Kickstart & Elevate Your ESG Career: Top Tips for Thriving in Sustainability Are you looking to excel in the field of ESG career development? Look no further! Our comprehensive guide provides valuable insights and expert tips to help you thrive in the world of sustainability. Whether you’re just starting out or aiming to take your ESG career to the next level, this resource is a must-read. Discover proven strategies that will enhance your professional growth and make a lasting impact in the industry. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to accelerate your ESG career and become a true leader in sustainability.
We are often asked at ESG REC what can you do as a candidate starting out or developing your career further to enhance and support your job search in the ESG and Sustainability sector. Our job as recruiters in the ESG and Sustainability sector mean we have the opportunity to meet some amazing employers and candidates searching for a new opportunity. Its not easy searching for a new job, its time consuming and can be stressful. However, we aim to make it as smooth a process as possible. There are things you can do though to help position yourself in the best possible place to build your career in the ESG Sector.
Just starting out?
If you are looking for entry level opportunities in the ESG sector, it’s a competitive market so you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed. Here’s a few tips to help you get started:
1. Build up to date Knowledge of what is happening in the ESG and Sustainability sector:
– Staying updated on sustainability trends, regulations, and best practices through online courses, webinars, and industry publications might sound obvious, but employers in this sector are passionate about their subject. Try signing up to newsletters and journals that feature what is happening in the sector. (e.g: ESG Today, Harvard Business Review, or our ESG REC Newsletter on LinkedIn). There are also lots of specialist focussed sustainability journals for different industry segments.
2. Gain Practical Experience:
– It probably goes without saying that getting some experience of any kind that is related to your career aspirations will really help you land your first job in your career pathway. So, try volunteering for environmental organizations or internships in sustainability roles to gain hands-on experience and demonstrate your commitment. It might sometimes feel like this is treading water, but we assure you, getting experience, embracing it, learning everything you can and then making sure that is on your CV and LinkedIn profile will really help you.
3. Network, network, network:
There are so many different events that you can attend to network in this sector online and face to face. A quick Google search will show you the next events closest to you. Attending industry conferences, workshops, and networking events will help you keep up to date with what is happening, and will also allow you to connect face to face with industry professionals that can help point you in the right direction. They might even have opportunities to work in their organisations. Do not forget to connect with professionals on LinkedIn too.
If you are thinking about getting out to a face-to-face networking event in the next few months though. Here are just a small handful of things scheduled for October and November:
Business Green Climate Tech Show
Don’t forget to join our Webinar in November entitled, Sustainability and Carbon Accounting: Essential Insights for the ESG Workforce. Secure your spot today by registering here: [https://lnkd.in/gp7Btty2]
4. Showcase your Transferable Skills:
– One of the biggest challenges the CSOs that ESG REC interviewed this year (2024) were facing was finding talented ESG professionals that had both the strong technical skills and regulatory / policy understanding AS WELL AS having the soft skills like communication, writing in plain English and being able to influence and persuade. Try to emphasize these skills from your experience, even if you have gained them in a different field.
5. Tailor Your Application:
– You are unique, and every job is slightly different. So, a one size fits all CV is not going to make you stand out from the crowd. It does take time and effort and sometimes it might feel thankless but customising your CV and cover letter for each job application to showcase how your skills and experience align with the job and organization’s sustainability goals will make all the difference. Speaking from experience, ff you are working with a recruiter, they can help you here too.
What about if you aren’t starting out and you are looking for that next step?
6. Leverage Your Experience:
– If you are writing an application, networking, interviewing etc. Whatever activity you are doing to help further your career plans, make sure you don’t miss any opportunity to highlight specific projects or initiatives you’ve led that align with sustainability or ESG goals. Talk about what you achieved and more specifically what you personally did to help deliver the project. Even better, if you can quantify your impact, that can be very hard hitting (e.g. Reduced emissions by X, or saved the team Y amount of time to hit their reporting deadlines etc.)
7. Never stop learning:
– One of the things the team here at ESG REC love about the ESG and Sustainability sector is that it’s always evolving. Policy, innovation and technology never stop. So, approaching your own personal development with a growth mindset and embracing the opportunities to learn new things will keep you at the forefront of sustainability. It will also show those around you that you are the person to reach out for to find out what’s new and how to process new information. If the opportunity presents it (and of course if it works with personal and work commitments) consider certifications in sustainability or ESG to enhance your credibility and demonstrate ongoing commitment to your career. It is still a relatively new profession in the grand scheme of things, so the more you can do to develop your knowledge will make you a true thought leader. Which leads neatly on to:
8. Engaging in Thought Leadership:
– If you are looking to develop your career, whether that’s looking for a promotion or even starting out on your own, being recognised as a thought leader and an expert in your area will propel you into peoples minds (and their social media or search engine feed) when they are thinking about getting help, advice or new team members or leaders. So write articles or speak at industry events to share your insights and establish yourself as a knowledgeable voice in the sustainability space.
9. Be selfless with your time and skills:
– Collaborate with and helping team members and professionals from other parts of your organisation (e.g. finance, supply chain, or policy) will help your get noticed as an expert in your area and you will be surprised what opportunities start to find you rather than the other way around. This will also help you to understand the priorities of your colleagues and broaden your perspective and enhance your strategic thinking in ESG contexts.
10. Stay Informed About Legislation and Trends:
– This is sort of full circle and back to point 1. But it doesn’t matter what stage of your career you are at. This field is changing and evolving so rapidly. Keeping up to speed with what is going on and importantly as you move through your career and are seen as an expert in your field, understanding local and global sustainability regulations and market trends will be vital in helping you contribute and continue to be recognised as the “go to” person.
For more practical tips and advice, regardless of what stage you are at in your career pathway in the ESG and Sustainability sector, follow ESG REC on LinkedIn or Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
You can also join us for our quarterly webinar where we have guest speakers that are experts in different areas of the ESG market. It’s a great way to keep up to date with new and evolving issues from the comfort of your own desk. Click here to register for our next webinar: Sustainability and Carbon Accounting: Essential Insights for the ESG Workforce
If you are looking for a new position or are interested in how we can help you with your hiring, please contact us through our website at www.esgrec.com.
