Sustainability professionals need to practice what they preach

I participated in a very enjoyable forum on careers in sustainability yesterday at a local university. I was struck by the interest in the panelists’ personal views on sustainable living, almost as much as our so-called “expertise” in green jobs. This confirmed my belief that pursuing a career path in sustainability is very much a decision based on personal values.

There are other careers that can make the same claim. The military and theology immediately come to mind. Politics, too. Yet, there are many, many people who do not feel a value-based connection to the work they do. For those people, the job is a paycheck and perhaps a social outlet, but that’s it. I do not believe that mindset is possible for the vast majority of the people who are in or looking for a green job or career.

Why? Because in order to effectively perform at a green job, you have to live it because what it all comes down to is behavior change. No matter what type of job you have, if you call it “green”, you are more often than not going to be asking others to reconsider their behavior on behalf of the planet. Behavior changes are difficult for most people. We get used to doing things one way—our way. What can seem like such a simple switch, such as opting for canvas bags instead of plastic at the grocery store, is a monumental shift for some people. Now, consider the challenges of asking people to build their buildings differently, or drive differently, or eat differently, or use water or electricity differently. If you, as a professional in a green job are going to ask others to make these changes, can you effectively make your case if you are not making these changes, too?

Whether you have already found a job or career path that you consider green, examine your personal behavior and see if you are doing what you are asking others to do. If you aren’t living the green life, why should anyone else?

How an internship is different from a job

Internships are not jobs. They can certainly lead to getting jobs and to any college student who has an interest in getting a job in any sector, I strongly suggest completing at least one internship prior to graduation. Internships provide practical work experience and most definitely should be included on any graduating senior’s resume.

Most people get the first way that an internship is different from a job:

Internships do not have to be paid. Whether an internship is paid or not generally has no relevance to the worth of the internship. There are students who think that they must have a paid internship and that is certainly their prerogative. However, it does limit the pool of good internship opportunities.

The most important way, though, that an internship differs from a job is this:

Internships are learning opportunities. At a job, employers are not obligated to teach anyone anything. An employer can tell you to make copies all day long if that is what the company wants you to do. Of course, a company might expect interns to do that, too (rumor has it that you can expect a lot of paper cuts if you intern for Rolling Stone), but a worthwhile real world learning experience will offer more than a prestigious company name to add to a resume.

When deciding whether or not an internship is going to be right for you, a very good question to ask during your interview is, “What will I learn from this internship?” If the interviewer cannot answer that question, then the company has not given enough thought to why it wants an intern. If the answer is something like, “You will learn the inner workings of ACME Ecological Services”, ask more questions. How will you learn? What will you be doing? Who will be supervising you? Some flexibility in tasks can be very beneficial to you, as is working on multiple projects, but you do not want to show up for the first day of your internship without a good idea of what you are there to learn.

Defining green jobs is like trying to put a leash on a rabbit

We like to define things. We like labels and boxes and descriptions. We want to know what we are getting into in case we would rather avoid it. We want to know if it works and we want proof that it works. All of which makes a very frustrating venture for those who insists on doing it. I can understand the motivation for some of those people, such as the parents who fund the college education of their sustainability degree-seeking children. Sustainability? What’s that? Can you get a job?

It is extremely difficult to define something that is a moving target and make no mistake, green jobs are on the move. There are no rules because there is no precedent. That does not mean that there are no definitions. It is quite the opposite: there are multiple definitions. Which again muddies the waters because  green or sustainability means different things to different companies and organizations. Even if you settle on a definition, can we agree on what jobs fit jobs under the green umbrella? Is a solar panel installer working in a green job? A biochemist? An architect? A receptionist?

Does this mean that defining a green job is a little like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart declaring in 1964 that it was difficult to define hard-core pornography, but “I know it when I see it.” I say that it is, for now. A more exact definition will eventually evolve over time. However, for those who seek a job that has a sustainability or green focus, you do not need a definition to know if it is the job for you. Believe it or not, many people have come before you to do jobs that are now being given the green label, well before the label meant anything at all. Those people were drawn to the jobs because of the missions of the organizations, the tasks of the daily work, the potential results that the work could achieve. Do not get too caught up in definitions. Focus instead on the work you want to do and the type of company for which you want to do it, or in some cases, the type of company you want to create. When the right job comes along, you will know it when you see it.

Looking for a Job in Sustainability? Look Beyond the Job Boards.

Green job boards are popping up all over the internet. I review them regularly and my assessment is this: the chances that you will land a job in sustainability because of something you see on a job board are slim. Very slim. Consider that in more flush times, Americans have a much higher chance to find a job through networking than responding to an ad. Statistics vary, but I have seen anywhere from 60% – 80% quoted as the percentage of jobs found through networking. Now consider that these are difficult times for the American job market and companies are having a hard enough time finding the resources to add jobs to their payroll that we all know and understand, let alone something “new” like sustainability director. In a nutshell, there is not much on these job boards in either quantity or quality to give a job seeker hope.

Does that mean that there should be no hope at all? Absolutely not. Green jobs are out there, but many of them are just not at the types of companies that post on job boards. They are the types of jobs that can be found by networking. I regularly tell the students that I work with that they absolutely must network if they want to build a career in sustainability. They must get involved with community organizations. They must volunteer. They must meet people and make their names and faces known. They must ask questions. They must put themselves out there. The same holds true for anyone wanting to forge a career path in this field, whether they be a recent college graduate or a seasoned professional seeking a career change.

Ok, you might say, networking makes sense, but how? Where? I believe the answer lies in a combination of in-person and online networking. In-person networking tools include:

• Green Drinks. If you have regular Green Drinks meetings in your area, I encourage you to attend. Often held as happy hours, these are informal networking opportunities for sustainability professionals. In my city, Green Drinks meets monthly.
• Meetup.com. Meetups have become a very popular way to meet people with similar interests and there are many meetups with a sustainability focus. You can find a meetup that suits you on the internet, then meet people in person.
• Green Chamber of Commerce. A growing organization that focuses on promoting sustainable businesses, but you don’t have to be a business to join. Monthly meetings are great for networking, as are the educational workshops. Not available everywhere, but if you have one in your town, become a member.

Search for other local organizations that have a sustainability focus. One thing often leads to another thing, so ask questions of the people you meet. Find out where they go and who they know.

The internet has certainly made the world smaller. I am sure that most of you are well aware of these social networking sites, but you might not have considered using them as part of your job search. If you are a job seeker in sustainability, at least one of these should be part of your arsenal:

• LinkedIn. The more business-oriented of all of the popular social networking tools, LinkedIn is like an online Rolodex but better because it allows you to connect with people through your own connections. Your profile page can serve as an online resume, so make sure it is up-to-date and professional. This is not the web site to announce that you are headed to the car wash or to let everyone know where you went for happy hour last night!

• Facebook. If you are going to use Facebook, you need to decide if it will be for pleasure or business. It cannot be both. Indiscriminate postings have trashed many people’s job prospects and, in some cases, cost people jobs they already had. Job seekers with Facebook accounts that have been used for personal pleasure would be wise to regularly visit their Facebook pages and remove any potentially damaging photos or posts. If someone else has posted a photo of a you on a drunken escapade in college, remove your tag. Yes, potential employers look at these things and yes, they might make a judgment about you as a job candidate based on what they see.

• Twitter. Again, as with Facebook, if you are going to use Twitter as a job seeking professional, keep your “tweets” professional. Twitter is full of people and organizations with an interest or focus on sustainability, so use Twitter to develop relationships and you might find yourself connecting with the right person who can lead you to the right job!

On Writing Resumes for Green Jobs

Many people who are looking for a job in sustainability are doing so as the result of a career change. Not everyone, of course, which I prove nearly every week when I ask guest speakers who already have careers in sustainability to speak to my internship class. But, many people have been accountants, or teachers, or mechanics, or, or… the list goes on.

With that in mind, most of these green job seekers that have been turned loose on the green job hunt need to review their resume. In fact, most of these green job seekers need to blow up their resume and give it a complete overhaul. Being “passionate about the environment” or “excited about the future of renewable energy” are not reasons that employers will hire you. I used to see this A LOT when I hired job candidates for jobs in the nonprofit sector. “I want to give back” or “I want a job that makes me feel good” were common reasons I would hear when I would ask why the person I was interviewing was the best candidate for the job. I see, but what I really want to know is what type of managerial experience you have, or how much public speaking you have done, or how much money you have raised in past jobs.

It’s about the skills. Getting jobs is not about the passion for the work. If it was only about the passion, I would have worked for Rolling Stone right out of college. I had an impressive collection of Rolling Stone magazines. I had been a subscriber since junior high. I was really “passionate” about music. Wasn’t that enough?

Your passion for what you spend eight, nine, or ten or more hours doing five days a week will help you want to do the work, but it will not necessarily make you more qualified to do it. Your resume needs to show your qualifications for the job you want. Look past the “green” and see what skills the company or organization is asking for. Then make sure your resume (and cover letter) have those skills prominently placed.

If you do have some experience in sustainability, whether that be at a job, as a volunteer or even relevant coursework, be sure to include those things on your resume, too. Your resume is prime real estate and you need to think critically about what stays and what goes. Do not give your job as a retail salesperson at the Gap eight lines of your resume when you should be giving that space to your volunteer work for the Sierra Club or the Green Chamber of Commerce.

Career-changers are often more successful with a functional resume rather than a chronological resume. The functional resume focuses of skills and experience, rather than a chronological list of jobs that may not, on the surface, relate to the job you are seeking now. There are thousands of sample resumes on the internet. Review several, experiment, and see what works best for you so that you are putting your best foot forward in your job search.