Green Collar Blog

In this interview with Karen Biscoe, founder and President of Green Search Partner, we discuss what's really happening in the Green Economy when it comes to hiring.  Where is the action, what types of people are being brought on board, who is getting funding, how is the economy and the (lack of ) government support impacting the green sector.

Listen to the whole interview:

Here is a summary of most of the Q & A.  If you are a green company and looking to bring the right people on board, or if you are a company planning on hiring the right person to spearhead sustainability in your organization, give Karen a call. 

Q: As a recruitment specialist in the green space, how do you feel the green economy is doing in the face of this recession? T

A:  The green industry, like many others with respect to job creation, is moving very slowly. Over the past several years there has been a tremendous amount of innovation and development of new technologies, both from the commercial and academic sectors. But for many of these entrepreneurs, the struggle continues for capital and resources required to get these technologies past the proof of concept stage, and out into the marketplace. You can't create jobs if you don't have the funding to get your product to the market. 

Q:  What sectors of the green economy are gaining traction?

A:   Small Hydro-Electric seems to be gaining more traction here in the northeast. There has also been an increase in development of new polysilicon technologies, bio fuels, and waste treatment/management. 

Q:  How does your firm define a ‘Green' business?

A:  This is what I call the gray/green area. There are several definitions of a green business. In my mind, the primary definition is a business that focuses on the direct development of technologies or systems that make a positive impact on the environment and decrease our dependence upon traditional fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Another definition is a company that utilizes eco-friendly resources in the development of products that allow people to enjoy a higher quality, sustainable lifestyle without compromising environmental integrity. Additionally, a green business can be defined as one that, while not directly involved in the design and manufacturing of a green technology, they are employing the dynamic use of new or existing technologies designed to increase awareness and ultimately allow the user to manage and reduce our overall CO2 emissions. Examples of this are demand-response control solutions, or consulting firms that retrofit buildings to increase energy efficiency and decrease water usage. Some may define a green business as one that employs and maintains sustainability policies relative to how they run the operations of their company, such as a robust reduce/reuse/recycle policy. From my perspective, sustainability is something all companies should be practicing consistently. Having a sustainability policy doesn't necessarily qualify a company as a "green" business.

Q:  What types of employees and executives are green companies looking for?

A:  Great question, I get that one a lot. The answer is pretty subjective based on where a particular company is in its development. The initial need is usually on the R&D side, so civil, environmental, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineers are in high demand in the early days of development. As a company moves from research and development to commercialization, a GM with good project management experience, a project finance person and market research expert is likely to find a role within a clean tech company before a salesperson would. But, I would also venture to say that if you are a business development expert with strong relationships within the public utilities this is a good time for you to be getting your resume out there.

Q:  Does your firm specialize in a particular type of hire, or do you fill all hiring needs for green businesses?

A:  Typically, a founder or CEO will call upon me to help build out their management team or to hire several key staff people for the organization. Considering the average size of a client company is between 2 and 50 employees, being nimble and highly adaptable as a recruiter can make the critical difference for them. However, there are certain roles best handled by a recruiter with specific technical expertise, such as IT. In this case, it's best to say "I can't help you with this, but I know someone who can". 

Q:  Are large, traditionally non-green businesses looking to bring green expertise on-board? For what reasons.

A:  Yes, but the roles they are hiring for depends upon the business model in question. Those organizations that have put sustainability on the top of their priority list may hire at the corporate level to put sustainability policies in place. I've had several clients adjust or add titles to their org charts such as "Chief Sustainability Officer" In some cases, companies have hired or brought in and marketing and branding consultants to "green up" the company's identity and public profile. In companies with very complex manufacturing and distribution operations, hiring a senior person to implement a green approach absolutely makes sense and should be the company's top priority. That's not to say there is no need for other talented professionals in their R&D, operations, sales or even IT departments. But many companies are still very hesitant to hire on the basis of a green agenda alone, they will need to see the market stabilize before hiring the "nice to have" green collars among us.

Q:  What makes recruitment in the green sector unique?

A:  It's incredibly dynamic, educational, and exciting. The green movement has really captured both the analytical left brainers and enterprising right brainers throughout this nation. The competitive collaboration of our brilliant academics paired with the creative energy of business leaders has once again harnessed the entrepreneurial spirit of US. I hope the new technologies coming from countries like China and Israel serve to inspire our government leaders. We need more commercial and government support to provide the necessary funding and resources to launch these worthy start-ups.