Green Jobs: What They Are and Where to Look for Them, Part III

Like it?

comments

Posted June 22, 2009 with 55 reads

green landscape with blue sky symbolizing green jobs restoring earth

photo credit: Athena's Pix via flickr

This is the third in a series of guest posts on green jobs by Alexia Vernon, a leadership and career speaker, certified coach, trainer, and writer with an expertise in social enterprise and millennials.

Previous Posts in Series

Part I of this green jobs series was a general introduction to the topic and Part II explored several green job fields and some specific opportunities within each.

Top 10 Websites for Green Job Seekers

Green Jobs Network
GJN features opportunities in clean energy and tech, climate change, natural resource management, renewable energy, and green building.

Green Dream Jobs at SustainableBusiness.com
This website covers a broad range of green fields with an emphasis on business (e.g. corporate social responsibility (CSR), environmental social responsibility (ESR), socially responsible investing, and consulting), but also including such areas as policy and land use, clean energy, and natural resources and restoration.

Green Job List
This listserv offers an array of opportunities in environmental science and social responsibility.

GreenBiz.com Career Center
GreenBiz.com specializes in jobs in renewable energy, clean technology, green building, sustainable business, design and innovation.

Jobs for Change
One of my favorites, this subdivision of change.org focuses on jobs that make a positive social impact both in the private and nonprofit sectors. Make sure to check out the stellar blogs of its various career advisors.

Common Good Careers
CGC features jobs across nonprofits and educational institutions that enable socially conscious professionals to make a positive social impact through their employment.

Idealist.org
An oldie but a goodie, Idealist focuses on nonprofit opportunities, government jobs, and consulting positions that build a better, more equitable world. Also, check out their new book — The Idealist.org Handbook for Building a Better World

Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
This membership organization has chapters in close to a dozen U.S. cities (and the same number in the works) and a free listserv that frequently has nonprofit green and social-change-oriented jobs, educational events, and networking opportunities.

Net Impact
To access Net Impact’s Career Center, one must be a member. And it’s well worth it. Net Impact is a global network of leaders looking to change the world through business. With chapters around the world, multiple yearly international conferences, monthly “Issues in Depth” calls, and job listings, educational opportunities, and fellowships at the intersections of business, sustainability, and social change, MBAs take note. This is where you want to be hanging out.

Aerotek
Aerotek is a nationwide staffing service with an expertise in engineering and environmental job placement.

Some Outside-the-Box Ideas For Finding Green Jobs

While bookmarking each of these sites and checking in weekly will keep you in “the know,” remember that only approximately 5% of jobs are posted online. The other 95% are secured through connections. The good news is that you will encounter hundreds of job possibilities from the resources above even though you will just be skimming the surface.

Go beyond that, and tap into the other 95%, by proving to yourself and to prospective employers that you have a sustainable mindset — don’t just think outside the box when it comes to the job hunt, but recycle the darn box. For example:

Many of the previously mentioned organizations and sites have LinkedIn groups. Join them, connect with other members (particularly those who are in HR and management or have hundreds of contacts in your desired field, and request informational interviews from them.

Follow the people you find in the groups and the groups themselves on Twitter.

Share articles, blog posts, questions, and ideas you think they will find valuable. Build yourself a web presence as a green citizen and create the possibility for green opportunities to find you.