Green Career Pathways
Use the Outline Below for
An Effective Job Search Plan
a. Summarize current and future trends shaping your industry and profession
b. State your professional objective
i. Identify gaps in required qualifications and experience
1. seek education/training/volunteer opportunities
c. Develop a communications strategy
i. Exit statement: reason you left your last job and what you are looking forward to doing next
ii. Positioning Statement: 1 – 2 minute elevator pitch I am a ______, with expertise in ____________. I have worked in ___________ (types of organizations). My unique strengths are _________ (what differentiates you.)
iii. Resume, contact list
iv. Accomplishment stories
d. Identify target companies
i. Research
II. Network – 20 – 30 search related conversations a week
a. Reach out to friends and family for contacts in target companies
b. Membership organization meetings
c. Non-profit organization events
d. Volunteer
e. Linked In
g. Job Sites
III. Informational Interviews (80% of jobs are filled by referrals and people the hiring manager know, vs. 20% from submitting cold resumes) see article below
IV. Successful Interviewing
a. Prepare
i. Research company
ii. Tailor accomplishment stories
iii. Be prepared to answer common questions: Tell me something about yourself, why did you leave your last company, what are your career goals, what are your strengths, describe a weakness, etc.
iv. Bring your questions – be curious, uncover needs, etc.
b. Close the deal: state why you want the job and why you’d be a good fit
c. Follow-up letter and email
V. Negotiate offers – never discuss money until you receive an offer
VI. Continue to manage your career. Work has become more transactional. (average job length is 2.8 years)
(prior published articles)
A recent report, Many Shades of Green: Diversity and Distribution of California’s Green Jobs, published in December 2009, provides comprehensive data about green jobs, tracking the most recent available data on green companies from 1995 to 2008, job type, location and growth across every sector and region of The Sacramento Area ranked first in green job growth, expanding 87 percent. The San Diego Region followed with 57 percent, while the Bay Area grew by 51 percent. The report breaks the green economy into 15 core sectors. The highlights for the Of equal significance is the fact that, in For job seekers, these jobs offer opportunities across all skill levels. While many of these jobs represent occupations that already exist, many require additional skills, for jobs such as Operations and Facilities Managers and Electricians. Also, new occupations are emerging like Biofuel Technicians and Energy Auditors. Jobs are still slow in coming. The Stimulus is beginning to have an impact and the government is beefing up its investment in our Green Economy. In his speech at the Brookings Institute in "We're proposing a boost in investment in the nation's infrastructure beyond what was included in the Recovery Act to continue modernizing our transportation and communications networks. These are needed public works that engage private sector companies, spurring hiring across the country. Already, more than 10,000 of these projects have been funded through the Recovery Act. And by design, Recovery Act work on roads, bridges, water systems, Superfund sites, broadband networks, and clean energy projects will all be ramping up in the months ahead," he said. Green job seekers should continue networking and cultivating personal relationships with fellow job seekers and people in your target companies. As the economy recovers, and jobs become more plentiful, these relationships will be instrumental in helping you achieve your job goals!
“There’s nothing happening on the job market over the holidays,” laments a job seeker. “No new jobs have been posted. Now I’ll have to wait until after the holidays.” Many job hunters stop their job search during the holidays and wait for the job postings that pick up after January 1. This is a huge missed opportunity. This article will dispel this popular misconception and help you develop a winning job search plan. The holidays are actually one of the best times to step up your job search activities.
San Diego
December 16, 2009
Green Job Hunting for the Holidays
First, let’s examine how the ubiquitous 80/20 rule applies to job search. 80% of new jobs are offered to people the hiring manager knows or who are referred to the hiring manager by trusted colleagues and friends. Only 20% of jobs are given to people who are complete unknowns. And yet, most job seekers spend 80% of their time applying as ‘unknowns” for jobs that are posted online or in the newspaper. They spend only 20% of their time networking to meet potential hiring managers or people within their target companies who may know the hiring managers. 80/20 does not equal 20/80. To be successful, align your activities with the winning formula.
Now, let’s shed some light on what’s really happening on the job front during the holidays. In most companies, bottom-up budgeting starts in September. Department heads request resources that they need to execute on future goals. These requests work their way through the budgeting process, which usually results in hiring managers learning in December whether their requested positions have been approved. Job seekers won’t see these jobs posted until after January, when the new budget begins. Hiring managers are actively, albeit unofficially, looking for candidates and referrals during the holidays. They want to get a jump on meeting next year’s goals.
If you wait until these jobs are posted in early January, you will be in the 20% group of “unknowns.” If you start networking now, you can be in the 80% of “knowns” or referrals. Which odds would you choose?
You may wonder how to get in front of these potential hiring managers, or people who know them. Before you start, complete your job search preparation, which includes,
- a succinct and compelling positioning statement, (your elevator pitch),
- a polished resume that tells an impactful story about the value you bring, based upon proven accomplishments paired with relevant skills and qualifications,
- a target list of 30 researched companies that would hire a person with your SKAs (skills, knowledge and abilities), and
- a robust LinkedIn profile with all of this information, plus, connections with all of your contacts.
If you’ve done your homework, you can seize this window of opportunity and enjoy some holiday cheer. If you’re a bit behind, get cracking so you don’t miss rich holiday networking opportunities.
After your initial preparation is complete, create a one page summary sheet that has your contact information and positioning statement at the top and all of your target companies below, organized by industry, sector, vertical market, or geography. Send or show this to everyone you know; tell them that you are seeking work and what you are looking for. Ask them if they know of anyone who works in one your target companies. Search your target companies on LinkedIn to see if any of your “connections” are connected to people who work for these companies. Be sure to take advantage of all of the related holiday gatherings at trade associations, membership organizations (you can usually attend the first one without being a member), green non-profits, and target company public holiday events. You will be surprised how many people know people who work in your target companies. In job search, people who know people are the luckiest people in the world!
Here’s what you want to do with these valuable connections. Ask the person with the connection to your target company if they would mind introducing you to their contact. Most people know how to make these introductions, but if they don’t, don’t be afraid to coach them. It generally takes the form of a simple email, copied to you, to ask their colleague or friend if they have a few minutes to connect with an exceptional someone. This someone is you! Thank your match maker and do something for them to show your appreciation.
Once you have received your copy of that email, you are now free to contact this person directly. Reply to all, thanking your friend for making the introduction and asking the new contact if they can find 15 minutes to meet with you, at their convenience. Let them know that you will come to their office. Briefly state that you are considering a career transition and, while you understand that they are not currently hiring, you are interested in meeting them and learning more about their company. Based upon a request from a friend or colleague, people usually find 15 minutes! You now have an opportunity to build a relationship with someone inside one of your target companies. You have discovered focused networking magic.
Let’s explore how to make the most of your 15 minutes. You will be conducting an informational interview. Even though there is no advertised opening, an informational interview, as with every conversation with a potential hiring manager, should be treated like an interview. Research the company and the person you are meeting. Dress professionally and bring a crisp tailored resume, in case they ask to see one. Bring a business card, even if it just has your name, area of specialty, and contact information. Take notes. You are in charge of this meeting, so plan your agenda. It should look something like this:
Informational Interview Agenda
- Brief Meet and Greet: build rapport, business cards and thank them
- Deliver your positioning statement.
- Ask them about their responsibilities at the company.
- Ask them how they got their start in the job or industry.
- Ask them for advice on how you can get a job at a company like theirs. (They will usually ask to see your resume. Leave this behind if they don’t return it to you.)
- Ask them what challenges they are facing in their current job.
- Graciously thank them for again for their time.
This is a lot to accomplish in 15 minutes, so be sure to move the conversation along. Remember, you have just asked someone you don’t know to give you their valuable time. Not respecting their time is the best way to make a poor impression. Don’t be late. Don’t stay more than 15 minutes. Don’t ask them to meet you for coffee or lunch. It takes too much time to go off site and those meetings are frequently canceled. Only when you are waiting at their office for a scheduled meeting will they squeeze you in, even on a busy day.
Before you send a thank you email, research the challenges they spoke about in your meeting. Find some articles or best practices they might find helpful for addressing one of two of their challenges. The better the quality of your research, the more value you will demonstrate. Send you research brief with appropriate links along with your thank you email within 3 days. Follow-up in three weeks with a fresh research brief related to their challenges and let them know that you are acting on the advice they gave you about breaking into the industry. They might email back and a relationship may develop. Even if you don’t hear back, you made a great impression, you are helping them solve a problem, and you are staying “top of mind.” Perhaps they are waiting for their requested position to be approved. Perhaps someone they know will ask them if they know of a sharp candidate for an open position and they will refer you. If a position opens up in their company, you can now ask them if they would be willing to forward your resume to the hiring manager. You have cultivated many opportunities. Do this with 20 to 30 of your target companies
Spend 80% of your time on focused networking and only 20% of your time trolling posted positions. Be sure to check for openings at your targeted companies regularly. It’s time to leave the pack; differentiate yourself from the thousands who send out résumé after résumé and never hear back. Become part of the 80% of referrals who win interviews and new positions.
You can find target green and clean tech companies in
Happy hunting and happy holidays! Green Jobs in November 12, 2009 Most articles about green jobs focus on answering the question: what is a green job? As unemployment continues to peak, green jobs have come to symbolize the panacea for many of our pressing ills: global warming, unemployment, lack of connection with the earth, and hollow “day jobs”. Green jobs are laden with grand expectations: that they will deliver pathways out of poverty, ensure that our work is meaningful, allow us to do good while doing well, and provide an opportunity to work towards a brighter future. While the definition of a green job continues to evolve, the common thread is that a green job is one that benefits workers and the environment. The burning question remains, “Where are they?” Green jobs in And there is more: The Navy’s $4.1 billion allocation for green infrastructure projects in our region, $28 million of DOE Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bock Grant projects throughout the county, entry level weatherization jobs through the MAAC Project, and increased investment in local algae-based alternative fuel companies, such as Synthetic Genomics, HR BioPetroleum, as well as VC investment in Achates Power Inc and Advanced Telemetry. For more information on clean and green companies in the In future columns, I will identify local green job and business opportunities, green education and training offerings, and provide tips on winning job search methods in the green marketplace. We will be discussing how you can get in on the ground floor of this emerging sector and accelerate your green career. I say “we” because I invite you to participate in the conversation and help get word out about these opportunities. By sharing information and resources, all boats will rise. The best way to predict the future is to help create it. Let’s do this!
Debra Horen is Founder and Principal of Next Path, a workforce-development company that provides guidance and support services to individuals and businesses in search of new work and business opportunities. A certified WBE (Women's Business Enterprise), Next Path supports stimulus projects, with a focus on clean and green jobs. Debra integrates green-job career coaching with her work supporting employers in need of local talent.
Debra was a leader in workforce development for the PUC for 16 years and has built capacity in the private sector, including six years in the local biotech industry. Debra worked on several community/government initiatives in the Bay Area to advance work and business opportunities, including the ground-breaking Women in the Trades Program, and growing the emerging Internet industry as a key member of The Multimedia Gulch Consortium.
Debra is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), has several career coaching certifications, including Lominger, MBTI, Strong Interest, and an M.Ed in Educational Technology
