Earlier this week, I received a question from a colleague. I thought I’d share my answer with you as it might be helpful to you as well.

“Are you seeing any HR jobs in the green economy – contract, direct, part-time, whatever?”

Whether you or one of your clients is looking for a Human Resources position, I would use the following strategies to surface opportunities.

First, pay attention to your local media to identify green companies that are in growth mode.

Second, keep your ears and eyes open for word of early stage companies that have received funding of some sort. Whether it’s stimulus funds, VC funding,  or private funding, companies in the news for funding are worth tracking. Granted, not all funding is going to go straight to hiring new talent. You may need to track these companies for some time, but at a certain point, hiring will have to happen for the company to get to market and fulfill their first rush of orders.

Third, don’t forget that a number green companies within each green industry are well established corporations that are household names. Think Google, IBM, Johnson Controls, Nissan, Intel, GE, etc. Green industry blogs highlight green initiatives and accomplishments every day.  Scanning the blogs that track industries you are interested in will help you build a list of these major players.

Fourth, training large groups of employees in new approaches and technology is a key component of the transition to a greener, more sustainable economy. If an industry is in the process of ramping up for a new policy or technology, the companies within the industry, the training organizations, and the industry associations will need to manage the transfer of knowledge effectively and efficiently.

As with any position in the green economy, you’ll need to begin an active research/networking campaign to understand which green industries and companies are active in your area. Keep in mind that green industries are developing in different regions on varying time lines.  The more you know about your local green economy the better able you will be to pinpoint the companies that are likely to need help managing their human resources issues.

There’s really no way to predict how a specific company will choose the handle these functions. We have seen some full-time HR positions listed on company web sites when in the midst of a growth spurt, but it’s likely small and start up companies are relying on outsourcing or part-time professionals to fulfill this function. Working your networking connections is likely to be your best strategy to find the opportunities you are looking for.