Today’s employer advice is from Jessy Servi Ortiz, Managing Director of Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council.
Q: Tell us about your organization.
The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council is a nonprofit organization that helps businesses advance sustainable principles and practices. We support organizations through an array of programming, education, resources and tools and are an end-to-end solution for businesses looking to integrate sustainability into the fabric of their organization. It is our vision that the business community prospers by being responsible social and environmental stewards today, and far into the future.
Q: What advice would you give to people in midlife who want to transition to a green job?
Don’t focus as much on the job title as the role, the connection to other departments and the organizational culture. Sustainability inside companies is structured differently depending on what best fits. Often there is tremendous opportunity to start in a role you are good at and weave sustainability in—if done right, sustainability is a part of everyone’s job at an organization and the culture reflects this.
Q: What are the skills that you believe will be required most in the short-medium term in your industry?
The ability to influence decision makers, get buy-in and manage change are vastly underestimated in roles and the hiring process and is critically important to building sustainable success across an organization.