Univ. of Mary Washington to Host March 20th ‘Tailoring the Green Suit’ Strategy Session

The University of Mary Washington is located in historic Fredericksburg, Va. On March 20, 2012, the university's career development office will host 'Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy'

Happy New Year, everyone! We are pleased to start Twenty-Twelve off with some very exciting news.

On March 20, 2012, we will present our green career strategy session–Tailoring the Green Suit: Establishing a Bright Green Career in a Dull Gray Economy–at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va. This session, sponsored by the Office of Career Development, will provide ten key strategies which soon-to-be-grads may employ to achieve immediate and lasting “green” career success.

If you live or work in the vicinity, then we hope to see you at UMW on March 20th. Further event details will follow, soon.

Twenty-Twelve and Ten Wishes for The Green Suits

In every year past, we predicted that things were going to get better on the green and sustainable career track. While some of us have made gains and landed great jobs, most of the rest of us struggle to establish ourselves in the New Green Economy.

We’ve grown tired of prognosticating. So, for Twenty-Twelve, we offer these ten wishes to you–the enthusiastic trail blazing careerists of the Triple Bottom Line–the Green Suits. Here goes:

1. That we find ways to acquire experience and achieve success in the green business space. If you are eager to be in green business but don’t yet have the requisite experience, purpose yourself to turn your existing non-green job GREEN. Propose a sound business case with your management that you are the one to make the company or organization they lead more efficient and resource-sustainable. In short order, you could become your company’s chief green officer!
2. That we never stop learning or asking probing questions about The New Green Economy. Our education doesn’t end with a bachelor’s degree. On the contrary, it is just the beginning of our path to knowledge. Purpose yourself for learning and discovery for these are important factors in your success as The Green Suit.
3. That we connect with esteemed professionals who will help us achieve enduring success in green business careers. So, get out of your comfort zone. Meet professionals in face-to-face settings, people who can get you in the door for great opportunities in their companies or connect you with excellent training and volunteer programs to bolster your sustainability and social responsibility experience.
4. That we form our own Advisory Boards. Just as start-up companies do, to fill their executives’ managerial experience cavities, so too will we align ourselves with green business professionals who help us overcome all that we don’t know about green business.
5. That we develop great value propositions for ourselves, and post great positive (sustainability boosting) metrics to our résumés (CVs).
6. The we lead purpose-driven lives. Money is a great motivator; it helps us work harder and smarter so that we provide better for ourselves and our families. But let us also work hard for the Triple Bottom Line, to help our companies generate more revenue and profit. But also to work for the betterment of people and the planet.
7. That we expertly frame our value to overcome the indifference and cynicism that hinders green business progress. We, The Green Suits, are efficiency experts–that is our number one frame for success in business!
8. That we walk the walk. To be The Green Suit is to be an enthusiastic practitioner of sustainability and social responsibility. So, don’t water the lawn (let it turn brown). Wash your clothes in cold water to save energy. Avoid dry-cleaning clothes. Take mass-transit to work, or, work from a virtual office.
9. That we talk the talk.  Let us use our knowledge and experience to promote sustainable and socially responsible business practices, and green jobs. Let us get op/eds published in the newspaper which promote the Triple Bottom Line. Let us speak at business gatherings to build enthusiasm for The New Green Economy.
10. And–even on the tough days and weeks which are sure to follow in the New Year–that we remember this: Our best days lie ahead.

May the New Year bring you and all who you love good health, good times, and great good fortune! And may twenty-twelve be your best year, ever!

Season’s Greetings from Dan Smolen and The Green Suits

The Green Suits Career Checklist: Process Points for a Successful 2012 and Beyond

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

It's time to plan for career success in 2012 by preparing and following your own check list.

Season’s greetings! We hope you are enjoying the run up to Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever it is that you celebrate.

And we keep good thoughts that 2012 will bring lots of career success to us all.

But our great good fortune will not come as a result of good luck, alone. Instead, the success we enjoy in work and career will result from forethought and scrupulous planning.

For those who seek success as The Green Suit, we offer these important process points:

• Establish a value proposition. What is it that makes you…you? Or more important, what is it that makes you successful on the job? Develop a buttoned-up one or two sentence description of you–the successful careerist.
• Acquire education and training. Your bachelor’s or master’s degree was only the beginning; to achieve success at The Green Suit you must commit yourself to continual education and training. Whether that means certification by way of a professional sustainability program or an advanced degree in environmental science, your future success will be tied to the recency and frequency of your education and training in sustainability, social responsibility, and related fields.
• Build a professional network. Who you know matters. Who you know who can help you succeed as The Green Suit MATTERS MOST. Carefully cultivate connections–on LinkedIn and face-to-face at business events–to empower your career and help you achieve success in the New Green Economy.
• Rework and revise the résumé (CV). Make sure you stand out by posting a compelling value proposition, key accomplishments, and truly great metrics. A distracted hiring manager may take only fifteen seconds to read your  résumé, so make sure that it communicates your considerable value (or else, go unnoticed).
• Turn your current job green. Obvious green jobs don’t get offered to executives who do not possess requisite knowledge, training, or experience in sustainability. That is why we counsel executives eager to pivot into the green economy to turn their current jobs green. Create a business plan for your boss or senior management which identifies areas where your company or organization could achieve efficiency through sustainability improvements directed by you. And, in very short order, you could become your company’s official sustainability manager or green officer–ready to consider sustainability executive roles at other companies and organizations!
• And, think positive. We’ve all been held back by stagnation in the economy. But a great attitude is infectious. Through all of your daily interactions, enthusiastically show people the benefits of embracing triple bottom-line thinking: improved profitability, empowered people, and a cared-for planet.

As I’ve said to audiences of eager soon-to-be college graduates I’ll say to you: our best days lie ahead. Together, let’s work towards building a strong and reliable New Green Economy and assuring that we  all become successful green business careerists–The Green Suits.

Happy Holidays!

EcoApprentice.com Founder Richard Halpern Interviews TheGreenSuits.com Founder Dan Smolen

Cross-posted from The Green Suits:

Our thanks to Richard Halpern of EcoApprentice.com for the terrific interview experience. Here’s a snippet:

“For most sustainability-minded executives—who have been rendered risk-averse by the current job climate—the idea of creating shift in their current companies truly resonates. I am counseling them to turn their current jobs and companies green before they venture out to apply for and land an obviously green position in another company (such as Director of Sustainability). I think it is easier to turn one’s current job green, because the executive already knows the business culture and is likely aware of what it will take to create positive and lasting change in the company.

Check out EcoApprentice.com and the full interview, HERE.

‘Tailoring the Green Suit’ Author Dan Smolen Quoted in Project Management Institute’s Official Magazine

PM Network is the official magazine of the Project Management Institute. Matt Alderton's article, "Green Growth," discusses green job-making opportunities for project professionals. Logo h/t PMI.

Well, at least my mother will be very proud of me for this.

PM Network is the official magazine of the Project Management Institute, the world’s largest association for project management professionals. PM Network is read by over a half million PMI members, worldwide.

The December 2011 issue features an article by writer Matt Alderton entitled Green Growth: Organizations worldwide need help managing and measuring their environmental impact–and project professionals are the first in line to benefit. And I am quoted in that article:

“Usually, people who don’t have green experience become sustainability experts by proxy and by practice, Mr. Smolen says. “It may start with recognizing that your company isn’t addressing its carbon footprint or that it’s very resource-heavy, then putting together a brief business plan to tackle the problem by coming up with solutions the company can act on. All of a sudden, you’ve got sustainability-related project management experience. It’s fabulous. And with a year or two, that could easily become a recognized green job.”

Read the entire story, HERE.