIOUS is now hiring for an associate director, senior PR consultant, PR executive, and bookkeeper. Working with UWE Bristol and The Strive Internship Programme, the agency is also committed to a comprehensive internship programme to support entry level talent.
The agency, which has experienced no staff attrition in the past three years, has invested in a competitive benefits package designed in consultation with employees and created to be industry leading.
Lis Anderson, Founder & Director, AMBITIOUS said: “Our growth has been fuelled by investing back in the business – investing in our employees through personal coaching and development, through our competitive salary and benefits package, through new hires, new software and new technology to constantly develop and move our business forward.”
Sarah Woodhouse, Director, AMBITIOUS said “Many of our recent new business wins have come from large companies based in the South West or companies with a regional office here, procuring the national, regional and sector PR and communications support they need on their doorstep.”
AMBITIOUS focuses on b2b and corporate PR in core sectors including technology, ESG, property and placemaking, professional services, financial services, education and skills, healthcare, and the public sector.
Core services include strategic planning and communications, media relations, digital PR, press office management, thought leadership campaigns, issues and crisis management, stakeholder mapping and engagement, employer brand communications and media training. Content services include content strategy, creation, and marketing.
Female-founded, owned, and run, AMBITIOUS celebrated its first decade in business in 2022.
Interested in working for or with AMBITIOUS? Please email Sarah or Lis at [email protected]
Whether you’re an employer looking to attract and retain the best talent, or a job seeker looking to negotiate a competitive salary, you’re in the right place. The Digital Tonic salary guide offers the latest salary information for Marketing, Digital and eCommerce roles in the South West.
Get yours here. There’s no need to input your details in exchange for a copy – just hit the download button to get yours.
If you’re an employer, this guide will help you to make informed decisions about remuneration.
And if you’re a job seeker, you’ll be able to better understand the market value of your skills and experience. Plus, it’s pretty interesting to see how your salary stacks up compared to others in your field.
Independent brand consultancy, Mr B & Friends, has continued its run of recruitment with four new people in the Client Services team. The new additions will enable the team to be better structured for the continuing growth of the agency with more breadth across client accounts.
Maiara Fernandes has joined as Senior Account Manager. Maiara started her career working for a BTL agency in Brazil before moving to the UK. For the last six years she’s worked at an integrated agency, primarily on public sector accounts across a wide range of campaigns from internal comms to social activity. Maiara will be teaming up with Senior Account Director, Andy Kaye. Outside of work she’s kept busy by her bouncy Springer puppy and enjoying the great outdoors.
Hannah Reed has also joined as a Senior Account Manager, working alongside Senior Account Director, Joe Baptiste, for clients including The LEGO Group and Principality Building Society. Hannah has wide ranging experience from integrated comms to in-store to employer branding for global FMCG brands, including Wilkinson Sword, Ocean Spray and Spontex. As well as enjoying the pace of agency life, Hannah competes in Motorsport events on circuits around the UK, clocking up two championship titles among her achievements.
New Account Manager, Emmy Mitchell, joins us from ForrestBrown, where she worked in the marketing and then partnerships teams. With a host of transferrable skills, the team will benefit from Emmy’s client-side experience, as well as her understanding of the psychology of advertising. Emmy will work closely with Andy and Maiara on accounts including IHG and Plaidis. Away from work, Emmy has been making the most of post-Covid travel with trips to Thailand, Porto and Vietnam. With a passion for fitness, Emmy has already signed up to take on the Mighty Macmillan Hike with the Mr B & Friends team later this year.
Last but not least, Sunniegh Baker has joined as Senior Account Executive. Sunniegh impressed us while she was working client side and, when her role there came to an end, she was snapped up to work at the agency. She’s skilled at collaborating and keeping people organised, and is keen to be more involved in the process of ideation. Sunniegh will be working with Account Director, Liv Cox. With bags of positivity and a flair for fashion, Sunniegh has already slotted into the team perfectly.
Managing Partner, Ellie Wilson, says, “To enable us to deliver our company vision, which is centred around being the most valuable creative partner to our clients around the world, restructuring and strengthening our Client Services team was a key strategic move. I’m delighted to welcome these four bright and ambitious individuals to our Client Services team, their appointments will ensure that we continue to build and nurture strong partnerships with our clients whilst also delivering against our ambitious growth plans.”
Istoria Group has today revealed the winner of its inaugural Micro Business Incubator Hub Competition – Self Agency, which was founded by Devon Lowndes with the aim of improving the lives of neurodivergent people in the Bristol area.
The idea behind the competition, launched in March 2023 on International Women’s Day, was to find a women-led micro business in the Bristol region to support by offering free office space over a six-month period at Istoria Group’s Paintworks offices; mentoring from the creative business group’s leadership team in business, financial management, PR and marketing, along with a raft of creative services, including a brand review by the group’s design agency Phoenix Wharf and a website build by its digital transformation experts Tiny Spark.
The competition was also supported by local organisations Babbasa and Black South West Network, ensuring news of the competition would reach groups who have traditionally been under-represented in business, whether because of class, gender, ethnicity, age or a participation-limiting condition.
‘We received a fantastic set of entries’, Sam Rowe, CEO of Istoria Group commented ‘and were inspired by the number of amazing women out there fighting for social progress and to diminish inequality. We picked four finalists, all of whom were highly deserving, but in the end it was Devon Lowndes who stood out because of the clarity of her vision, her commitment and ambition. I am quite sure that as well as helping Devon move forward, we will also learn a great deal ourselves in the process, with that knowledge also going on to benefit our agencies and our work across the board.’
‘I’m absolutely thrilled to have won’ Devon Lowndes commented, ‘especially having met the other great finalists at the announcement ceremony! For me, one of the best things about Istoria Group’s Incubator Hub programme is how accessible it was to apply for as a person with ADHD. I could tell at once it was a friendly and accessible organisation with a really open outlook. I know it’ll be an environment that offers trust and flexibility, as well as creative and business expertise. I can’t wait to be part of it!’
The competition was judged by:
Cecilia Thirlway, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Bristol
Matt Rogers, Head of Development at Babbasa
Istoria Group CEO Sam Rowe and Istoria Group Chief Marketing Officer Lindie Kramers.
The four finalist companies and initiatives were:
Better Together’s Founder Angela Loveridge helps parents keep children safe online by signposting them towards practical tools, techniques and resources, facilitating safe spaces for those awkward safety conversations and coaching parents so they are empowered to respond, not react, in a way that will keep channels of communication open and permit constructive conversations. Angela’s innovation is to recognise that people have very different parenting styles, meaning safety guidelines need to be approached without judgment and aligned with the unique needs of their child or children.
https://btogether.org.uk/
Bristol Achieve, founded by Hetty Brown, recognises that one of the biggest problems facing British schools is the gap between rich and poor and its subsequent effects on educational attainment and social mobility. This action-based business aims to increase the educational attainment and life opportunities of young adults with academic potential, so that they thrive in whichever life path they choose. Hetty and her team’s innovation is to promote peer mentoring and focus on essential life skills, as well as encouraging reading for pleasure, proven to improve academic achievement.
https://bristolachieve.com/
Nicoleta Moldovan and Begumhan Girgin of Sassy Sisters Studio have founded a new creative agency offering graphic design services, advertising and marketing, motion graphics, packaging design, publications and typographic design. They are two hardworking women/mothers with diverse creative backgrounds, who switched careers, went back to university, and completed their education in order to follow their vision. At their studio, they produce meaningful designs for businesses, charities, and non-profits while prioritising sustainability and women’s empowerment.
http://www.sassysistersstudio.com/
Self Agency was founded by Devon Lowndes to improve the lives of neurodivergent people in the Bristol area. The CIC-registered (Community Interest Company) agency offers organisational neurodiversity cultural development and neurodivergent community building. Devon is on a mission to educate people about neurodiversity and to further her vision of everyone embracing every mind equally and realising the positive impact an all-inclusive environment can have on individuals, communities and businesses. Devon advises organisations on best practice and is working with Bristol City Council as their sole neurodiversity champion. Her vision is to make Bristol THE neurodiversity city in the UK.
https://www.self-agency.org/
I’m very pleased to announce that we have officially joined the ranks of B Corps (a B Corporation is purpose-driven and creates benefits for all stakeholders, not just shareholders).
Avid Torchbox watchers will have seen this coming. As far back as June 2022 when I was already confident that we’d gain accreditation having finished the Impact Assessment, I wrote about why it had taken us a while to get on board and how the assessment was improving us. The wait since June was partly due to the B Corp queue, partly to the verification process (when a B Lab representative works with you to evidence your claims), and partly because changing our Articles of Association to encode our intent ‘to have a material positive impact on society and the environment’ took longer than it should have.
The assessment process has been really useful and I’ve no doubt that it’ll continue to make us a better business over time. The framework isn’t perfect – there are things that surprised me, for example, while it assesses fair pay, it doesn’t assess the gender pay gap – but it is strongly rooted in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and certainly drives positive change in businesses, as it already has done in ours.
There has been some negative criticism of B Corp, notably the FT article from February this year which raised issues including a couple of big ones for me:
Nestlé has a dubious record on human rights (I started boycotting Nestlé products as a student due to the baby milk scandal) and as the Fair World Project says, Nespresso’s single-use coffee is hardly a ‘force for good’.
I did feel like the B Impact Assessment was more focused on how you do business rather than what you do. You can get points for having a positive impact through your business purpose, but I don’t think you lose points if you have a negative impact. And, if you can still get to the magic 80 by doing well in other pillars, that explains some surprising B Corps. That said, you do have to commit to being a force for good, which was the “changing our Articles of Association to encode our intent to have a material positive impact on society and the environment’ bit that I mentioned earlier.
Apparently, things are gonna get better, particularly the single pillar loophole. According to Includability:
B Corp is planning changes in standards from next year, which will force B Corps to be more transparent about where they are around 10 specific topics – including fair wages, diversity and inclusion, human rights, action on climate change and risk standards – to resolve the issue around companies being able to rapidly meet the minimum points requirements in a single area.
We’re fans of Doughnut Economics, and as an employee-owned business, we’re excited that Kate Raworth believes that employee ownership can be a ‘powerful starting point’ to help redesign business. In the FT article, Erinch Sahan of the Doughnut Economics Action Lab says of B Corp:
“What they do really well is creating a community of business people passionate about sustainability,” adds Sahan. “When you tell everyone you’re now a B Corp . . . people expect that you really do prioritise people and planet. But that’s not necessarily the case.”
However, as we graduate as a B Corp, I think it’s important to focus on the bit before Erinch’s ‘but’. From the process we’ve been through, the B Corps I’ve met and the events I’ve been to, it feels like we are joining a club of business with energy and ambition to be a force for good. I thank B Lab for that and encourage them to continue in their mission to ‘not stop until all business is a force for good’.
A score of 80 qualifies a company for B Corp Certification (Nespresso scored 84.3). The median score for ordinary businesses who have done the assessment is 50.9. Torchbox achieved a B Corp score of 114.5. The focus is now on improving our score next time, so I want to end with a hat tip to a couple of friends who are giving us something to aim at, Wholegrain Digital who scored 122.1 (they were early adopters and have been assessed three times already, they’ve also made Best for the World lists four times) and our recruitment friends at Adlib in Bristol who recently re-certified with an incredible 130.3, nice one!
We are excited to announce the official launch of HeyFlow.
HeyFlow is here to help businesses understand the female workforce better, equipping managers with the confidence, practical skills and knowledge that will reduce absenteeism and increase the retention and attraction of women, at all stages of their career.
It is widely recognised that women are leaving the workforce, absenteeism is increasing and there are significant skills shortages across multiple industries in the UK. The link between absenteeism, attraction and retention of women in the workplace directly links to the understanding the impact of female reproductive health in the workplace.
That’s where HeyFlow comes in. An insight-driven data surveying and L&D tool that empowers businesses to build a truly inclusive company by understanding the impact of female reproductive health in the workplace, identifying and implementing management development opportunities and policy advancement.
With the combined expertise of the Founder of not-for-profit MotherBoard, Sophie Creese, Nick Dean, CEO of ADLIB / B Corp Ambassador, and Sabrina Walls, Marketing Director of ADLIB / Marketing Lead of MotherBoard, the Co-Founders of HeyFlow have intricate knowledge of how purpose, understanding and knowledge can drive positive change for businesses, driving significantly improved retention, attraction and absenteeism levels.
HeyFlow has been created to provide a solution for all businesses. From a management introduction to the female reproductive cycle and its potential impact in the workplace, through detailed employee surveying and coaching on periods, pregnancy, maternity and menopause (amongst much more).
HeyFlow provides unrivalled insight into a company’s female workforce and provides understanding of the gap between feeling and policy. Through our insight surveying we provide clear actionable solutions and offer consultancy and training to upskill employees to better support their teams.
Our starting product focuses on cisgender females, our roadmap progresses into a much wider employee community where there is an essential need to understand underrepresented people.
We’re looking forward to being part of a solution that is much needed by businesses and women alike.
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