Sustainability Skills for Career Advancement

Here’s some of what I do to stay abreast of #CSR, #SocialImpact, #sustainability and #ESG trends! It’s not hard nor is it rocket science, BUT it requires consistency AND critical thinking! 15-20 minutes a day is all it takes. 1) Spend time on LinkedIn - follow subject matter experts whose opinions and practice you respect. Read their posts, but also genuinely connect with them. Through conversations and reading their posts you’ll get a better sense of challenges and opportunities. Some of which exist presently, but others on the horizon. 2) Keyword searches on job sites - I visit job sites all the time. Not because I’m looking for a job but because companies are hiring NOW for the opportunities and challenges they see on the horizon. There’s a lot that can be gleaned by scanning the job market. 3) Read and listen to content by convening orgs - there are a LOT of convening orgs, membership associations and education intuitions that produce great content. Many of them are providing content based on the needs of THEIR stakeholders… namely CSR, sustainability and ESG professionals. The content that’s posted today is on demand in part because it’ll help you get ahead of the curve for the issues of tomorrow. Spending time each day to connect, read and review is precisely how I navigate this rapidly changing space. Curious about specific people and organizations I follow or subscribe to or keywords I use in my searches? Leave a note in the comments. Also, if there’s a tip or trick you use, feel free to share what works for you! #education #linkedin #opportunities #content #trends

Our #Sustainability Program Coordinator position received ~100 applicants in ~48 hours. This incredible response is a great sign for the sustainability field, and a good moment to offer #advice for those trying to get in. Some of what follows is drawn from recent hiring experience, and some is advice I would give my younger self, if I could. (The picture below is from 2015, just before I made my own pivot into sustainability). 1. Find a focus area. “Sustainability” is an incredibly broad field. Saying you want a job in “sustainability” is like saying you want to work in “business.” Decide what piece of sustainability interests you most. I work in #sustainableagriculture because I like working with farmers; I’m inspired by the impact potential of more sustainable supply chains. On my team, we have people that focus on environmental sustainability which includes emissions, renewable energy, #biodiversity, and packaging. We also have folks working on community engagement, including our non-profit partnerships and employee engagement. And let’s not forget about human rights. Beyond our team, there’s an industry need for people who do sustainability communications and marketing. There are career paths in sustainability advocacy and policy. Sustainability reporting is a rapidly growing field. The list goes on. 2. Network. Once you’ve chosen your focus area, reach out to people who work there. Ask them about their day to day. Reassess: Is this something you actually want to do? If so, ask them for advice. What skills are most important? How did they land their current role? What does the future of this area look like? LinkedIn is critical, use it daily. Follow people in your focus area. Comment on posts. Look for #opendoorclimate. If you can afford it, go to conferences. Introduce yourself to the panelists/ speakers. Ask good questions. ❤️ I landed a screening interview for my current role because someone in my network referred me. 3. Tailor your resume. Read the job description carefully and make sure your resume clearly hits the main points. For example, if you’re applying for a role that lists “data analytics” and “advanced Excel,” make sure your resume contains the words “data analytics” and “Excel.” Bonus points if you can work them into your most recent position. Don’t assume anyone can infer your skills. You may know that your role as “Program Specialist” involves a lot of data analysis, but if you don’t say that explicitly, you may be passed over. 4. Get clear on “why.” At some point in the interview process, someone will ask: “Why are you interested in this position?” Your answer should be compelling. Showcase your passion AND show you did your research. Speak to something specific that matters to the interviewer. Candidates that seem genuinely excited to work with us/our company always standout. 🌱Sustainability professionals: what advice would you give your younger self?

My Sustainability career purpose has always felt simple, and direct: -Go where the impact is and do everything I can- I'm looking forward to sharing more details from the Tesla 2024 Impact Report as it's been a deeply focused phase of my career, driving forward on what matters for the environment. Up first: Supplier Management! (Read more on p.141) - Identify the risk: Often I find there's a lot of complexity here, perhaps unnecessarily. There are times where the risk is hard to name or pinpoint, but generally we as sustainability practitioners have all the tools already to identify and understand environmental impacts like deforestation, biodiversity loss, watershed degradation, pollution and of course, GHG emissions. Start with what's simple and refine your knowledge as you go... with satellite monitoring, Environmental Impact Reports, NGO knowledge and the suppliers themselves, the information is out there. Let's not focus on perfecting what we can get started! - Engage often and build relationships: Acknowledge the work already being done, or the plans set into place, by so many upstream companies, who often have their own policies, goals, ESG reports and teams. Get to know them, learn their priorities, fill in with our own requests. We can go so much further together when we integrate into their existing work and look for opportunities together. - Develop tools and expectations: Some companies are advanced and just need acknowledgement and the confirmation their customers are paying attention. Others are getting there but could use guidance. Some are just starting from scratch and need a roadmap. We work to develop tools that apply to any company on their Sustainability journey so they can feel confident they're meeting "best in class" expectations or building for success. This can look like detailed guidelines for demonstrating a decarbonization roadmap, or a checklist for delivering environmental due diligence for a proposed new asset. https://lnkd.in/gfJBxevR #tesla #sustainability #reporting #decarbonization #supplychain