Design a Resume for Eco-Friendly Employers

When Being Green Can Be a Hiring Advantage

Jul 20, 2009 Deborah S. Hildebrand

Ecology-minded employers often look for ecology-minded employees. So what can employees do to show they're as good as gold (make that green)?

Normally when job seekers are greenhorns, meaning they have no experience in a particular field or industry, it can result in them not being considered for an open position. However, in the world of sustainability being “green” is a plus.

Nowadays sustainability-oriented organizations are redefining their company culture to not only focus on economic performance, but to consider social and environmental performance as well. This results in a need to develop a sustainability initiative and re-educate their workforce to become green-minded employees.

Naturally with all the focus on sustainability issues and green initiatives in today’s business world, job seekers would be well-advised to make sure their resume reflects the key elements that ecology-minded employers want in their workers.

One of the most important things to remember about green resumes is that they are no different from any other resume in style and format. That being said, what sets a green resume apart from the standard resume has to do with the content. There are three key elements that green job seekers should consider incorporating into their green resume.

Three Basic Elements of a Green Resume

The first element of a good green resume is to use industry buzz words – green terminology – to capture the reader’s interest. That doesn’t mean job seekers should include every eco term they’ve ever heard with wild abandon, especially if they are unfamiliar with it. However, it is important that they understand the environmental business and are able to talk the talk.

That means becoming comfortable with common everyday green language such as sustainability, environmental footprint, green collar, ecotourism, greenwashing and zero-energy as well as some of the lesser known words such as ecoflation (the rising cost of doing business in a world with a changing climate), rewilding (process of returning species, habitats and landscapes to their natural state), and precycling (a term which is at least 15 years old).

Next, job seekers should consider what they have done within their own work history which demonstrates an interest in the environment. Did they participate on the green team responsible for sourcing new sustainability ideas at their last employer? Maybe they volunteered regularly to help with the e-cycling program (electronics recycling of items such as phones, microwaves, and computers)? These and other green actions are extremely noteworthy.

And job seekers shouldn’t forget about showing their green sensibilities when they submit their resume. Do this by sending it via email, not fax or snail mail. As for hard copies, don’t automatically assume that the employer wants one. Traditionally it has been wise to make sure to take an extra copy along to the job interview. However, green job seekers should check to see if the employer requires a hard copy of their resume before showing up at the job interview with one.

Finally, job seekers need to review their background and experience to determine how what they know and what they can do will transfer to the world of green. Keep in mind that even the sustainability industry needs people with traditional job skills such as database management, customer service and accounting. Job seekers merely need to identify positions within an eco-friendly business that match their own skill sets.

Last Steps Before Sending a Green Resume

Now this is true of any resume that a job seeker creates: be sure to get a second set of eyes to review the format, grammar, spelling and content before sending it out the door. In the case of a green resume, having someone with expertise in the sustainability field review the resume can give it an extra boost.

That means asking someone who works in an industry or profession that relates to the environment, ecology, sustainability, renewable energy or a similar area to review and comment on additions and changes will make sure this resume is the best green resume that it can be.

Creating a green resume in order to apply for sustainability jobs does not always require technical knowledge in an environmental field. It just requires the know-how to incorporate green skills into a resume.

The copyright of the article Design a Resume for Eco-Friendly Employers in Career Advice is owned by Deborah S. Hildebrand. Permission to republish Design a Resume for Eco-Friendly Employers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Jobs in Ecology or Sustainability