GreenBusinessOwner is all about launching and running green small
businesses. We want to help identify trends and opportunities in the
green economy and help existing businesses increase the sustainability
of their operations and practices. That said, we realize that owning
and running a business in not the right choice for everyone. Many
people just want a stable job with a company that treats them well and
pays them a living wage. The opportunities for green and sustainable
industry job seekers are increasing, even in our contracted economy.
Just about every news agency, network, and publication in the nation
has done at least one story about the coming employment opportunities
in the new green economy. Both political parties in the last election
crowed about building green industries, creating green jobs, and the
process of remaking America into a world leader in sustainable growth.
Nearly everyone agrees that the greening of America and our innovative
approaches to addressing global climate change will mean unprecedented
opportunities for those with the right skills and the right ideas.
Economic stimulus funds are set to invest heavily in green power
technologies and energy efficiency initiatives, all requiring skilled
green workers and business owners. Despite our challenges, it is a
bright and exciting time full of possibilities.
Frustrated Despite All the
"Opportunity?"
There is another side to that story that is seldom told in the media
but widely felt among the unemployed or underemployed. For those laid
off from their jobs, recently graduated from school to enter the job
market, or for anyone looking to find a better job it can be a rough
time to be in the job market. With all the talk of green careers
aplenty, there are a lot of questions about exactly what jobs will
materialize, what skills will be needed, where the jobs will be, and
how best to prepare for green careers.
Finding A Green Job
A growing number of job board services and websites designed to help
career seekers locate green jobs have been launched or have greatly
expanded their services. Some of the most notable green job listing
sites are
Mother Earth
News Magazine's
Great
Green Careers and the
TreeHugger Job Board, operated by
Discovery. Both of these free services provide basic worldwide job
listings for companies seeking employees in areas of sustainability,
ecology, alternative energy, etc.
Great
Green Careers also allows job seekers to post resumes for
perspective employers to search and review.
But What About Preparing For a
Green Career?
There is a third service that is worth a serious look by green career
seekers. If you still need help preparing for a green job, identifying
what potential green career is right for you, packaging your skills and
presenting yourself to an employer,
GreenCareerCentral.com
is a service designed for you. The site features work by leading career
counselors and human resources experts and is headed by nationally
known author, lecturer, and sometimes GreenBusinessOwner contributor,
Carol McClelland, PhD. Carol is the author of
Your Dream
Career For Dummies, and the upcoming
Green Careers
For Dummies (to be released in 2010).
GreenCareerCentral
is much more than a job board, but rather a full-service resource for
people who want to switch to a green career or find a green job. They
will help you make sense of the green economy, get clear about your
green niche, create a workable plan for launching your new green
career, and take focused action to achieve your green career goals.
GreenCareerCentral
does charge for their services, but their website also has a number of
free resources and articles for the green career seeker as well.
