Green Career Tip - Finding the People You Need to Know in the Green Economy

Ready to find your green career niche? Carol McClelland and Rebecca Kieler are hosting a workshop to help you. Read the Highlighted Events section for more information.

Ready to connect with your green network? This week's tip highlights green networking events in your area you can attend.

Check this out! I appear on a Focus Earth segment called "Going Green to Make Green." Focus Earth is a eco-newscast, anchored by ABC News' Bob Woodruff, that covers stories ranging from climate impact, environmental policy, relevant political and world events. You can see the entire interview or read the transcript of the story. I show up at 2:18 minutes remaining and then again at 50 seconds remaining.

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 Event: Find Your Green Career Niche Workshop: Get Clear. Get Focused. Get Results.

Join Carol and her colleague, Rebecca Kieler of Kieler Career Consulting, as they guide you through a step-by-step process to discover your green niche.

This workshop uses a combination of personal exercises, group brainstorming sessions, and personal laser coaching to guide you to discover your passions and articulate your niche within the green economy.

With clarity about your green niche, your job search will become focused. You’ll be more confident, clear, and committed than you’ve felt before. Your network will be excited to connect you with their contacts because they feel your passion and they understand exactly what you want to do next.

This workshop is best suited for people who have a work history or volunteer experience, a variety of interests, and a desire to find work they love in the green economy.

This workshop, sponsored by the Solar Living Institute, takes place on March 7, 2009 from 9 am – 5 pm at the Green Building Exchange in South San Francisco.

Tip of the Week: Finding the People You Need to Know in the Green Economy - Part 2

In last week’s Green Career Tip, I gave you four ways to tap into the green movement in your community.

This week I share four ways you can use networking events to connect with other green professionals.

One note before you begin evaluating networking options. I realize it’s often uncomfortable to show up at a new event, when you aren’t likely to know anyone. Here are a couple of strategies I’ve used over the years when I’ve shown up at new networking events.

Introduce yourself to the person at the registration desk. Let them know you are there for the first time. It’s likely they will introduce you to one or two people.

When in doubt, listen! Ask a few questions of each person you meet. You might think of these questions before you even arrive at the event. Here are a few examples: What do you do? What’s your background? What kind of education do you have? What trends are you seeing in the industry?

Attend the meeting several times before you decide it’s a waste of time. The first time your nervousness may color your feelings about the meeting. The next times you attend the meeting it’s likely you’ll know a couple of people at the event. Over time, as you meet more and more people, the discomfort you feel at the beginning will fade a bit.

Green Drinks – Are you looking for networking groups in your area? Green Drinks may be the answer. Every month people in the environmental/green field come together for informal networking/social gatherings. People from all kinds of organizations from NGOs, academia, government and businesses connect during these meetings. If you think there can’t possibly be a meeting in your area, take a moment to check out the list of Green Drinks meetings that occur in 41 countries throughout the world and 46 states in the United States.

Eco Tuesday – The Sustainable Business Leaders Networking Forums meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month, hence the name, EcoTuesday. Currently these meetings are taking place in Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle, Silicon Valley, and Washington DC. Although specifically founded for business leaders to network and learn about current issues from speakers and other attendees, job seekers and career changers attend as well. Be sure to arrive in time for the introduction circle where all participants share one sentence about their business and a passion or interest around sustainability. This is how you learn who you want to talk to during the networking portion of the meeting.

Net Impact – According to their website, Net Impact is “a global network of leaders who are changing the world through business.” This nonprofit offers an array of programs to inspire and educate more than 10,000 members “dedicated to using business for positive social and environmental good” in the schools, organizations, and communities. This network is made up of MBAs, graduate students, and professionals who are interested in corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability. Find the International Chapter or a US Chapter that’s closest to you. To make the most of the benefits of this organization, you must become a paid member.

Professional Association Chapters - As you identify your green niche and find professional associations that match your interests, check to see if they have local chapters or conferences. If you discover a possible event, put it on your calendar and plan to attend a couple of times before you decide whether you want to continue attending.

I realize it’s possible that none of these websites point you to networking groups in your area. Rather than seeing this as a major setback, see it as an opportunity to step up and show your leadership skills. Why not start your own Green Drinks meeting or offer to be an Ambassador for Eco Tuesday.

Taking a leadership role will give you a powerful experience to add to your resume. Taking a group from nothing to something demonstrates that you have initiative, team building skills, perseverance, and more. Think of the people you will meet as you build your own network… literally!

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Green Career Trends: This week we report on a new report from the wind association that compares the number of wind jobs compared to coal jobs. We also discuss the job growth likely with energy efficiency retrofits and data that shows that California grew the number of green jobs between 2005 - 2007.

Green for All Urges Senate to Pass Stimulus and Green Jobs Act: Green For All, the organization led by Van Jones, is urging the public to contact their Senators and encourage them to fully support the Green Jobs Act. They also point out several Obama Administration programs that are in the works. If you want to have a green career, take action by acting on this blog post.

Green Portions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Have you studied the House of Representatives’ version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus package. You’ll be amazed at how many green programs are included.

The discussion forum topic, audios, ebook, and articles listed below are available to members of GreenCareerCentral.com as a part of their membership. If you're not a member and would like to have immediate access, we'd love to have you join us now!

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.

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I've accepted a position that is really my dream green job. In my new role, I am part of a small group working to build The Nature Conservancy's capabilities to leverage conservation know-how across and beyond The Nature Conservancy's programs to achieve conservation results at an unprecedented scale. I love doing this work, and I thank you for giving me the courage to keep finding a place I believed in to share my skills.

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~ Anne, El Cerrito, CA

Laura Pettit Rusick is the President of OPT Solutions. She has over 20 years experience in IT working with businesses and is currently a technology management consultant. In this interview, Laura discusses "Green IT" and the trends she is seeing for the future. You can listen to our interview with Laura or read the transcript.

One important part of searching for a green careers is finding out which companies fall in the green category.

One of the best ways to learn what's possible in the Green Economy is to hear from people who have green careers.

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