Friday, February 11, 2011

Helpful links for hopeful environmental job seekers

As a follow up to my previous post, I compiled a list of links I've found helpful in looking for a job in the environmental arena. It also includes a couple I've never used, but recently discovered, which might also be helpful. I am sure there are many more, but these are good places to start. Also, this list has a Pacific Northwest/West coast bias, only because that is the geographic region I know best for job seeking purposes. Good luck!

Other Tips
  • Conduct a search of environmental organizations in your desired location. Sign up for their emails and regularly check their job listings to find out what positions they have open. 
  • When they say it's all about who you know, they mean it. Networking and making meaningful connections with organizations you are interested in (for example, by volunteering) is really the best way to get your foot in the door.
  • Talk to people who have jobs that you think you might like. I found most people are open to giving you at least a half hour of their time (it's also good for their karma). Find out what their work entails, how they got there, and what you should do to get there. It's good to have an idea of what it might be like to work in a particular position or for a particular organization before you pursue such opportunities. It might also save you from someday finding yourself in a job that didn't turn out to be what you thought it would be.

2 comments:

  1. There's a Green Drinks group in Madison -- have you been? Sounds like a good time.

    I agree with your emphasis on networking now more than ever.

    Definitely keeping this post in mind when looking for jobs...

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  2. Great post, Jenny. I agree that the networking (and even volunteering, when possible) is crucial. Those strategies are what helped me get my post-grad fellowship and later my public health position in Madison (before I ditched it to become a writer ;) ).

    And it's a great idea to list resources and provide helpful advice not only as a way to drive traffic to your blog but also to reinforce your blog's optimistic feel.

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