Using networking tools and jobs boards to find your green job in association with Renewable Energy Jobs

With more businesses using social media tools to find staff and shape industry debate, your online profile becomes your personal brand. Make sure your web presence strengthens – not tarnishes – your reputation. Delete anything that might embarrass you and restrict access to personal information to friends only.

Using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the world’s largest online professional network. While some see it as a way of posting their CV online, others are using it to find jobs, industry news, network and research potential new employers.

Top tips:
• Make sure your profile is up to date and complete – if you only list your current position, people will assume you are inexperienced

• Be selective about the photograph you use, you want to convey your professionalism

• Keep your personal summary concise and short. Use job specific key words in your profile to make sure others can find you when they search for particular skills

• Don’t let poor grammar or spelling let you down.

Build your network
One of the best features of LinkedIn is the ability to connect with other people. You should aim to reach a ‘magic’ number of 50 or more connections. This will help your profile appear in search engine results. It will also help you see a higher number of second and third degree contacts – i.e. the connections of your friends and friends’ friends. For example, you might see that one of your contacts is connected to someone else who works for an organisation you are thinking of joining. You could ask your contact to introduce you and then ask them if they’d mind letting you know what it’s like to work there.

Top tips:
• Aim for ‘quality’ rather than ‘quantity’, try to connect with people in your area of expertise and who can vouch for the work you do

• Ask former managers or colleagues to write you a ‘recommendation’. Be prepared to return the favour.

Following companies and joining groups
You can search for companies that you are interested in working for on LinkedIn. Through your network you can also find out when people leave an organisation and when they are recruiting before a job is even advertised. Join groups like Renewable Energy Jobs so you can find out about events, job opportunities and network with peers.

You can also use LinkedIn Today to see what articles are most popular with your peers.

In a survey of some 2000 randomly selected members, LinkedIn found 89 per cent of respondents had volunteer experience but that few people exhibited or valued this experience in their profiles.

When LinkedIn polled employers in the survey, these said that volunteer work was influential, especially in cases where candidates were able to talk about their achievements in a quantifiable way. The skill is being able to describe one’s volunteering work in vocabulary that employers relate to.

• If you’ve got volunteering experience make sure your professional network knows about it. LinkedIn has just introduced a new ‘Volunteer Experience and Causes’ feature, which encourages users to showcase their volunteer work alongside their paid experience. Volunteering for a green cause, in particular, gives a person added legitimacy in a world in which companies and brands are learning the importance of transparency, authenticity and corporate social responsibility. Smartly packaged, volunteering work in the green sector can rapidly transform into an opportunity for paid work.

• If you haven’t got volunteering experience go out and get it. Organisations such as Earthwatch Institute and charity Change Agents UK offer volunteering opportunities for those seeking them.

Use Twitter to build your credibility (e.g. to highlight any blog posts). You can also use it to follow industry experts and find out about vacancies at particular companies.

Using niche job boards
You can definitely save time by using niche renewable energy jobs or environmental job boards. The vacancies on jobs boards, like Renewable Energy Jobs, will be more relevant to your skills and experience than those on general jobs’ portals.

You will usually need to sign up to these sites, but can then upload your CV and receive email alerts with the latest vacancies. It will be easier to for recruiters to find your CV when looking to fill specific roles. So make sure your CV is up to date, includes all your education, skills and experience.

While there are definite advantages to searching for a job online also consider attending networking events and conferences to improve your understanding of the industry and boost your network.