Archive for February 10th, 2009
Getting Oriented to Go Green
Penned by Christina
Over the coming weeks, I will cover various topics on what you can do to find a job within the sustainability/green job space. I am a graduate of the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise where I completed an MBA and MS in the School of Natural Resources & Environment. Obviously that doesn’t make me an expert on this weighty topic, but having the academic background coupled with the practical experience I get everyday talking to both our clients and candidates (and friends!) hopefully provides me with the perspective to be able to give salient advice to those of you who happen to be looking for it…
Big Picture Impressions
Over the last few months, many job seekers and job “inquire-ers” have asked me for my impressions of when green companies will start hiring and in which specific sectors will the highest demand be. As you might imagine, this is a bit difficult to predict but in my efforts to be helpful, I have tried my darn-dest to do so! For those of you with whom I have not had the pleasure of speaking with, here’s what I CAN tell you:
Realistically, this is a difficult time to be job hunting (be it within the sustainability realm or otherwise) since the economic situation has ensured that there are fewer jobs to be had while the number of people looking is increasing exponentially. Thus, the hard truth is that if you are looking for a job today, you must think long-term as to what you can do right now to better position yourself for that moment in time when the economy does begin to pick up and with it, the sustainability agendas of companies. And here at BGT, we do believe that the first sectors/jobs to feel the uptick will specifically be those operating in the green space.
So. Depending on your current employment situation, it is critical to consider what you can do in the short-term to better position yourself for the long-term. I know that seems vague but in the coming weeks I will attempt to hone in on what that means depending on your current situation and where it is that you are trying to get.
Starting from the Basics
Our first piece of advice is always to be informed — legitimacy is extremely important in the green space, which has battled greenwashing over the past several years. I know there are an overwhelming number of websites out there that provide information and guidance in the sustainability realm so I would like to point out some of our favorites to begin and/or continue your research and networking efforts:
For basic education on topics of the environment and sustainability, this site is often useful (and a personal favorite): gristmill.grist.org/skeptics
Next week I will begin to dissect the sometimes-elusive world of sustainability consulting and provide some thoughts on what you can do to try to get yourself in the door of the firms doing that kind of work. Until then, keep up the good work – we need you all!
7 comments February 10, 2009
