INSIGHTS: Careers in Sustainability (Part 1)

We get a LOT of inquiries about the sustainability job market—from students, career changers, journalists, and instructors. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to sit down and answer everyone’s questions in a 1-on-1 setting. However, we’ve blogged about many of the questions facing sustainability practitioners.

In this first “round-up”, we’ve pulled together past articles specifically about skills sets that sustainability consultants need, and tips to help grow a fledgling sustainability consulting business.  Enjoy!

  1. RESOURCE: Growing your sustainability consultancy business, Part 1: Preparing for the perfect pitch.  According to Martin Lines, the marketing director for Nestle Professional, the most important element a consultant can have in their CSR (or sustainability-focused) consultancy pitch is customization to the client’s existing business and sustainability strategy. Sounds so basic, but often consultants get it wrong.  Here are three steps for helping turn your presentation into profit.
  2. RESOURCES: Growing your sustainability consultancy business, Part 2: Making the business case for hiring you.  So the path is clear. Now that you know everything there is to know (See Part 1) about your prospective client, it’s time to develop a tailored “business case for sustainability” that will help you win business by opening client’s eyes to the opportunity that a real sustainability strategy provides.
  3. RESOURCES: Growing your sustainability consultancy business, Part 3: Speak your client’s language.  So, you know all about your prospective client and you’ve decided on the strongest business case for sustainability for their situation.  Now it’s time to win them over and solidify the relationship with a smashing proposal or pitch.  We list seven tips to get you going.
  4. VIEWS: The Three Skill Sets Every Sustainability Consultant Should Have.  There are a LOT of sustainability consultants out there—yet very few of us rise to the level of “good.”  Why?  Because being a good sustainability consultant requires three different skills sets and very, VERY few people have all of them.

Interested in learning more about sustainability consulting or grabbing some great resources if you’re feeling a little stuck?  Sustainability is an ever-evolving field, and as sustainability consultants, we’re constantly learning new things.  Instead of keeping all of this knowledge to ourselves, we are always open to sharing!  From our webinars to our white papers and more, we hope you find what you’re looking for!