It's your intention to land a green career in 2008, but do
you know how to make that happen?
Use the five strategies in this tip to focus and guide your
actions. Don't attempt to do all of these strategies as
once. The key is to get a good foundation in one strategy
before moving to the next. As you move through each
strategy, your knowledge and clarity will build.
1) Identify Your Green Niche
The green economy offers tremendous possibilities. Some are
available today while others will unfold over the next
months and years.
To find your place in this new universe, your first and
most important task is to discover the career that is the
best match for your passions, talents, interests, and
experiences.
The answer that is right for you is a combination of your
interests. Don't limit yourself by latching onto your first
idea or the idea you've had for some time. Instead open
your mind to all possibilities.
Begin your search for your green niche or refine your
understanding of your green niche by creating a list of
your favorite skills and interests. Don't worry at first
about how they will all fit together, just keep making your
list. Think of each entry as a clue to your green niche.
When you have a list of forty entries, then explore themes
and trends to see how your clues fit together. Sometimes
your green niche will jump out at you. In other cases
you'll need to play with various combinations to find the
one that works best for you.
If you'd like help with this process, we have several
resources to help you.
2) Track the Current Events in Your Field/Industry
When you've narrowed your focus to your green niche, your
next task is to immerse yourself in the field/industry that
interests you most. If you are drawn to two industries,
track advances in both of them.
Although you'll want to track changes in the green movement
in general, find blogs, news sources, and experts that can
give you the full picture of your industry of choice.
If you haven't defined your niche yet, you can use current
events to help you discover the clues to your passions.
What industries do you feel drawn to read about? What
topics catch your attention? What do you talk about with
others?
3) Talk to People in Your Target Field/Industry
Although you can understand a lot about an industry by
reading, you'll gain an even richer sense of what's
happening by talking with people who work in the field.
If you are struggling a bit to figure out whom to talk to,
use these ideas to jump start your networking process.
-- Attend a green networking event.
-- Become active in the green movement in your local area.
-- Attend professional meetings.
-- Attend a relevant green conference.
-- Talk with individuals over coffee, lunch, or a hike.
4) Watch for Opportunities
As you immerse yourself in your target field/industry, you
have several goals.
-- First, you want to learn enough to understand the
various facets of the field/industry.
-- Second, you want to identify where your skills, talents,
and experience may be an asset.
-- Third, you want to find organizations that hire people
in your field.
-- Fourth, you want to discover problems those
organizations are facing. As you identify these problems,
assess where you can use your skills to help them turn
these situations around. When you can articulate your
ability to help the organization meet their goals and reach
for their vision, you are on the right track.
5) Be Ready
As you become more familiar with how and where you'll fit
into your target industry, begin putting the pieces
together for your job search or your new business. When a
live opportunity presents itself, you want to be ready to
jump into action.
-- If you are planning to launch a job search, you want to
work on the best way to articulate the kind of job you are
searching for, you want to update your resume, and you want
to prepare yourself for future interviews.
-- If you are planning to launch your own business, you
want to focus on a clear description of your business idea,
you want to create a solid business plan, and you want to
create a way to market test your idea.
Figure out where you are in this list of strategies and
start there. As you get a handle on one strategy, begin
making progress on the next strategy. As you gain momentum,
you'll see clarity increase and your foundation strengthen.
----------------------------------------------------
Green Career Expert, Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author
of Your Dream Career For Dummies and founder/managing
editor of Green Career Central. She provides people with an
array of resources, information, and support to help them
identify their green niche, find a green job, or start a
green business. Visit http://www.GreenCareerCentral.com to
request a free copy of her Strategies to Grow Your Green
Career report.
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