How to find community in your climate job search.
No matter where you are in your climate career journey or where you might be feeling stuck, chances are that finding the right community can help. In many cases, finding the right community is one of the most valuable things you can do right now and throughout your career.
Community can help address a lot of the major challenges green jobseekers face.
Benefits of joining climate networking communities:
Instant network of likeminded people
Opportunities and events to learn and gain skills
Exposure to different types of jobs and organizations
Camaraderie from people going through a similar journey
But with so many communities to choose from (which I promise is a good thing) and so many things being offered from each (also: good thing), it can feel overwhelming.
Here are some ways to get the most out of climate communities.
Start with one
As exciting as it is for there to be so many climate networking communities out there, it can also feel overwhelming. Start with one community and go deep instead of joining multiple groups at once. Relationships are one of the biggest perks to being part of a community and that takes time and effort. If you already know what topic you’re interested in then pick a topic-focused community (e.g. marketing - Creatives for Climate, tech - ClimateAction.tech), if you’re unsure then try a more general community (e.g. Work on Climate, Climatebase, etc.). If after joining one and being active you’re not seeing the benefit, then there’s nothing wrong with joining a new community.
Know yourself
With each community offering so many amazing things from happy hours to office hours to webinars to conferences to speed networking to game night, there’s something for everyone. But not everything might be for everyone. Know what type of offerings resonate with you and that you’ll show up for - whether that’s IRL or virtual events - and focus on those first. That could mean just registering for upcoming webinars to start or attending a happy hour to start.
Be active
Signing up to join a community and being a member of a community are very different things. Often times I hear people say, “I joined [community name] but haven’t found it useful.” But when asked what they’ve done in the community they typically say “browsed around.” Communities are only valuable if you are active and contribute. Whether you’re watching a webinar or reading Slack messages, remember that the conversations that you have with others is where you’ll find a lot of benefit. Comment, message, discuss with other community members and watch as relationships build quickly.
Here are just a few climate networking communities to check out:
Work on Climate - Slack community of both jobseekers and existing climate professionals; expert interviews, office hours, job boards, events
Creatives for Climate - community for creatives and agencies to learn and use skills to drive climate action and fight greenwashing
ClimateAction.tech - Slack community for tech workers looking to use skills to accelerate climate action
#OpenDoorClimate - community of climate professionals available for 1-on-1 chats with green jobseekers
Women and Climate - community for women that are in or interested in working on climate
Climate Draft - community for those looking to learn and work in climate tech
MCJ Collective - community to learn and to connect with others looking to act on climate
And here are some skills-based learning platforms that also have strong communities:
Terra.do - climate education courses and community with events and networking
OnePointFive Academy - sustainability consulting accelerator with networking and community support
Voiz Academy - climate upskilling certification programs with career coaching, networking and community events
Climatebase - climate career accelerator fellowship; climate job and networking platform