Name: How to stand out from the sustainability job-seeking crowd
Uploaded: 2023-05-30T14:35:11.800Z
Duration: 260.28

How to get a job in sustainability_V3.mp4

How to get a job in sus_FINAL.vtt

English

{{00:00:00}}
Hi, I'm Ben Wiles, and for the last 20 years
I've had the pleasure of having thousands

{{00:00:05}}
of people apply to work in sustainability
roles in teams that I've been part of.

{{00:00:11}}
And what I want to do is just share a few
thoughts on how to make sure that your CV

{{00:00:15}}
or your resume stands out from the crowd.

{{00:00:26}}
Of the thousands of CVs that I reviewed,
we got to see hundreds of people in person,

{{00:00:31}}
but less than a hundred actually got jobs.

{{00:00:33}}
Those people were very different from each
other, but certain things made them stand out

{{00:00:39}}
in the process of applying and interviewing.

{{00:00:41}}
So here's my advice for somebody who's
really wanting to work in sustainability.

{{00:00:51}}
Twenty years ago, there wasn't even
a qualification in sustainability.

{{00:00:54}}
And although having one definitely helps your
chances, particularly if you're looking to work

{{00:00:58}}
in a technical field, for in-house roles and for
the big consultancies, what they're really looking

{{00:01:03}}
for is people with the skills and the passion to
get stuck in and solve sustainability problems.

{{00:01:09}}
So the number one thing I'd say is in
the application, help yourself stand

{{00:01:13}}
out by showing what you know about
sustainability and what you care about.

{{00:01:17}}
Don't lean into the qualification.

{{00:01:19}}
It doesn't matter if you've not got a Master's
in sustainability because your CV can show

{{00:01:25}}
how you've worked around behavioral change,
around communication, around data analysis,

{{00:01:30}}
or where you've learned some of the technical
aspects of sustainability from volunteering

{{00:01:34}}
roles or from reading a daily newspaper.

{{00:01:42}}
When you're applying for a role in sustainability.

{{00:01:44}}
The greatest obstacle most people
find is the level of competition.

{{00:01:48}}
For a typical role that we put in the public
domain, we'll see between a hundred and seven

{{00:01:53}}
hundred people apply for that, which means
that the interviewers have to sift through

{{00:01:58}}
hundreds of CVs that read very similar to yours.

{{00:02:02}}
So we'll be looking for something that stands
out that makes you different, and shows you've

{{00:02:06}}
got experience in the field we're looking for.

{{00:02:14}}
Obviously, a lot of the roles that are being
hired for at the moment in sustainability

{{00:02:17}}
are for junior roles to help support the
transition to a more sustainable world.

{{00:02:21}}
But I get approached by people who are
mid-career or even quite late in their

{{00:02:24}}
career, who found they've climbed the
ladder and it's up against the wrong wall.

{{00:02:28}}
They actually want a different job or want
to move across into the sustainability field.

{{00:02:33}}
And those people actually are brilliant
for sustainability roles because they've

{{00:02:37}}
got a huge number of skills they've learned
elsewhere in the business, and they've often

{{00:02:40}}
worked in the commercial field, which means
we can build a business case for the things

{{00:02:44}}
we know are right for the business, but
we need to make it into business language.

{{00:02:49}}
We've held people from roles as varied
as finance and accounting, auditing,

{{00:02:54}}
communications, strategy, even supply
chain, all shift their careers to being

{{00:02:59}}
more sustainability focused because they
bring knowledge of how those worlds work.

{{00:03:04}}
So then they can engage with peers and
colleagues who are doing those similar jobs.

{{00:03:08}}
It's possible wherever you
are to make that transition.

{{00:03:11}}
You may need to take a step down in role
or in pay, or you may need to take a step

{{00:03:16}}
sideways, but it all gives you a chance
to get your foot on the right ladder.

{{00:03:25}}
For those people who are early, mid,
or late career who are thinking about

{{00:03:29}}
transitioning into sustainability, one of
the best things I can suggest is to look

{{00:03:34}}
at your existing role and how you build
responsible business practices into that.

{{00:03:38}}
So if you're in HR, how do you do more
diverse and inclusive recruitment?

{{00:03:43}}
If you're in communications, how do
you tell a better story about what your

{{00:03:45}}
organization's already doing on sustainability?

{{00:03:48}}
If you're in supply chain, how do you choose
better suppliers that help the company

{{00:03:52}}
improve its environmental and social impact?

{{00:03:55}}
And then after doing that for a while, if you
do find that you still wanna move or you wanna

{{00:03:58}}
make it more full-time, you've got the experience
to be able to say to a future employer, I can

{{00:04:03}}
do this and I'm now ready for the next level.

{{00:04:06}}
And that's a really exciting opportunity
for anybody who wants to transition

{{00:04:10}}
or evolve their career to being a
more responsible, purposeful role.

Hi, I'm Ben Wiles, and for the last 20 years
I've had the pleasure of having thousands

of people apply to work in sustainability
roles in teams that I've been part of.

And what I want to do is just share a few
thoughts on how to make sure that your CV

or your resume stands out from the crowd.

Of the thousands of CVs that I reviewed,
we got to see hundreds of people in person,

but less than a hundred actually got jobs.

Those people were very different from each
other, but certain things made them stand out

in the process of applying and interviewing.

So here's my advice for somebody who's
really wanting to work in sustainability.

Twenty years ago, there wasn't even
a qualification in sustainability.

And although having one definitely helps your
chances, particularly if you're looking to work

in a technical field, for in-house roles and for
the big consultancies, what they're really looking

for is people with the skills and the passion to
get stuck in and solve sustainability problems.

So the number one thing I'd say is in
the application, help yourself stand

out by showing what you know about
sustainability and what you care about.

It doesn't matter if you've not got a Master's
in sustainability because your CV can show

how you've worked around behavioral change,
around communication, around data analysis,

or where you've learned some of the technical
aspects of sustainability from volunteering

When you're applying for a role in sustainability.

The greatest obstacle most people
find is the level of competition.

For a typical role that we put in the public
domain, we'll see between a hundred and seven

hundred people apply for that, which means
that the interviewers have to sift through

hundreds of CVs that read very similar to yours.

So we'll be looking for something that stands
out that makes you different, and shows you've

got experience in the field we're looking for.

Obviously, a lot of the roles that are being
hired for at the moment in sustainability

are for junior roles to help support the
transition to a more sustainable world.

But I get approached by people who are
mid-career or even quite late in their

career, who found they've climbed the
ladder and it's up against the wrong wall.

They actually want a different job or want
to move across into the sustainability field.

And those people actually are brilliant
for sustainability roles because they've

got a huge number of skills they've learned
elsewhere in the business, and they've often

worked in the commercial field, which means
we can build a business case for the things

we know are right for the business, but
we need to make it into business language.

We've held people from roles as varied
as finance and accounting, auditing,

communications, strategy, even supply
chain, all shift their careers to being

more sustainability focused because they
bring knowledge of how those worlds work.

So then they can engage with peers and
colleagues who are doing those similar jobs.

It's possible wherever you
are to make that transition.

You may need to take a step down in role
or in pay, or you may need to take a step

sideways, but it all gives you a chance
to get your foot on the right ladder.

For those people who are early, mid,
or late career who are thinking about

transitioning into sustainability, one of
the best things I can suggest is to look

at your existing role and how you build
responsible business practices into that.

So if you're in HR, how do you do more
diverse and inclusive recruitment?

If you're in communications, how do
you tell a better story about what your

organization's already doing on sustainability?

If you're in supply chain, how do you choose
better suppliers that help the company

improve its environmental and social impact?

And then after doing that for a while, if you
do find that you still wanna move or you wanna

make it more full-time, you've got the experience
to be able to say to a future employer, I can

do this and I'm now ready for the next level.

And that's a really exciting opportunity
for anybody who wants to transition

or evolve their career to being a
more responsible, purposeful role.

Sustainability careers

Expert Insight

If you're looking for a job in sustainability, you'll know that competition can be fierce. In this video, you'll get expert tips from Informa's Head of Sustainability Ben Wielgus, who has reviewed thousands of CVs and conducted many interviews over his 20-year career in sustainability.

Learn how to showcase your knowledge, highlight your unique experiences, demonstrate your passion and optimise your CV or resume. Whether you're just starting out or looking to transition your career to sustainability, these insights can help you stand out and make a real difference.