At SVT we’ve taken the downturn as an opportunity to build our team and internal capabilities. We recently brought on 5 highly motivated and capable interns. Given the surplus of available work, and the desire many have to move into more sustainable/socially just career paths, I recommend taking this opportunity to find great interns. If you have a social or environmental mission as we do, I bet there will be a lot of interest. Here are a few tips to guide and enhance your search process based on my experience recruiting at SVT.

1) Define the role thoughtfully. Take the time to really think through what you’d like an intern to do, and lay out the expectations and tasks assigned. If it is unpaid, make sure you maximize other opportunities (school credit, networking, recommendation writing, etc). The more details you provide, the more likely a job seeker will apply. And the more likely that job seeker will be self-selected to fit with your organization.

2) Create a recruiting timeline and stick to it. How long do people have to apply? How soon will they hear back (this was tricky for us, but something I would try to improve on next time)?

3) Select strategic places to post your position. I have a list of recommended sites based on what we were looking for but this will vary depending on what you want. We were on a budget and chose not to pay for listings. We also wanted folks with whom our mission would resonate and be a motivating factor. Here is a list of where I posted and my thoughts on other major sites:

Free sites

  • Net Impact – this is a great site to find motivated MBAs interested in sustainability and CSR. This was probably the best place we posted, and it is free to post internships.
  • GreenBiz.com - free posting, good for green jobs
  • CleanTechies.com – free job posting for limited time
  • Post to your own website and blast an email with links to all your networks
  • College job boards – strategically select schools and MBA programs that have the types of students you’d like to hire. This is a great source of high quality summer interns. Start with local schools and then look to schools whose students will have the skills you want.
  • Doostang – this is an exclusive job searching community
  • LinkedIn – allows you to forward your job posting for friends and request recommendations
  • Many job sites will automatically syndicate your listing – this happened in my case with Indeed.com, Stopdodo.com, Simplyhired.com and a few others.
  • Since recruiting, SustainLane created a Green Collar Jobs Board, which is worth posting to

Paid listing options

  • JustMeans – less traffic than Net Impact, but a similar set of people with targeted interests.
  • Idealist –likely a great place to post (we did not post due to fee)
  • Craigslist – I would NOT recommend posting to Craigslist gigs (which is free), and we did not pay to post to their job listing section, which might have given better results

4) Select thoughtful interview questions. Here are a few I would recommend:

  • What do you do in your space time? Harvard Business Review cites this as the interview question you should always ask
  • What type of work environment do you thrive in? - this will allow you to ensure that your organizational culture is a match
  • How are you best managed? - this will give you a sense of the degree of responsibility the candidate would like to have – some want total autonomy, others require more guidance and structure.
  • Describe your best day at work in the last 3 months and what you were doing? - ensure that the type of work aligns with the candidate’s interest