Seeking Careers in Sustainability: Ten Common Mistakes
Mistake #1: Focusing on Too Many Career Options
Most of you are divergent, creative thinkers with many interests as well as concerns about multiple environmental issues. I salute you! But following too many career interests can extend your transition time, since you’ll need a separate networking strategy and knowledge base for each interest. After an initial exploration, I recommend that you narrow your focus to one of these broad areas: Natural Resources, Green Building, Energy, Transportation, Sustainable Business, Fish/Water, Food, or Education.
Mistake #2: Thinking With Your Heart
You do start with your heart when you determine the top values and passions that will drive your career decision. However, once you’ve identified some options to explore, it’s time for your brain to take over and assess marketplace need. If you are passionate about helping low-income people garden, you may find that there are very few paid positions for you in Portland. After a thorough analysis of your options, timeframe, and financial needs, you may need to follow the trends, including legislative changes, to see where more plentiful options are emerging.
Mistake #3: Thinking Too Literally in Evaluating Career Options
Some jobs are intrinsically a fit for the sustainability-minded job seeker, even if they are not labeled as such. For example, if you are an elementary school teacher, you can integrate sustainability directly into many subjects, from reading about people who care for the Earth, to using math story problems about conserving fuel. Similarly, if you manage a purchasing department, you may be able to make decisions about environmentally friendly products without having the title of Sustainability Coordinator.
Mistake #4: Expecting It to Happen Quickly
The stark reality is that it often takes two or more years to transition into a competitive field. This is particularly true if you want to change both your job function and the type of organization you work for. Many job seekers volunteer for a year or more before landing a paid position.
Mistake #5: Failing to Broadcast Your Specific Skills and Needs
You need a basic message that clearly states what you are looking for so that others can more readily help you. Then you need to actually use your message — a lot. For example, Lori B. found a lead that unexpectedly resulted in a job at Parametrix by broadcasting her message: “I want to meet people who work on air or water quality compliance issues. I want to use my eight years of business background along with my degree in environmental science. My strengths include being organized, a good writer, and passionate about creating a healthier environment.”
Mistake #6: Volunteering “Promiscuously”
Targeted volunteering can be one of the most potent job search tools; indiscriminate volunteering may not get you closer to landing a job, even if it promotes wonderful causes. Targeted volunteering means selecting volunteer activities in an organization that might hire you, where you can meet many people who might hire you, or where you can learn a desired skill.
Mistake #7: Expecting to Date the Prom Queen
Many sustainability-oriented people are strongly attached to the idea of finding their ideal job in a company or organization totally committed to sustainability, such as Gerding Edlen Development Company or the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability). You’ll increase your options by considering less-high-profile organizations that are open to new sustainability initiatives.
Mistake #8: Hiding Volunteer Activities on the Second Page of a Resume
If you’ve recently been a volunteer in a green organization and want to include this in a job application, put a description of this work on the first page of your resume. This works well if you label your job history section as “Professional Experience.” Unless you only stuffed envelopes, it counts!
Mistake #9: Submitting a One-Size-Fits-All Resume
Your resume needs to be targeted to each position or type of position. People don’t have time to read through extraneous material that makes it harder to focus on how well you match their needs. Begin with a summary of qualifications that match those identified in the position announcement. Copying vocabulary from the listed responsibilities or qualifications may not seem creative, but it’s a highly effective tactic because it makes your application easier for the screener. Many firms now use software that scans resume text for keywords. They attach a score to each resume based on the density of relevant keywords. Only resumes that earn a minimum keyword score are reviewed, unless an inside contact puts in a word for you as a candidate.
Mistake #10: Doing a Job Search on Your Own
It helps to work with a career counselor, participate in a job club, and/or find a job search buddy. Career development and job hunting are emotionally draining— they require commitment to an ongoing process rather than starting and stopping. You’ve surely heard, “When one door closes, another one opens.” What they don’t say is that it’s darn lonely in the hallway.
Is there a mistake on this list, or more than one, that you need to be especially careful to avoid?