Where to begin?

Transitioning Careers Takes Time

While you work towards your dream role, consider these steps to build knowledge and clarity.

• Engage: In your current workplace by creating a sustainability working group.
• Attend: Sustainability and community events for education and inspiration.
• Learn: From your network and connections in the field.
• Initiate: Projects at home or within your local community to reduce waste and consumption.

Critically Evaluate Your Experience

Key considerations may include.

• Transferrable Skills Assessment: Assess if your skills can effectively address the key risks and opportunities of the new organisation. Determine the level of your contribution and if you’ll be perceived as credible in the new domain.
• Need for Mentorship: Determine if you require mentorship or if you’re capable of hitting the ground running. Adjust expectations; accordingly, a sideways move may precede advancement into a new career pathway at a senior level.

Knowing What’s Material to an Organisation

You may be passionate about renewable energy, climate change or nature-based solutions but understanding how material these areas are to an individual organisation can help steer your job search.

Things to consider:

• Business Model: How important is renewable technology or the area of your interest, to the organisation in their roadmap to net zero.
• Where are they in their Sustainability Journey: Assess the organisation’s advancement in their sustainability journey and how ambitious and or innovative they are.
• Mentorship and Support: Assess the organisational structure and support available to aid in your transition.

How Convincing Is Your Narrative?

If you secure a job interview pre-test your pitch with a mentor or others who already work in the space, things to consider include:

• Reason for Transition: Articulate why you’re transitioning careers and what’s important to you.
• Problem Identification: Clarify the specific problems you aim to solve and why you are best placed to solve them.
• Intended Impact: Define the impact you aspire to achieve.
• Alignment with Background: Can you articulate clearly which types of roles and organisations best align with your background.
• Bridging the Gap: How you will address the gaps in your experience.

Networks and Knowledge 

Knowing how to recommend how an organisation achieves their sustainability goals takes time and experience in the field. The best sustainability professionals religiously do the following:

• Networking: Maintain and expand networks within the field.
• Thought Leadership: Follow influential thought leaders in sustainability.
• Continuous Learning: Read extensively with an open and curious mindset.
• Balancing Act: Master the delicate balance between commercial reality, operational efficiency, and sustainability.
• Change Management and Influencing: Hone skills in communication, change management and influencing stakeholders.