Intrapreneurship - Green Your Resume by Greening Your Current Job

I was intrigued by a report recently released by NetImpact entitled, Making Your Impact at Work: A Practical Guide to Changing the World from Inside a Company (http://netimpact.org/associations/4342/files/MakingYourImpactatWork.pdf).

Given the current economy, you may not feel comfortable giving up the stability of your current job to find a job that has a more positive impact on the planet. Rather than giving up on your dream, use this time as a great opportunity to green your current job and add green elements to your resume. With initiative and focus you can find a volunteer project at work that allows you to make a difference and enhance your own skills at the same time.

The trick is to become an intrapreneur, basically an in-house entrepreneur, who looks for projects within the company to reduce waste, minimize energy usage, or some other green goal. Other intrapreneurs may use the same strategies to make an impact through socially responsible initiatives or social justice projects. In the first half of the report you can read brief descriptions of the projects taken on by 15 NetImpact members. (If you are a member you can download (http://netimpact.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1andsubarticlenbr=2745) a larger report with full in depth case studies about each of these individuals and their projects.)

Strategies to Become an Intrapreneur

In the report, NetImpact spells out the strategies an intrapreneur can take to make a difference within their company.

To prepare for your project, you:

1) Identify a project that helps the company meet a business objective. Look for a project that dovetails with a company initiative, an executive's key interest, or a potential business direction. 2) Build a team of employee volunteers. To succeed, focus on creating an environment that encourages participation. 3) Establish the baseline for your project by gathering data before starting to implement your project.

To produce results with your project, you:

1) Engage your stakeholders, from your coworkers to upper management. You may also find an external stakeholder adds credibility and power to your initiative.

2) Build the resources you need to be successful, from funding to time, to work on the project.

3) Start with small projects to create early wins and then work toward larger goals using the structure you have already put in place.

In addition to producing the direct results from your project, your project helps the company in a few other ways as well. The project is likely to produce opportunities for employee professional development, increased employee engagement, and higher employee retention.

By leading the project, you may also demonstrate your abilities and skills in a way that leads to the creation of a new sustainability position within the company. As you move to your next job, you may find the skills you gain through your project are the skills that make you a perfect fit for your next position.

Your Next Step

If you have a background in business, and want to use your business skills to make a difference, you may want to become a member of NetImpact (http://www.netimpact.org). This organization has a network of chapters in over six continents for students, grad students, and professionals.

Download this 17-page report (http://netimpact.org/associations/4342/files/MakingYourImpactatWork.pdf) to learn how to use intrepreneur opportunities to position yourself to advance your green career.