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Welcome to the Green Career Tip of the Week
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Online Version of this Issue Green Career Tips Archive
Ever wonder if a startup company is right for you? Read this week’s tip to see if you have the characteristics of a company builder.
Have you read the Green Career Central Blog lately? This week there’s great posts about T. Boone Picken’s Plan, updates on green career trends, and information on an exciting new green TV show called Discovery Project Earth. Check out the blog section here.
Did you get a f.r.e.e month on the Green Career Central site this week? Scroll down to see if the beginning of your email is next to the treasure chest. We do this every week!
Highlighted Announcement
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Tip of the Week: Are You a Company Builder? How to Get Hired by Green Start Up Companies
In the last Green Career Tip I described four ways you can use your work history to break into a new industry.
One of the tactics was to leverage your personality and work style if you are comfortable working in a start up/early stage company.
So the question is: Do you have that personality and work style?
Harrison Dillon, CTO of Solazyme, said he must hire people with excellent technical knowledge, but technical know-how alone is not enough for them to succeed. Prospective employees must have the personality of a “company builder,” to get considered. He’s found that without the “company builder” mindset, personality, and work style, new hires don’t make it.
Dillon is not alone. Many early stage green/clean companies concur. You’ve got to have more than the right education to make it in the new economy. You must be willing and able to do what it takes to help your company grow and thrive.
Are You a Company Builder?
As you read this list of characteristics, take stock of whether you have what it takes to be a company builder.
Do you:
1. Tolerate uncertainty – or better yet thrive in uncertainty.
You can't freeze when plans are uncertain. You must be able to forge ahead in the moment without knowing exactly where you are going. If the uncertainty of the situation spurs you on to be more productive, all the better.
2. Thrive in a constantly changing environment.
You can't become wedded to one product, technology or system. You must be willing to change to keep the company competitive. You must be able to go with the flow as company/department goals change, products change and technology changes.
3. Take the initiative to do what needs to be done even when that task is not part of your job description.
You can’t expect someone else to be there to pick up the loose pieces. There may not be anyone with that task in their job description. If it is someone else’s responsibility, they may not have the time to be able to handle it right now. Take it on, get it done, and get on with the next task.
4. Prioritize long, ever growing to do lists based on the activities that have a high pay off for the company.
You can’t become paralyzed by the fact that your list is impossibly long. You must find a way to focus your attention on the key tasks that will move the company forward today and every day.
5. Use company goals to guide your actions.
You can’t work in a vacuum. You must be aware of what’s happening throughout the company. You must know the company’s goals and use them to guide your actions. When there’s not enough time to get everything done, the company goals will point you in the right direction.
6. Succeed in a very intense, high pressure, fast moving environment.
You can’t wish for a slow paced job or a light day in an early stage company. It’s not going to happen! You must be energized by the adrenaline that is part of the territory in a company at this stage of development.
7. Deal well with the stresses of a very competitive market place.
You can’t be put off or stunned by other companies competing for the same market share. You must be energized by the race for success.
8. Learn on the fly as needed, on a constant basis.
You can’t wait for someone else to teach you what you need to know. You must take it upon yourself to learn what you need to know to get the job done. In a fast paced business, there will always be something new to learn. You’ve just got to wade in and figure it out.
9. Punt if something isn't working as planned or if something breaks.
You can’t be derailed when things don’t work as expected. If something breaks, you must fix it. You must roll with what is happening and make the best of it.
10. Work for the success of the company without the need to be the star player.
You can’t come to work with your ego running the show. You must work for the good and success of the company. Everyone must have that goal if the company is to survive and, better yet, thrive.
11. Forgive yourself when something goes wrong, when you don't get everything done, and when you make a mistake.
You can’t stop working to ruminate over a failure, about falling behind, or when you make an error. There’s no time set aside for such thoughts. You must get back on your feet, fix the problem, and be as productive as you can be.
12. Find a way over, around, under, or through a barrier.
You can’t be stymied by a barrier. You must find a creative way to get past the problem as quickly, as efficiently, and as cost effectively as possible.
What Can You Do?
If you don’t see yourself in this list of characteristics, recognize that you aren’t likely to thrive or survive in a start up/early stage company. Your best bet is to search for companies that are more established. You may want to find a traditional company that is greening their operations, products or services. They will have the funds and infrastructure to support a more predictable rate of growth.
Another option, if you are set on working for an emerging company in an emerging industry, is to find opportunities to practice these behaviors and attitudes within a role as a volunteer or intern. Interview people who have the company builder attitude and work style to discover how they approach their work. Take on new elements as you can. Practice being more flexible and creative within your own life. Take it one characteristic at a time to see how comfortable you can be with a new mindset about your role at work.
Copyright © 2008 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.
"GCC's process was incredibly helpful in getting me started in a new career direction. The worksheets and brainstorming exercises in the What's Your Green Niche ebook helped me realize I already had the skills to launch a new green career. Today, less that four months later, I have a terrific salary doing business development for energy and environmental projects. Thanks to Green Career Central, my dream of merging my personal conviction with professional life came true."
-- Kelly Fergusson
Menlo Park Councilmember (Mayor, 2007) turned Business Development Manager of Energy & Environmental Solutions
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Are You Searching for Your Green Niche?
You know you want a green career, but do you know what you want to do in the green economy?
The key to discovering your green niche is pinpointing how to leverage your skills, passions, talents and experience to plug into the green economy.
When you know what part of the economy you want to target, you’ll have an entirely new level of clarity. With that new clarity, your current level of overwhelm and confusion will decrease.
The What’s Your Green Niche eBook eBook takes you through a step-by-step process to determine your green niche. Here's a list of some of the things you'll gain as you work through this eBook. You'll:
- Create your personal definition of success.
- Discover how you know what you are drawn to.
- Develop a list of your 40 favorite skills and interests with the help of checklists.
- Brainstorm over 40 career ideas based on your favorite skills and interests in an hour or so.
- Narrow your career ideas to your top two ideas.
- Develop a plan to achieve your green career goals whether you want to return to school, launch your job search, or start your business.
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Green Career Central Blog:
T. Boone Picken’s Plan: If you’ve been watching any television lately you’ve no doubt seen T Boone Picken’s ads. This blog post gives you a bit more detail about his plan. Read the post and add your comments.
Green Career Trends: Read more about this week’s green career trends – wind storage, nanosolar, green IT. Read the post and add your comments.
Discovery Project Earth: A new television series on Friday nights is worth watching. Think MythBusters meets Nova. The team works with a new scientist each episode to test a technology that can combat global warming. Of the episodes I’ve seen they are testing some very innovative solutions. Read the post and add your comments.
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Green Career Central is a membership site with a comprehensive set of easy-to-use programs, resources, and events to help people achieve their green career dreams whether they want to find a green job, start a green business, or get a green education.
  
"Carol, thanks for your first Tip of the Week. Connecting with what I'm drawn to brought tears to my eyes and made me feel happy and excited. I now know what I'm looking for in my green career. I will continue to look to you and yours for support as I make my way forward. Thank you." -- Cheryl, Chicago, IL
Read what other members are saying about Green Career Central here....
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What's New at GreenCareerCentral.com
More Profession Specific Job Boards
We’ve just reviewed three more profession specific job boards. Profession specific job boards tend to have fewer job openings, but the ones they have are very targeted. Not as many people see these listings so you may not have as much competition on these job boards. Check out the list to see if any of these green job boards match your interests.
Articles
Thinking of owning your own green business or greening a business you already own?
Check out the articles to help you Go Green!
Did You Know...
...if you missed a Tip of the Week, you can read the archived publications?
Green Career Tips Archive
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Green Career CentralTM is a virtual career center for motivated professionals who are ready to find a green career that fully expresses their passions, skills, values, and talents.
Carol McClelland, PhD, founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career For Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together sixteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper.
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