Sustainability job market update and how looking for a job is like dating.

After climate week in the UK, and the hot weather across the UK and US it feels like the summer slowdown has started.  
 
For those in the struggle, it probably already felt pretty slow. 
 
In my role developing relationships to win work in sustainability, I am ultimately doing what job seekers are doing, and I wanted to share a perspective I have gained to manage my emotions to help me get into the right frame of mind to focus in the right place at the right time. 

Emotional management

Job seeking, and recruitment is like dating. If you met someone and thought they were not quite right, but you needed a partner, so you carried on dating, and then they figure out it's not right and dump you…. how would you feel? Upset and low in confidence, and not quite ready for the next date. Emotionally damaged, even though you knew it wasn't right! 
 
Understand who you are, and what you want. Maybe apply for the roles you are not sure about, but don't get emotionally attached because the company are looking out for themselves and don't want to get hurt and will figure it after a few dates.  
 
They don't tend to string people along, they are just figuring it out, and then say no (usually because you were too good). So, you end up feeling crap because you were too good! 
 
Where possible, apply for the roles that you really want, and go all in. It is about weighing up the potential likelihood of you getting the job. The sustainability recruitment market is in a situation where there are many more people looking than there are live vacancies. This means that those looking for a new job will need to be flexible and lower their sights to what would be considered a lateral move. The effect is that if you are interviewing, you are probably interviewing against people with 9 or 10 out of 10 experience match. 

This doesn’t mean it’s futile, it just means it is going to be harder to be the candidate who gets its. 

Don’t take it too hard if you don’t. 
 
But don't appear desperate.. that never works when dating!