How to Convince a Potential Employer You're Really as Green as You Say You Are

Interviews are tough enough as it is. You've got to walk that fine line between convincing them that you're absolutely perfect for the job; qualified, but not over qualified; confident, but not cocky. It's hard. It can be excruciating. It can be sweat-drop inducing. But, when it comes to applying for a green-related job, there's an additional piece of the puzzle: you've got to convince your potential employer that you really are as dedicated to the green movement as you claim to be on paper.

Anyone can write down that they're "green" and sprinkle in a good vocabulary of words from eco-friendly to solar-powered and maybe even things like biomimicry and vermiculture to show off. But, if this is your dream green company and you really want to nail the job, chances are pretty good you don't want to bank on your supposed wealth of vocabulary to convince someone that you're passionately green (which is good, because chances are that it won't cut it). Here are some tips to start preparing for that once in a lifetime green job opportunity.

Start compiling some sort of documentation regarding your green/eco-friendly endeavors. With today's online, real-time capabilities, a Wordpress style site is a great way to do this. You know you're going to be Googled, that's just about a given. You don't need to "blog" necessarily; I simply suggest a very clean, crisp compilation of your forays into sustainability and your personal attempts at encouraging green projects. This could be photos, article references, etc.

Make a decision in which field, exactly, your green passion lies, and start doing major research. You should be a walking, talking encyclopedia on your subject. You're going to need the ability to not only be able to have a confident answer to every question, you're going to need to demonstrate that you're at a level at which you know what questions to ask. With the green field, nearly everything is exploration, meaning patent answers won't cut it. You need ideas. You need really good ideas. And there's almost no better way to prove your passion then to prove you've dedicated your time, extensively, to knowing the ins and outs, ups and downs, plusses and minuses, and futures ahead for your subject.

Find someone who's already doing exactly what you want to be doing. Find out what he's learning, what he wished he had learned a long time ago, and what he would ask you if you were going to replace him. Ask him what he loves about the job, what he hates about the job, what he would change about the job. This will give you an opportunity to consider some of the "negatives" you might not have foreseen, which will allow you to answer those dreaded questions about "What will you do when…. happens?" or "What do you think will be the least favorite part of this job for you?"

Assume you've got the job, what's the first project you would want to start off with? Create a mock project and outline the steps and ideas you have for it. If opportunity presents itself, share this with a potential employer. Bring in a sample of your work with the idea of: "If I worked here, this is what I could contribute." The longer you can show you've been working on something, the more your future boss will be convinced of your longstanding dedication to green ideals.

Build up an extensive network within the green community. Regardless of whether or not we like it, who you know is often an extensive factor in where you get in life. You also, to some extent, are who spend your time with. This shows through to a boss, and if you've been devoting your weekends and your Thursday nights to green meetings at the community center, that goes a long way. The ability to reference green conferences from years past also speaks to your green enthusiasm. In whatever ways you can demonstrate that this is your life, has been your life, and isn't a trend you picked up over the weekend to get a job, (any job), the more impressive you'll be.

Jobs are tough to find right now, green jobs even rarer. So, while you're searching, or while you're waiting for the perfect one to come up, start working ahead of time. Fortunately, if you really are as eco-friendly passionate as one would assume, you've already been working on these steps for years and now it's just a matter of sitting down and deciphering the ways to put your actions into words to prove your value and your dedication.

Author Tara Alley is a freelance writer dedicated to encouraging eco-friendly and sustainable practices in day-to-day life. She is also currently working alongside Coffee Home Direct, researching fair-trade green coffee. You can follow her on Twitter @hopesiempre.

Green Career Resources
• *Little Green Book of Getting Your Way: How to Speak, Write, Present, Persuade, Influence, and Sell Your Point of View to Others (Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Books)
• *Careers in Renewable Energy: Get a Green Energy Job
• *Green Jobs: A Guide to Eco-Friendly Employment
• *Harvard Business Review on Profiting from Green Business (A Harvard Business Review Paperback)

2 Free e-Books!
($25 Value)

Email
Name



Your e-mail address is totally secure.
We will only use it only to send you Green-Zine.

Entrepreneur Book