More and more students go to college with the goal of graduating and finding a job within a green industry. They are concerned about the future of our planet and the people who inhabit it. These students are worried about global warming, pollution, health issues, energy efficiency, our quality of life and the future of mankind.

For students who are proficient with math, science, engineering, electronics, computers and software, there is a wide range of opportunities in green industries. They need people who can develop products and equipment in areas such as: pollution control, energy efficiency, emissions, greenhouse gases, natural products and recycling, etc. However, many other students don’t realize that they don’t need to be an engineer, a scientist or a computer specialist to work with a green employer.

Every employer needs employees to run their company. That means that they employ a wide variety of professionals with expertise in sales, marketing, finance, human resources, communications, public relations, advertising, customer service, manufacturing, distribution, accounting, law, taxes and much more. Green employers still have a business to run. To do that, they need people like you.

If you are seriously interested in working for a green company, you can do the following.

Excel In Your Field Of Interest - Whatever your field, you should try to perform in a way that will make employers take notice. Your objective is to give employers more reasons to want you. Generally that means that you will fall in the top third of your class. Specific accomplishments in your field of interest, on campus, at work or in the local community, will make you more attractive to the employers you pursue.

Get Some Green Experience - Whether it be by taking environmental courses, finding part-time or summer work with a green employer, volunteering with a proactive community environmental organization or writing articles about recycling, solar power, wind energy, battery technology, our carbon footprint or reforestation, you can find a way to obtain some green experience. On campus, you might even start and lead a club with an environmental focus or encourage your own college to become greener. Regardless of how you do it, get out there and rub elbows with people who have similar interests and concerns. Demonstrate your passion by taking action in the field that you love.

Identify Green Employers - Start your research early. Identify at least 100 green employers that meet your needs. Then, learn everything you can about them. Where are they located Do they employ people with your education and experience? What are their products and services? Who are their people? Are they financially sound? What is their reputation? Also obtain the phone numbers and e-mail addresses for key contacts within each employer. Additionally, it would be helpful for you to find out which new grads they hired in the last year or two and what education, experience, qualifications and accomplishments these recent hires were able to offer.

Develop Your Network - Believe it or not, the people you know and the people they know represent more than 60,000 people. Some of the people in your network already work for green employers. Others have contacts in green employers. Still others have access to information about green employers and their people. To conduct an effective job search, you will need that information. Therefore, it is up to you to contact the people in your network and build relationships with the people who can help you.

As you conduct your search for jobs with green employers, keep this in mind, employers generally prefer to hire people who have some form of experience in their field. That’s because most employers can more easily relate to employment candidates who talk about specific accomplishments in their field of interest. Therefore, It would be helpful for you to be ready to offer examples and stories about your experiences and successes.

If you truly want to work for a green employer, there is no reason why you can’t. Serious job hunters do the preliminary research, find ways to get some job-related experience and go after the employers that are of interest to them.

That’s what you can do too.