3 things I learned at qb.
published 8.20.21
In November of last year I was looking for a 2021 internship, and happened to attend a talk Noemí gave at UCLA. I was instantly interested in qb.’s people first approach to ESG, especially as a women and minority owned business. I was also impressed by how responsive Noemí was when I reached out to learn more about her organization and work.
When I expressed interest in joining the team, she asked me about me as a person and my background. Rather than focusing on my resume, she seemed curious about my reasons for wanting to work in this space, which was different to how I was used to recruiting. Needless to say, qb. was a fit for me.
Here are 3 things I have learned during my 6 months as a qb. research associate.
1. flexibility is everything
As someone accustomed to a rigid schedule when it comes to school and other jobs, I was so surprised when I was asked how I want to work and how many hours I want to put in. I was always able to balance qb. around my college classes, travel, and personal commitments. I was offered time off on and around my exams as well as for graduation and travel. The team was also open to any discussions I had about wanting to use my work experience for college credit, or managing the workload in addition to my academic commitments.
2. good things happen when you feel challenged
The work I did at qb. had the most variable tasks of anything I have ever experienced. In the past six months I have been able to work with clients in tech, real estate, and food and beverage, among others. There’s so much to learn about each industry, and their unique challenges and opportunities; no day is the same. Each strategy we develop is composed of many complementary phases with a true emphasis on solutions that will actually be implemented. For an associate, this means getting to learn many different skills in a short amount of time.
3. small business is the way to go
Even though my entire time at qb. is remote (that’s the way the firm was designed even pre-COVID), there is still a sense of community. I was always able to collaborate with a range of team members and got to know people through different projects and internal qb. initiatives. I regularly met with and talked to the co-founders of the company, which is rare in my experience. Throughout my time I’ve been able to interview Sam for school and ask to be included in projects I found interesting, which is one of the benefits of the qb. culture. It was never intimidating to ask questions or talk to anyone, even though we had never met in person!
These are just a few of the things I learned (on top of how to conduct a people-first materiality assessment, what stakeholders are looking for when it comes to ESG disclosure, and why strategy should be linked to reporting). I’m grateful for my time here and am excited to put my new skills to use!
If you want hear more about my experience at qb., or how I got in, let’s connect.
by Rida Ali
Associate
