Storytelling with Data (Global Engagement Summit at Northwestern University 2...
Accelerategreenjobs 10032012
1. Accelerate Your Green & Clean Tech Job Search
Leonard Adler, Green Jobs Network
Greg Schreiner, Redfish Technology
2. Agenda
• Tips for Your
Green Job Search (Leonard)
• Transitioning From
High Tech to Clean Tech (Greg)
Green Jobs Network
GreenJobs.net
3. Agenda
• Tips for Your Green Job Search
(Leonard)
– Overview
– Part 1: Job Boards
– Part 2: The Hidden Green Job Market
– Part 3: Future Green Jobs
Green Jobs Network
GreenJobs.net
4. Presentation Objective
• Objective of this presentation is to provide practical tips
for locating opportunities in the green jobs sector.
• These tips come from my personal experience as a job
seeker as well as insights from others.
• Topics that this presentation isn’t intended to focus on:
– Career self-assessment and related issues
– Resume & cover letter tips, interviewing, salary negotiation
– Certifications and green job education & training
– Starting a green business
Green Jobs Network
5. Green Jobs Definition
• In this presentation, "green jobs" will be defined as full-
time, part-time, or internship opportunities that provide
a social or environmental benefit.
• This definition reflects a broad view of sustainability and
includes areas such as fair trade and corporate social
responsibility.
• Green jobs can be in the public, private, or non-profit
sector and includes work in areas such as energy
efficiency, green building, natural resource management,
sustainable agriculture, recycling, and renewable energy.
Green Jobs Network
7. Realistic and Optimistic
• Reality check: We’re in
the midst of a recession.
• Reasons to be optimistic:
You’re interested in a
sector that is part of
growing macro trends.
Opportunities for
technical and non-
technical jobs. Source: Pew Charitable Trusts
Green Jobs Network
8. Agenda
• Overview
• Part 1: Job Boards
• Part 2: The Hidden Green Job Market
• Part 3: Future Green Jobs
Green Jobs Network
GreenJobs.net
9. General Job Boards
• These are broad-based boards that cover
many industries and sectors, and which will
include green jobs. These include sites
including Career One-Stops, CareerBuilder,
Craigslist, Indeed, Monster, Simply Hired,
Yahoo HotJobs.
Green Jobs Network
11. Green Job Boards
• A variety of job boards focus on opportunities
related to environmental or social
responsibility. These include:
– General green job boards
– Niche green job boards
– Nonprofit and other specialty boards
• Green Jobs Network maintains a list of these
boards to assist job seekers.
Green Jobs Network
15. Agenda
• Overview
• Part 1: Job Boards
• Part 2: The Hidden Green Job Market
• Part 3: Future Green Jobs
• Conclusion
Green Jobs Network
GreenJobs.net
16. Understanding the
Hidden Green Job Market
• In some instances employers may not publicize a job
opportunity via a traditional online job board for
reasons such as:
– Capacity: A young company may not have a complete
human resources department.
– Time: A company may not be able to invest the internal
human resources needed to review a large number of
applicants that could arise with a broad-based posting
• Some of the additional sources and strategies to
locate green jobs are listed on the next slides.
Green Jobs Network
17. Go Direct (1 of 3)
• Some organizations may publish job listings on their
website, but not necessarily conduct additional
external recruitment for candidates.
• To access these opportunities job seekers should
identify organizations they would be interested in
working for and review the Jobs or Careers section
of their website for potential jobs.
• Strategies to identify organizations are listed on the
next slides.
Green Jobs Network
18. Go Direct (2 of 3)
1. Review membership lists or other resources from
relevant industry associations. For example, the
American Solar Energy Society provides a list of
solar employers. A list of some industry
associations is available on Green Collar Blog.
2. Review the list of exhibitors or presenters at
industry conferences. For example, hundreds of
organizations attend the Green Festival held in
various cities in the US.
Green Jobs Network
19. Go Direct (3 of 3)
3. Review relevant industry publications and
websites. These publications may contain news
stories mentioning potential employers. Examining
the companies who advertise in such publications
may also be valuable.
4. Review national or local lists and directories of
green businesses. Some examples include the Bay
Area Green Business Program and the National
Green Pages.
Green Jobs Network
23. Build Your Network, Build Your Luck
Lucky people are effective in building secure, and long-
lasting, attachments with the people they meet. They
are easy to know and most people like them. They tend
to be trusting and form close relationships with others.
As a result, they often keep in touch with a much larger
number of friends and colleagues than unlucky people.
And time and again, this network of friends helps
promote opportunity in their lives.
-- Richard Wiseman, The Luck Factor
25. Networking: Offline
• There are a vast number of approaches and
strategies for networking, including:
– Attending events by groups such as GreenDrinks
– Participating in the local chapter of a national organization such as the
American Solar Energy Society
– Attending programs or conferences.
• There are also internet-based approaches to
networking (see next section).
27. Networking: Online
• There are an increasing number of job opportunities
posted via online social media channels. For
example, all groups on LinkedIn include a "Jobs" tab
where job opportunities can be posted.
• Company representatives (including hiring managers)
may use social media to conduct their own outreach
for potential candidates.
Green Jobs Network
29. E-mail Lists
• There are a number of specialized e-mail lists
that distribute job postings. A number of
these list are free for job seekers to join,
including EnviJobs, Green Job List, and YNPN.
Green Jobs Network
31. Recruiters
• As with job boards, there are an increasing
number of recruiters that focus on careers
pertaining to sustainability. A number of
these organizations will post positions for
which they are currently seeking candidates.
Green Jobs Network
33. Academic Institutions
• Academic institutions offer a range of job-related
resources for their students and graduates. These
include access to job listings and job fairs.
– In the past academic year green career fairs have been
held by institutions including the University of Illinois,
University of Minnesota, and Stanford University.
• Academic institutions can also be a source of
networking opportunities as well as career guidance.
Green Jobs Network
35. Agenda
• Overview
• Part 1: Job Boards
• Part 2: The Hidden Green Job Market
• Part 3: Future Green Jobs
• Conclusion
Green Jobs Network
GreenJobs.net
36. Follow the Money
• One method to identify potential future green jobs is to
identify where investments are being made today. This can
be a productive strategy as these investments may lead to the
development of new enterprises that have jobs. Specific
approaches include:
– Identifying private sector investment. VC firms, private equity firms,
and corporations are all making significant investments in existing or
new enterprises in the green sector. The recipients of these
investment may be sources of future (or even current) job
opportunities.
Sources to learn about these investments include The Cleantech
Group, Earth2Tech, GreenBeat, Greentech Media, and Green VC.
38. Follow the Startups
• New enterprises can be a source for potential future job
opportunities. Some strategies for identifying these are:
• Green and Social Venture Business Plan Competitions.
These programs are organized by business schools and other
groups and are generally geared to ventures at an early stage
of development. These include programs such as the Clean
Tech Open and the Global Social Venture Competition.
– Job seekers can review the list of entrants and winners of these
competitions as potential future sources of jobs. In addition, job
seekers may consider entering a competition or joining the team of an
entrant (some competitions offer mixers to facilitate team
recruitment). A list of some of these competitions is on Green VC.
Green Jobs Network
39. Follow the Startups
• Green and Social Entreprenuership Awards, Fellowships,
Incubators, and Accelerators. These program vary and
include cash prizes for one-time contests, seed funding for
new ventures, and later-stage funding for existing
organizations. These include programs such as Echoing
Green, Greenstart, and the Skoll Award for Social
Entreprenuership.
– As with business plan competitions, job seekers can review the list of
winners of these programs as potential future sources of jobs. A list
of some of these programs is available on Green VC.
Green Jobs Network
41. Thank You & Stay Connected!
Green Jobs Network
Connecting People with Opportunity
GreenJobs.net
Leonard Adler, CEO
leonard@greenjobs.net
(510) 768-7011
