9.2.3 Finding a Job
The eventual aim
of
anyone
wanting
to
work
in
sustainability
is
to
ideally
find
a
job
that
matches
their
competencies,
ideals
and
pays
enough
to
cover
the
bills.
Achieving
a
perfect
balance
of
all
three
will
be
difficult
to
find,
but
it
may
be
the
case
that
each
are
addressed
at
different
times
in
your
career. As is explained in
the
following
blog
post,
there
is
no
set
path
to
obtaining
a
perfect
job,
and
in
the
field
of
sustainability
there
is
less
of
a
linear
career
path. Flexibility, a
diverse
skill
set
and
strong
convictions
are
useful
tools
to
have.
5 Strategies
to
Finding
a
Sustainability
Job,
Bob
Willard
[3]
We all
seek
the
holy
grail
of
a
position
that
matches
our
convictions,
needs,
and
competencies.
People
who
want
to
make
a
difference
sometimes
ask
me
for
advice
on
how
to
find
a
job
in
the
“sustainability
sector.”
The
bad
news
is
that
there
is
no
such
sector,
any
more
than
there
is
a
“quality
sector.”
The
good
news
is
that
there
are
roles
in
organizations
that
include
varying
degrees
of
responsibility
for
sustainability:
in
the
organization,
with
its
suppliers,
and/or
helping
its
clients
become
more
sustainable
enterprises.
Here
are
five
strategies
to
help
find
one
of
those
great
jobs.
1.
Decide where
you would
be most
energized
Sector: Public
sector?
Private
sector?
Not-for-profit
sector?
Academia?
Consulting?
Organization Size: Large?
Small?
Solo?
Sustainability Focus: Environmental?
Social?
Industry Sector: Which
industry
sector
attracts
you?
Location: Which city
or
country
attracts
you?
Financial Security Needs:
How
important
are
salary
and
benefits?
Use your
excitement
level
as
a
barometer
for
each
choice.
Does
the
possibility
excite
you?
Why?
Why
not?
To
help
confirm
your
options,
consider
volunteering
or
doing
a
small
contract
at
a
potential
organization
of
interest.
It
will
give
you
first-hand
knowledge
of
what
it’s
like
to
work
there;
it
shows
tangible
evidence
of
your
interest;
it
gives
you
a
chance
to
acquire
new
experience
and
skills;
and
it
adds
new
contacts
to
your
professional
network.
2.
Work your
existing network
As Richard
Bolles
explains
in
"What Colour is Your Parachute?" 80% of jobs
are
found
through
existing
professional
acquaintances,
friends,
and
family.
These
known
folks
usually
provide
the
most
fruitful
leads.
Bolles
advises
job-seekers
to
devote
most
of
their
search-time
to
tapping
into—or
rebuilding—their
existing
networks,
and
to
developing
new
contacts.
People
are
the
ones
who
provide
a
real-time
pipeline
of
information
about
where
the
jobs
are—ideally
before
they
are
posted.
Alumni
and
professional
associations
are
strong
resources,
as
are
social
media,
such
as
LinkedIn. If your
qualifications
warrant
a
senior
role
in
a
large
company,
you
might
consider
using
an
executive
recruiting
agency.
3.
Shop your
non-sustainability
skills, match
your values
There are
not
many
“sustainability”
jobs
out
there
yet.
However,
there
are
a
growing
number
of
organizations
that
espouse
sustainability
and
which
are
undertaking
exciting
initiatives
for
environmental
and
social
responsibility.
If
you
opt
for
the
corporate
sector,
seek
organizations
whose
values
match
yours.
Sell
them
on
your
transferable
and
technical
skills,
and
your
experience.
That
is,
use
the
Trojan
Horse
approach:
enter
the
company
gates
by
starting
in
a
“normal”
job.
Then,
assess
how
you
can
legitimately
support
sustainability
initiatives
from
that
position,
or
from
a
subsequent
position
within
the
company
that
you
later
discover
is
a
better
fit.
4.
Talk their
language
This is
a
pet
theme
of
mine.
As
you
apply
to
various
organizations,
re-tune
your
CV
and
your
interview
vocabulary
so
that
it
relates
to
their
context,
values,
and
challenges.
Sell
them
on
how
you
can
add
value
to
their
current
priorities—always
being
careful
to
avoid
“sustainability-speak”
if
the
interviewer
is
not
comfortable
with
that
lens
on
the
company’s
business
concerns.
5.
Embrace a
Non-Linear Career
Path
In the
past,
our
paths
towards
careers
were
much
more
linear.
We
graduated
from
school,
college,
or
university;
we
got
an
entry
level
position
in
a
company;
and
in
cases
like
mine,
we
slowly
climbed
through
the
ranks
in
that
company.
Today,
in
a
job
market
that
is
constantly
shifting
and
presenting
new
types
of
jobs
we
need
to
embrace
a
non-linear
career
path.
That
means
being
open
to
taking
a
mechanical
engineering
job
designing
a
well
in
a
foreign
country,
then
coming
back
and
using
that
experience
to
get
a
job
in
another
corporation
designing
their
broader
sustainability
plans.
Learning for
Sustainability
This page
provides
some
key
links
for
using
the
Internet
to
track
down
job
vacancies
and
volunteering
programmes
in
the
fields
of
environment
and
development.
http://learningforsustainability.net/jobs/
Environmentjob.co.uk
Environmental jobs
from
conservation
through
recycling
to
environmental
education.
www.environmentjob.co.uk
Ethical Jobs
Solar engineering
to
sustainable
development
and
care
work.
www.ethical-jobs.co.uk
GradCracker
General site
for
graduate
engineers
(search
for
a
relevant
keyword)
www.gradcracker.co.uk
Amida
A specialist recruitment
business
dedicated
to
global
Sustainable
Development,
recruiting
for
Buildings,
Transport,
Energy,
Water,
Environment
and
Corporate
Sustainability.
http://www.amida-recruit.com/home.aspx
Acre
An international recruitment
and
executive
search
firm
specialising
in
the
corporate
responsibility,
energy
efficiency,
carbon,
environmental
and
health
&
safety
market
http://acre-resources.com/