The news will give you the impression that you should grab whatever job you can get your hands on right now, suck up what you don’t like about it, and be grateful for it. As a London recruitment agency, we know that Covid-19 has rocked the jobs market. But does that mean that you have to give up on what truly matters to you? Do you have to work for a company that goes against your eco-friendly lifestyle choices, for example?
Is there such a thing as a green job hunt?
As a consumer, you’re probably used to voting with your feet and making shopping choices that support green businesses. You know that whilst your individual lifestyle choices are important, it’s businesses that hold the most power when it comes to making a big difference.
But businesses can’t operate without employees. This is where you get to have a say in terms of choosing who you work for. It’s a fact that some businesses take sustainability more seriously than others. You get to choose which ones benefit from your skills, aptitude, and outlook.
How are potential employers eco-friendly?
First, you need to be able to identify whether a business matches your values. You want employers who don’t just pay lip-service to eco-principles but who also genuinely look for ways of using resources and energy efficiently, taking steps to reduce waste at the same time.
There are many different ways that this is visible in practice. For example, one employer may actively support and enable their employees to make green choices by removing single-use plastic from the canteen. Another may be invested in working with their supply chain to eliminate waste.
As a job hunter trying to find work in a difficult market, you need to be able to figure out what prospective employers are up to.
How to spot green employers
First of all, think about your own green principles. Try to list which are most important to you. You can then put on your Sherlock Holmes coat and unearth the employers that match your values.
As is good practice anyway, research an employer using their website before you go to an interview. If they’re living by their green principles, they normally want to shout it loud and proud, so you should be able to see evidence of it.
There are some other things that you can look for too. For example, see if your prospective employer has been awarded anything, such as The Business Green Leaders Awards, or look to see if they’ve taken the Green Growth Pledge.
Other indications of the business’s values include looking to see if they have a corporate social responsibility (CSR) report or a sustainability report. They may have also published policies covering these areas.
At interview
If a potential employer is interested in you, and you’re interested in them, then the obvious next step is an interview. This is an excellent opportunity for you to show that you’re aligned with the company’s principles and values. Rather than asking the same old generic questions that the employer is expecting, why not show what matters to you by asking more about their green principles and how employees can contribute to these?
The green job hunt
Don’t feel that you have to compromise your green principles when job hunting. Let your recruitment agency know what’s important to you, and they’ll be able to help you find office support jobs that are a good match.
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