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Resources for Green Professionals PDF Print E-mail

Fluid is committed to workforce development, both as a service to our clients and for growing the green economy as a whole. We present educational workshops, provide a variety of trainings for clients and sponsor events like the annual Green Professionals Conference.

While the conference happens just once a year, the resources below are intended to help you jumpstart your job search at anytime. If you know of a great job resource for green professionals that’s not on this list, click here to s This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

GENERAL JOB-SEEKING TIPS

A few general tips for job seekers everywhere:

Network

  • Do your research and attend industry networking events to meet people, learn about what’s new in the industry, and find out where potential job opportunities may be. If you are transitioning into a new field, find out what kinds of trade or professional development organizations are relevant to your field, and join them.
  • Ask for informational interviews. Find people who are in your field and ask them for an informational interview. Offering to buy them coffee or lunch is a great way to show them that you appreciate their time. Come prepared with questions that go beyond “Can you give me a job?”

Stay current with the news

A great way to show that you are an excellent candidate for a job is to demonstrate that you have up-to-date knowledge of what is current and emerging in that field. Read industry news. Subscribe to relevant listservs and email newsletters. Utilize social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Be prepared to respond quickly

Have your resume and a basic cover letter ready at all times. Once job announcements are posted, they often close quickly, usually in under a week. It’s okay to keep several versions of your resume handy, so you can quickly tailor it and your cover letter to the specific job you are applying for.

Use appropriate social media effectively

  • Using professional networking sites such as LinkedIn can help you establish a positive presence for yourself on the web, and give potential employers a place to view your resume, background and recommendations from previous employers and colleagues. You can also search for job openings on LinkedIn, and search for people in your industry by geographic location. Participating in Groups on LinkedIn can help you stay connected to news and relevant issues in your industry.
  • Other tools, such as Twitter, Craigslist and Facebook, are also being utilized by green jobs sites and recruiters to help connect job seekers with jobs.  

RESOURCES FOR JOBS IN ENERGY

(For our local Portland, Oregon-area job seekers: Note that none of these boards are specific to the Portland area, but all show job listings that include jobs in the Portland metro region.)

Most of the job boards listed in the section below also contain job announcements relevant to the renewable energy or energy efficiency sectors.

Job Boards:

 

Networking Groups and Industry-Relevant Listservs:

Future of Energy
This group of energy professionals in the Portland, Oregon area meets for networking once a month at Paddy’s in downtown Portland, and sponsors speakers and events, including the Green Professionals conference.

Renewable Energy Business Network
This group posts information about forums, workshops and other events related to renewable energy and business. They also occasionally post job listings.

Northwest Environmental Business Council
NEBC’s Energy Forum is an industry-led group whose mission is “Supporting the interests of companies building and servicing the evolving energy economy.” There is both an Oregon-specific and Washington-specific Energy Forum listserv; click the Energy Forum link above for more information and to sign up.

SUSTAINABILITY (INCLUDING CARBON MANAGEMENT) RESOURCES

Job Boards:

(For our Portland, Oregon-area job seekers: Note that none of these boards are specific to the Portland area, but all show job listings that include jobs in the Portland metro region.)

General Sustainability Jobs:

Climate change or carbon management jobs:

The job boards listed above often have job postings that are relevant to climate change or carbon management, but these sites are specifically geared towards those jobs.

Networking Groups and Industry Listservs:

Net Impact
Net Impact is a membership organization, but the cost is low and the Portland Professional and Portland State chapters are very active. Membership also gets you access to an excellent national job board.

Green Drinks
This international organization provides a meeting place for professionals in environmental fields to socialize and network. Green Drinks happens in 542 cities all over the world, as well as all 50 states and Washington, D.C. here in the U.S.

Portland Chapter
The Portland chapter of Green Drinks has a great reputation for sponsoring events and bringing engaging speakers to their monthly happy hours which are held in the Ecotrust building in the Pearl. Their monthly announcements often contain information about local events, workshops, and job postings

Northwest Environmental Business Council
NEBC’s Climate and GHG Forum is a relatively new group that focuses on climate and greenhouse gas emissions issues as they affect businesses in the Northwest. Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information and to join their mailing list.

Industry News:

ClimateBiz
ClimateBiz is a site managed by Greener World Media, and is one of the best sites available for climate management business resources.  ign up for their bi-weekly email newsletter.

Climate Change Business Journal
A relative newcomer to the climate change and carbon management sector, the Journal provides a regular free newsletter for professionals in this space. No job announcements are included in their newsletters, but information about upcoming conferences is included.

Environmental Leader
Environmental Leader provides daily emails with short summaries of the top news stories from the environmental business and policy world.

GreenBiz
Also managed by Greener World Media, this is one of the best sources of green business news and information. Sign up for their bi-weekly newsletter.

Grist
News mixed with humorous headlines, Grist covers environmental issues in business, policy and politics. A variety of newsletters keep you updated on the issues you are most interested in.

Sightline Institute
The Sightline Institute is a research and communications think-tank that focuses on environmental issues in the Northwest. Sightline Daily is their regular newsletter.

 

Education

Students and professionals are often curious about how to get a “green job” or a job in sustainability or carbon management. A common question is, “Should I go back to school to get a degree to get the job that I want?”  While there’s no one answer for that question, it’s generally worthwhile to do some research and take advantage of some of the free learning opportunities that exist before you commit your time and money to a formalized training program. In the Portland, Oregon area, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability has a comprehensive calendar that lists all kinds of public events, from free workshops and expos to community classes with a fee (http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=42228). Many other cities have similar calendars, and there are often free webinars and workshops you can take advantage of online. Sites like LinkedIn and Chloregy have lots of these types of events posted.  Take advantage of these free opportunities to develop or hone your interests.

 

Once you have a focus, there are a number of places to get more advanced training. The following list highlights a few examples, but is certainly not exhaustive (feel free to email us if you know of a program that should be on the list).

 

Jobs in the non-profit world:

Recruiters:

Additional Resources:

US Green Building Council 2009 Green Jobs Report

The Complete Guide to Landing a Green Job

Many of the large websites for job-seekers now cater to green jobs as well. A few to look at include: