Employer FAQ

1) Which kinds of organizations have you worked with, and what kinds of positions have you worked on?
We work with firms across the green sector -- in renewable energy, carbon finance, sustainability consulting, non-profits and foundations, consumer packaged goods, nutrition/nutriceuticals, built environment, venture capital, and more. We also help companies that are not traditionally "green" find key players to build out their sustainability/CSR initiatives. If you're interested in who we've worked with specifically, please do contact us directly -- we're happy to tell you more.

2) Given that so many people are jobseeking right now and budgets are tight, why should I bother paying a recruiter?
Although many people are jobseeking, it doesn't mean that the right candidate for your role is jobseeking.

• The green economy is still nascent, making the pool of qualified candidates smaller than for traditional hiring. What's more, employees with the skills to grow green companies are more in demand than ever, and more hesitant to leave their current jobs, given the shaky state of the economy. Through our personal and professional networks, we have a higher chance of knowing who's willing to move and who's qualified for your job.
• Contingent relationships are low-risk -- you only pay us if we provide you the right person for the job, at the right price - and you hire them.
• Further, people are less discerning about applying for jobs -- that is, you might be inundated with resumes for people who do not match the qualifications that you lay out. Weeding through these applications is a time-intensive process. For many companies, this economy is an "all hands on deck" situation, with fewer people trying to take on more tasks with a smaller budget. We will handle this whole process for you, and only present you with the top candidates that meet your requirements - this will free up your employees to take care of core business and grow even in this tough economic climate.
• The cost of a bad hire is staggering if you account for a bad hire, wasted time of all employees involved in hiring and training, opportunity costs, and finding a replacement.

3) What services do you offer?
We know that every organization is unique in terms of hiring needs, process, financial situation, and recruiter relationships. We offer different types of services that can be individually adapted to clients' needs:

• Evergreen relationships are ideal for growing organizations with long-term hiring needs that would like to outsource their recruiting, minimize their monthly expense and establish a long-term relationship. A monthly retainer is charged, and in months where placements are made, the retainer is credited towards a reduced placement fee.
• Executive search services are designed to help organizations find key senior hires. Fees are typically charged in three installments: one-third upfront, one-third upon provision of a shortlist of candidates and the balance is due upon the successful candidate's first day of employment.
• Contingency search services allow organizations to hire individuals for all roles, whether entry- or executive-level. Fees are contingent upon a successful placement--we only get paid when we find the ideal candidate for you. Contingency services allow organizations to see the widest possible pool of candidates in order to provide clients complete confidence they're hiring the best individual for the role.
• Contractors often help companies fulfill short-term needs. We have a number of excellent contractors on our books. Example contractors include: energy efficiency specialists, hydrologists, web editors, marketers, PR specialists, consultants, sustainability professionals, interim management and many more. Please contact us if you are interested in finding out more.

4) What are your working terms for client relationships?
We try to offer 24 hour feedback/turnaround on communication. We also aim to be as transparent as possible within the search process for clients, whilst ensuring confidentiality.

5) What if we are already using an outside firm?
Please get in touch to see how we differ. The contingency relationship in particular is a low-risk arrangement -- we'll simply widen out your candidate pool at no cost to you, unless you find the perfect candidate in our bunch.

6) How and where do you find candidates?
We search far and wide to find you the best talent for your team.

• We establish the specific criteria necessary to be successful in the role by creating a performance profile.
• From there, we look within our own database of qualified jobseekers. The majority of these candidates have an advanced degree, and many have years of experience in the green sector. We also have many jobseekers who are looking to apply skills learned in the traditional economy in a green or socially-responsible company.
• We post your position far and wide -- on our site, on green and niche job posting sites, on e-mail lists, and to our LinkedIn community.
• We use our personal and professional networks to find the right candidate -- including relationships with top universities and business schools, as well as professional organizations. We attract candidates that already have experience in the environmental field, as well as candidates whose skills could transfer over and benefit our clients.
• We spend lots of time on the phone actively source hard to find talent for you, contacting and attracting high-level people who might not necessarily be actively job searching.

6) So, given that there are lots of recruiters out there, what makes Bright Green Talent the right firm to help me find the best people for my team?
With the spotlight suddenly shining on environmental initiatives and businesses, legitimacy is more important than ever. Working with Bright Green Talent can benefit you in a number of ways.

• One of the key differences between Bright Green Talent and other recruiting firms is our deep expertise in all things environmental - all of us come from a "green" background, are highly-educated and are passionate about finding the right leaders to fill out your team.
• By using a knowledgeable green search firm, you can bring your company's environmental initiatives to the forefront of the search, which will serve as positive branding for you as well as bring in top quality candidates.
• In addition to being green, we're also experienced in the recruiting realm. Paul Hannam, our founder, started and operated a successful ($50mm annual revenue) recruiting business before becoming a convert to the green business sphere. Since then, he's served as a profess of eco-entrepreneurship at Oxford University, and has written several books. Another example is Raj, who came from recruiting at Google.org, MMA and Heidrick and Struggles.
• Our patent-pending "Engagement Campaign" will use real-time labor market statistics can help cut the time and costs of working with a recruiter significantly. Please get in touch for more information.
• As we are experts in green talent, we're able to give you invaluable market information to help you with your business's most urgent and difficult challenges.

A couple other things you should know about us:

• Our unique Direct Community Investment program returns 1% of our profits to non-profit organizations that are fighting on the ground for a new green economy. We invite our clients to make matching donations to these organizations if they choose to do so, and we'll advertise this to our jobseeker community.
• Transparency and ethics are central to our mission. We are focused on creating long-term partnerships with both clients and jobseekers.
• We walk the talk. We employ sustainable office practices, use videoconferencing instead of flights whenever possible and subsidize public transport for all our employees.
• We plant a tree for each placement we make.
• Here are our values, which we think are fairly unique to recruiters. Our aim is to change the world by placing people in green jobs.

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