As the green economy grows and evolves, so will the green job market. Green careers are hot these days, as companies, organizations and all of us scramble to “go green”.

You may be thinking a green job is in your future. But do you have what it takes to compete for these sought-after jobs?

Before you dive into a career transition, scope out the lay of the land and get all your ducks in a row.

A great starting point is Job-Hunt.org. Rated “Top” or “Best” site for job hunting and careers by US News & World Report, Forbes, and PC Magazine, Job-Hunt is one of my favorite resources for all things job search, for any industry and any professional level.

Here are a few Job-Hunt green resources and other get-started-now suggestions:

1. Identify needs and opportunities.

Do a Google search for company names, product names and relevant keywords to find resources, relevant blogs, articles and white papers. Set up Google Alerts for relevant keywords. For some helpful tips, see my post, Use Google Alerts to Amplify Your Executive Brand Visibility and Job Search.

2. Determine which positions to target.

Job descriptions often provide a wealth of information about the industry, skills/qualifications, companies and their culture, and challenges they face.

Along with helping you decide what green jobs may be a good fit for you, job descriptions will help you determine whether your existing skill set is up to snuff and transferrable. You may need to sharpen your value proposition by learning relevant new skills.

For job descriptions, check out:

-LinkUp, a job aggregator that also includes employer websites

-Job-Hunt’s list of Green Job Boards

3. Research companies you want to target and compile a grand list of at least 20 to work on penetrating.

Your research helps you with market intelligence and due diligence, and prepares you to intelligently communicate with decision makers at each company. See Job-Hunt’s list of 50+ Green Industry Employers.

Visit each company’s website to find a wealth of information, such as Boards of Directors, C-suite company leadership, and news and press releases. Arm yourself with plenty of information to excel at interviews.

Research and make a list of key decision makers at your companies of interest. You’ll then work on positioning yourself in front of them.

4. Learn the lingo.

See Job-Hunt’s Green Industry Glossary and Guide to Green Terminology.

Leverage your newly-gained skills and knowledge to market your credibility and viability online. Blog and tweet about relevant topics so you’ll be found by hiring professionals who search online to source candidates.

5. Expand your network.

Do keyword and people searches at LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social networks to identify thought leaders and subject matter experts who are active there. Find out what they’re talking about and involved with, and which resources they rely on.

Look for your target list of key decision makers at your companies of interest and see what they’re up to on these sites. Look at their profiles to see which LinkedIn Groups they belong to. Join them and begin contributing. Follow them on Twitter and re-tweet them.

See Job-Hunt’s list of over 100 Green Industry Professional Associations and Societies, broken down by categories such as Biofuels, Building & Construction, Engineers & Engineering, Health & Medicine, Recycling, Solar Energy, and Wind Power.

How to use this extensive list of professional organizations:

Connect with and help people in the know in this thriving industry. Get a feel for whether you may be a good fit, too. Identify key decision makers whose radar you want to get on.

Check out the membership directories to source key decision makers and potential employers.

When you join a professional association, be sure to add it to your online career marketing communications (Brand-Yourself page, VisualCV, LinkedIn profile, web portfolio, etc.). Recruiters and hiring decision makers searching those keywords when vetting candidates will likely be led to your online materials.

Related posts:

Free Green Careers & Personal Branding Advice Guide

2010 Top 10 Executive Personal Branding and Job Search Trends

An Executive Personal Branding, Online Identity and Job Search Strategist, Meg is a 20-year careers industry professional and one of only a handful of people worldwide to hold the Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategist and Master Resume Writer credentials, both gold standards.

“I love my work collaborating with savvy senior executives and entrepreneurs who know where they’re going, but need help differentiating their unique promise of value in the new world of work and executive job search, and positioning themselves to work their passion. My clients are typically c-suite, senior-level executives and rising stars.”

Find out more about Meg at Executive Career Brand, and by viewing her LinkedIn profile and following her on Twitter.

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These five bloggers all have something important to say about the pros and cons of employers using Facebook: 

1. The Facebook Snatchers: Could Your Employer Hijack Your Account? by Andrew Moshniria, The Citizen Media Law Project
Moshniria posts about the city of Bozeman, Montana’s failed attempt to get all its employees’ social networking usernames and passwords. The city had to change its policy on internet privacy because overt spying on employees goes against Montana’s state constitution. But, Moshnira points out, the US Constitution does not provide for a right to privacy, so other employers may try imposing similar rules. 

2. What If a Prospective Employer Doesn’t Look at My Facebook Page? by Mike Dover, Creative Class
Dover takes an optimistic approach to the subject of employers on Facebook. Dover suggests that since we know people have lost opportunities because of inappropriate online behavior, why not use Facebook to help your career, instead of as a place to let it all hang out? Thoughtful posts and relevant link sharing add to your credibility and allow you to show people what you are like instead of trying to describe yourself on a cliche-riddled resume.
3. More Employers Use Social Networks to Check Out Applicants by Jenna Wortham, The New York Times
Jenna Wortham’s post advises us to accept the fact that employers are going to try to look at your Facebook page. Besides the obvious drinking references and provocative photos, you may be harming your career by posting seemingly harmless pictures of your beach vacation or a controversial Halloween costume. She suggests that it’s best to keep your privacy settings very tight.
4. Use Facebook Ads to Make Employers Hunt You Down by Willy Franzen, One Day One  Job
Willy Franzen of One Day One Job challenged his blog’s readers to make Facebook ads to advertise themselves to employers! Although placing an ad is not free, Franzen says that the ads are inexpensive and the cost is worthwhile given the potentially wide reach.
5. Ten Ways to Use Facebook to Find a Job, The Sirona Says Blog
Blogger and HR consultant Andy gives us more than enough reasons to believe that employers and Facebook are a good combination. My favorite of his tips is “don’t be boring,” although making sure your profile photo is you “in a non-stupid pose” is a close second. His light hearted approach reminds us that the right job should make the best use of your abilities, so shouldn’t your job search do so as well? 

The internet and its social networks continue to present us with new challenges regarding our online behavior and how it relates to our professional lives. The only thing certain is that technology probably won’t be regressing; however, we can learn how to protect our professional lives from being intruded upon by our social lives. Best of all, we can use social networking to improve our careers if we can find a way to make our unique online personas set us apart from all the other job seekers in our fields.

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You may feel like you’re completely at the mercy of others in your job search. In some ways that’s true, but there are many things you control. For example, you can create a perfect profile on LinkedIn – that’s under your control – but you can’t make people contact you.

What else can you control? Most job help professionals will advise you to pick some target companies. Why? Because when you target a company you want to work for, you can create an active strategy, rather than passively hoping somebody will find you.

Once you’ve picked out your target(s), the next step is to research them thoroughly. I don’t mean spending an hour on Google – a proper profile of the company will take you several hours in most cases. Read everything you can about the company and any of its key players.

OK, you’ve got your target, and you’ve got your briefing materials. Next step is to figure out what you can do for the company. Why would they want to hire you? What do you offer, what original thoughts can you bring to your new employer? (If you can’t come up with any, you’ve either not done your research properly or it’s the wrong target company…)

So far, your success is totally within your own control. You’re not depending on anybody for the background info, you’re not trying to network into the company – that’s a great way, probably the best way, to get in, but it’s not always possible.

How do you get to the company management? Assemble everything you’ve put together, and start writing about them. In many cases, they’ll know you’re doing this, because most companies watch for their company name with Google Alerts. But if they miss you, you can let them know that you’ve been writing about them – this is the kind of communication that’s welcome, because you’re giving something rather than asking for something.

Here’s something a client of mine did:

“I applied for the top HR job at XYZ Company a couple of weeks ago. Then I sent the CEO, COO and CFO a memo about how I could add value as a non-traditional human resources professional. I pointed them to my blog. I specifically gave them the url to my engage presentation, employee engagement and courage posts. On Monday, I called all 3 executives and left them voice mails. The next day, I received an e-mail from their internal recruiter that stated she wanted to talk to me as she was directed by the CEO and COO to do so.”

See the difference between an active and a passive search? You won’t get all these jobs, but your chance of getting an interview goes up enormously. And you’re totally in control.

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Job seekers can now add Botox to the job search checklist just after resume, LinkedIn profile, and cover letter. In an increasingly youth-obsessed culture, job seekers look to physical enhancements to appear more confident and youthful in the job search. These enhancements vary from hair coloring to weight loss, Botox, and even plastic surgery.

Job seekers are becoming more conscious of ways to differentiate themselves from other candidates beyond experience and qualifications.  Making an impression requires more than a solid resume and experience.  It’s the total package and looking the part in person to support the personal brand you have worked hard to develop is extremely important.

Oklahoma City salon owner Greg Welchel has seen an increase in job seekers who are willing to spend money on haircuts, highlights, and even waxing to gain a competitive edge. “Job seekers want to look and feel professional,” says Welchel. “And our salon can help them do that.”

And even with the Stock Market creeping above the 10,000 mark, job seekers have yet to feel a measurable impact in the job market.  And for those who are collecting unemployment,  which dropped from 10% to 9.7% in January 2010, the expense associated with these cosmetic enhancements is a concern.

Aside from more traditional salon procedures, Botox has also been a popular and inexpensive choice for job seekers to smooth out wrinkles and fine lines that can give hiring managers and recruiters an indication of a candidate’s age. Although age discrimination is illegal, it is still a concern for candidates who are looking to increase their confidence and appear more healthy and vibrant.

Spas like Body Trends have also seen an increase in Botox and their VIP treatments that improve the appearance of cellulite, stretch marks, scars, wrinkles, and even varicose veins. Body Trends offers Botox injections for as little as $300.00 per treatment.  VIP treatment and other packages vary in price but are an effective alternative to more expensive plastic surgery.

Harvey Jenkins, the salon’s owner, says, “Everyone’s looking for even the smallest thing to stand out in an interview. You can’t change your experience or your skills quickly, but you can look better, and that could be the difference in landing a new position.”

This focus on age and youthful appearance by companies and hiring managers is also a concern for government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. For the fiscal year 2008, they reported 24,582 age related charges filed accounting for more than 25% of all charges filed. Once the 2009 data is made available, job seekers, companies, and the government will have a better indication of how much age discrimination has increased or decreased in the job market and the most recent economic recession.

What are you doing to give yourself an edge?  Does this resonate with you guys, or does it seem way over the top?  I’d love to hear what you all think!

Jessica Miller-Merrell, SPHR is an author, new mother, and human resources professional with a passion for recruiting and all things social media.  She has over 10 years of experience in human resources & recruiting.

Her company, Xceptional HR provides businesses with social media, recruitment, and human resources strategy and consulting.   Jessica’s book, Tweet This! Twitter for Business was released January 2010.  Follow Jessica on Twitter, LinkedIn, & FaceBook.

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