As the author of Green Careers For Dummies, Carol has spent much of the last three years studying developments and trends in the new economy and finding resources and job search tactics that work.

For more about Green Jobs and Careers, including green employers, job boards, professional associations, plus articles about green jobs, visit Job-Hunt’s Green Industry Online Search Guide where you will find much more from Carol.

Three great new articles were added to Job-Hunt this week:

• Defining the Green Economy – article by Carol McClelland Job-Hunt’s Green Jobs Job Search Expert.

Questions about green jobs or the Green Economy? Post them here and Carol will answer them on March 31.

• Handling Employment Gaps on Your Resume – article by Susan Ireland, Job-Hunt’s Job Search Resumes Expert Susan Ireland.

• Finding Your Mid-Life Job with Meaning – article by Dr. Jan Cannon, Job-Hunt’s Working with Recruiters Expert.

And, of course: Job-Hunt Help LinkedIn Group and the Job-Hunt Blog.

Add to the growing need for “green-ness” the scarcity of experienced experts in the various “green” fields, and we find *OPPORTUNITY* for YOU!

Green Job Search Advice: Green Jobs Job Search Home Defining the New Green Economy Expanding Your Local Green Network Green Jobs Brighten a Bleak Economy Build Your Green Industry Expertise Now Any Job Can Be a Green Job Sustainable Supply Chain Jobs Entry-Level Green Industry Jobs Green Jobs Experts: Carol McClelland, Green Jobs Job Search Expert Kathleen Lyons, Contributor and Green Industry Expert Green Jobs Resources: Green Industry Job Boards Green Industry Employers and Jobs Green Industry Associations Guide to Green Terminology Beginner’s Glossary of Green Industry Terms

If you are unemployed, you may have more time to use for yourself than you usually do.  Put some of that time to good use by learning more about the “green” aspects of whatever you do.  Even if you are still employed, it’s time to “sharpen your saw” as Dr. Stephen Covey recommends in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

[If you haven't read 7 Habits, I highly recommend it! Check your library if you don't feel like you can afford to buy a copy right now or just want to save the paper.]

Increase Your Marketability

Becoming more knowledgeable about environmental issues and solutions will make you more marketable by:

• Adding scarce expertise/knowledge to the portfolio of skills you offer an employer
• Widening the window of job opportunities for you
• Increasing your competitiveness in this tough job market
• Showing your initiative
• Putting the “gap” between jobs to good use
• Increasing your network of professional contacts

What Is Happening?

Hundreds, if not thousands, of “green” industry-related skills and specializations are developing – and will develop - over the next 10 years.

• Completely new jobs will be created, akin to “webmaster” and “blogger” which basically didn’t exist 10 – 15 years ago but are quite common now.
• “Old” jobs will have new “green” requirements, akin to “cybercrime investigating” and “online marketing,” which are basically new spins on existing pre-Internet professions.
• Many currently existing jobs will require green knowledge and skills in very limited use right now – think of the widespread use of email in right now vs. 10 or 15 years ago!

A quick search on the keyword “green job” through Indeed.com, a Job-Hunt Sponsor and my favorite job aggregator, turned up over 30,000 jobs today.  From green internships  and volunteer opportunities with government and non-profit organizations to technician jobs with an energy company and consultant for a waste management company.  [Warning: there were also work from home jobs that looked very scammy, so be careful, as usual!]

A quick search on the keyword phrase “green job” at LinkUp.com, a site which aggregates jobs from employer Websites, found over 400 jobs today, including several at a major chemical company, several writing jobs for a magazine publishing company, office manager with a construction company, etc.

How and Where Do I Develop These New Skills?

Start with Job-Hunt’s Green Industry section, and some time searching online.

• Job-Hunt has a very large (nearly 200 listings) Directory of Green Industry Associations which links to associations that offer resources, webinars, articles, and much more (sometimes including job postings from members).
• Consider volunteering for a green association or other green entity to add to your experience and knowledge as well as your network (be careful about working for a company for free, though).
• Check out other online sources for free reports, seminars, webinars, and other training or information relevant to your field and also green.  For example:
  • Sightline Daily – a green industry “think tank” for the US Pacific Northwest, great source of information, regardless of your location
  • AARP Green Jobs Webinar (FREE!) – on Decmeber 15, 2009 from 2pm to 3pm (ET)

If you have the time, energy, and ability to write, consider writing up your research and experiences to share with others in a blog, white paper, or ebook, to build your personal brand in this area.  When an industry is relatively  young, as the green industry is, you can stand out by having and sharing knowledge.  Just make sure that it is accurate and reflects well on you – watch out for typos, spelling, and “facts” that aren’t real.

Bottom Line

Whether or not you are employed right now, this is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and build future job security (as much as anyone has) by becoming more knowledgeable in a small sector of this enormous field. This is your chance to be on the leading edge of your field, and, in the not-too-distant future, the knowledge will probably be a job requirement.

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About the author…

Online job search expert Susan P. Joycehas been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, her company, NETability, Inc. purchased Job-Hunt.org, and Susan has been editor and publisher of Job-Hunt since then. Follow Susan on Twitter at @jobhuntorg.

According to an article by The New York Times, veterans who want to do green work are a benefit to both the employer and the veteran themselves. A few companies have taken note of this and begun helping veterans find green jobs. At the same time, many veterans have been touting the importance of going green.

For instance, former General Wesley Clark now serves as the co-chair for Growth Energy, an ethanol lobby group. He also recently joined the board for wind company Juhl Wind. Clark is a strong proponent of the need for energy independence and has had an influence on the military’s focus on renewable energy.

The Lucas Group is a job placement company that specializes in helping servicemen transition into civilian jobs. John Ward, who served in the Navy for 24 years, now works for Iberdola, a Spanish wind developer.

“For me, it was nice, because it’s not just a desk job, it’s a field job — and as a career naval officer, I kind of like to be out and about,” Ward said in the article, adding that he also considered management jobs at traditional power plants. “This one was just a little more exotic and a little more exciting.”

Ward found his position managing operations at a wind farm in Missouri through the Lucas Group. Many employers prefer veterans because of the military’s emphasis on safety and training.

“We love guys coming out of nuclear submarines (because of safety mindsets and equipment training),” Iberdola Spokeswoman Jan Johnson said in the article.

Veterans Green Jobs, based in Colorado, trains veterans for work in energy efficiency and other businesses. Bradley Morris is another military job-placement company that’s even planning a military hiring event specifically aimed at energy and renewables. Bill Scott, vice president of marketing at Bradley Morris, said the company also focuses on the importance of nuclear training.

“Many job seekers come out of the military with training that is directly applicable to civilian energy needs, for instance in the nuclear power sector,” Scott said in the article.

Just looking at the list of Conference sponsors is enlightening and very encouraging: the Blue Green Alliance, the Sierra Club, the United Steelworkers Union, the Communications Workers of America Union, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Service Employees International Union, and the Laborers’ International Union of North America.  What an amazing collection of people and varied nterests! 

My Take-Aways from the Conference:

There are big opportunities for all of us.

This is really a win/win – people work (and the economy improves) and we take better care of the environment (and the environment improves). 

More education will be needed in the future.  Some of it could be self-paced or even just done by reading up on the topics now.

Also, many opportunities for people right now, with little extra training – carpenters, electricians, plumbers for the weatherization, construction and de-construction, and installation of solar systems in both homes and buildings.

Several speakers talked about their “shovel-ready” projects.  Sounds very promising!

Much was talked about:

* “Weatherization” of existing homes and buildings

* “De-construction” of homes and buildings that can’t be weatherized, with (of course) recycling of as many of the construction elements as possible.

* Great (and growing) need for installers (and maintainers) of solar, photovoltaic, wind, etc power elements. These need training.

*  In-place facilities, maintenance, manufacturing, and engineering people who understand “sustainability”. More training needed.

* New “green” products many of which will be developed in the USA and at least some of which will hopefully be manufactured in the USA

* New technologies developing, to be invented, produced, marketed, and maintained.

Several universities were there with their “green MBA” programs rolling out. Many community colleges are looking to do the “green collar” training.  Home energy audit training (”HEAT”) program for veterans is even under development.  And there will be countless other energy training options

The “greening” of our economy seems like a variation on the impact of computers/IT and the Internet on our lives and processes. Starting small, with isolated pockets of expertise, but eventually permeating everything we do (finally).

Also looks like lots of opportunities, regardless of the color of the collar!  Yea!