College graduates guide for informational interview requests via LinkedIn

One of the most useful professional social media platforms is LinkedIn

Loads of college graduates reach out to professionals on LinkedIn without proper guidance on how to request for an informational interview.

One advice on reaching out to executives, you can try your luck, but they are super busy and aren't usually available. You might have better luck finding people at positions you want to apply for and one level up, eg, managers

Here are some steps to organize your approach to network and to seek informational interviews

Step 1: Tap the network of folks you already know who are professionally doing well.

Step 2: I recommend getting LinkedIn's premium version where you can send a note in the connection request.

Step 3: When sending a request here is a good message format: ( It has 300 character limit so edit accordingly)

" Hello XYZ, I am a recent graduate of WP Carey School of Business, ASU. I would like to request 30 min of your valuable time to chat about the work culture at XYZ, your day to day responsibilities and challenges in your role and team. Please let me know a few days and times that work for you."

Step 4: After they agree to meet with you, request for their email and offer to set up a Google Meet. Thank them for their response and for agreeing to chat with you. Be courteous of their time and willingness

Step 5: 30 min before the informational interview set aside time to research the company, the team in which they work, product and services and mission and vision of the company

Step 6: Be on time for the interview, use a well lit environment. Thank them for making time for you

Step 7: Tell them the structure: First I will introduce myself, then I would love to hear about your career journey and then finally I have a list of questions if you don't mind answering.

Step 8: Be mindful of the time limit. 5 mins before the 30 min limit, remind them that you realise that you are almost about time. 

Step 9: Thank them

Step10: Follow-up with a thankyou email for their time and what you learnt about them

Do not ask for a referral in the informational interview unless they offer. Ask them for tips for job applications.

This is a great article regarding informational interviews:How to Request, Conduct, and Follow-Up on an Informational Interview | LinkedIn

Be the 100th Monkey: Building Personal Resilience for a Purpose-Driven Climate Career

Ever heard of the 100th monkey phenomenon? Cornell University’s article “ Herding Experiment - Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon ” states that when a critical number of individuals adopt a new behavior, it suddenly spreads to the rest of the group—almost like magic. While the science behind it is debated, the core message is powerful: Change starts with a few committed individuals before it reaches a tipping point. It is my personal mission to be the 100th monkey and sell the vision of being the 100th monkey to my fellow climate professionals. 

🐵What’s the Deal with the 100th Monkey?

There’s this idea—part science, part legend—about a group of Japanese macaque monkeys in the 1950s. Researchers noticed that a few monkeys started washing sweet potatoes before eating them. Then, more and more monkeys picked up the habit. And supposedly, when the 100th monkey learned the trick, BOOM! The behavior spread instantly to monkeys on other islands—monkeys that had never even seen it before.

If we want to be the 100th monkey—the spark for large-scale transformation—we have to develop the traits that will help us thrive. And resilience is at the core of it all.

💪Why Resilience is the Key to Becoming the 100th Monkey?

It’s easy to get excited about changing the world, but let’s be real—the climate movement is tough. There are setbacks, roadblocks, and moments of total frustration. That’s why resilience is non-negotiable.

The most successful people and movements aren’t the ones that never fail—they’re the ones that keep going no matter what.

What Makes Someone Resilient?

🔥1. Mindset & Mental Strength

• Optimism: Believing challenges are temporary and solvable.

• Growth mindset: Viewing failures as learning opportunities rather than setbacks.

• Emotional regulation: Managing stress and emotions effectively.

🧠2. Adaptability & Problem-Solving

• Flexibility: Adjusting to new circumstances and bouncing back from setbacks.

• Resourcefulness: Finding creative solutions in difficult situations.

• Decision-making: Assessing situations rationally, even under pressure.

🤝3. Strong Social Support

• Community & relationships: Leaning on friends, family, or mentors for encouragement.

• Asking for help: Knowing when to seek advice or support from others.

• Sense of belonging: Feeling connected to a group or purpose.

🎯 4. Purpose & Meaning

• Clear goals: Having a sense of direction and motivation.

• Personal values: Acting in alignment with one’s beliefs and ethics.

• Spirituality or belief system: Finding strength in faith, philosophy, or a higher purpose.

✅ 5. Self-Care & Physical Well-Being

• Healthy lifestyle: Proper sleep, nutrition, and exercise help build mental resilience.

• Stress management: Practices like mindfulness, meditation, or journaling.

• Work-life balance: Avoiding burnout by setting boundaries.

Resilience isn’t about avoiding difficulties—it’s about developing the tools and mindset to navigate them effectively. Anyone can strengthen their resilience through practice and experience!

How to Build Resilience

Resilience isn’t something you’re simply born with—it’s a skill you can develop and strengthen over time. Here are some practical ways to build resilience:

🏔️1. Reframe Challenges as Opportunities: Instead of seeing setbacks as failures, view them as learning experiences. Ask yourself:

• What can I learn from this?

• How can this make me stronger?

🌱2. Develop a Growth Mindset: People with a growth mindset believe they can improve through effort.

• Embrace failures as stepping stones to success.

• See effort as a path to mastery rather than proof of inadequacy.

🧠3. Strengthen Emotional Awareness: Understand your emotions and how they affect your reactions

• Practice self-reflection to recognize negative thought patterns.

• Develop emotional intelligence to manage stress and relationships effectively.

🤝4. Build a Strong Support System: Surround yourself with positive, supportive people who encourage you

• Lean on friends, family, or mentors for guidance and motivation.

• Engage in communities where you feel valued and understood.

✅ 5. Practice Self-Care & Stress Management: Resilience is easier to cultivate when you feel physically and mentally well.

• Get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly.

• Practice relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing, or journaling.

• Engage in activities that bring you joy and fulfillment.

🧩6. Develop Problem-Solving Skills: Break problems into manageable steps and focus on what you can control.

• Make a list of potential solutions rather than dwelling on the problem.

• Take proactive steps, even if they are small.

🤗7. Cultivate Optimism & Gratitude: A positive outlook helps you recover from setbacks more quickly.

• Practice gratitude by writing down things you appreciate daily.

• Focus on what’s going well rather than only on problems.

💪8. Strengthen Adaptability: Change is inevitable—resilient people adjust and move forward

• Be open to new approaches and alternative solutions.

• Accept that uncertainty is part of life and focus on adapting rather than resisting.

🍎 9. Develop Healthy Coping Mechanisms

Avoid unhealthy coping strategies like overworking, avoiding problems, or substance use. Instead:

• Talk to someone you trust.

• Engage in hobbies that relax and inspire you.

• Set healthy boundaries to prevent burnout.

🏃‍♀️10. Take Action & Keep Moving Forward

Resilience isn’t about never feeling down—it’s about bouncing back.

• When facing a challenge, take one small step at a time.

• Even during hard times, keep showing up and taking action toward your goals.

☮️11. Accept & Make Peace with the Past

You can’t change the past, but you can change how you respond to it.

• Forgive yourself and others to free yourself from emotional burdens.

• Focus on what you can do now instead of dwelling on regrets.

 🛤️ 12. Develop a Sense of Purpose

Having a strong purpose gives you the motivation to push through challenges.

• Define your personal or professional mission.

• Engage in meaningful work that aligns with your values.

Your Call to Action 🚀

We don’t need a million people doing everything right. We need enough of us taking consistent action—pushing forward, staying resilient, and refusing to give up.

Maybe you’re the 100th monkey. Maybe you’re the one who pushes us past the tipping point.

So, are you in? Craft your Climate Career with Gaia-Force🌍🌱🔥

Building a workforce for a green economy

Imagine a world where every job is being environmentally responsible and is helping to keep our planet livable and beautiful. Today only 2.75% of the jobs are focused on sustainability. The first step toward a robust green economy is the capital needed to create green jobs. With the Inflation reduction act and Jobs act a lot of the public funding and tax credits is encouraging private investment in the green economy. Along with all this green investment we need a substantial workforce to meet the climate pledge.

LinkedIn's Global Green Skills report 2023 summarizes that green workforce has the classic supply and demand problem, increase in demand for green skills is twice the increase in supply. The International Labor Organization states that by 2030 24 million jobs will be created by the green economy alone. We cannot wait for federal policymakers, state community college systems, and individual employers to prepare the climate ready jobs.

Let start by looking at the problem through a couple of lenses:

Why is it hard to recruit and retain the blue collared green jobs that help build maintain the infrastructure?

One of the biggest challenges in this market is the ability to identify skilled talent. Traditional recruitment for blue collared green jobs is done by screening for experience and qualification, missing out candidates who may have gained skills through other ways. Moreover, students graduating from high school are not educated on which on the job training, apprenticeships and internships will provide them with upskilling. Focus is mainly on certification and licensing.

The loss of middle skill jobs is a major concern related to growing income inequality across the country. Workers in the clean energy economy tend to have less formal education than all workers nationally, filling jobs that boast an enticing mix of higher-pay and lower barriers to entry.

Additionally, workers with no more than a high school diploma fill over half of all energy efficiency occupations, while 45 percent of workers in clean energy production occupations share this distinction. Yet even more striking are the advanced education statistics: fewer than 17 percent of clean energy production and energy efficiency workers hold a bachelor’s degree or more, suggesting a 4-year degree is rarely required to secure the higher pay available in those sectors. By contrast, far more clean energy production and energy efficiency workers either hold associate degrees or have completed only some college, suggesting applied skills training is often more important in those positions.

An article from Mercer provides a six-point recruitment strategy to bridge this gap identifying the skills required to fill the job and craft the job posting based on those required skills. The article also provides additional skills to look for during recruitment. All of this helps us to understand we need to change our approach on both training and recruiting blue collared green workforce.

Why is it difficult to upskill white collared jobs to meet the needs of the green workforce?

LinkedIn's Global Green Skills report 2023 sights that seven in eight workers lack a single green skill, at a time when the future of our planet depends on them. The accelerating pace of change in green industries is making the entering and current workforce unsure if their current skill sets are transferable. Employers should clearly communicate the skillsets required for current and future workforce.

Business leaders and educational institutions should help close the gap by helping graduating students and employees develop skills for green jobs.

Energy production, transportation and finance are the top sectors that are critical to meet the sustainability targets. The renewable energy industry is critical in meeting the energy demand and will need a massive infusion of green skills. When hiring and job postings in renewable energy increase, the industry gains the capacity that’s needed to produce clean energy.

The labor markets have always been changing, as jobs kept adapting to technological innovations while aiming to fit the needs of communities and society at large. Today a less labor-intensive energy generation sector is emerging, new job opportunities and labor ecosystems are unlocked, which will shape the long-term plans of companies.

Despite the unprecedented challenges associated with this transformation and the need to accelerate the energy transition, which pose high risks to our capacity to reskill, upskill and bring proper competence in these sectors, this new green economy paradigm also brings unmatched potential to properly plan for a sustainable evolution of our professional duties. We need more partnerships between universities, recruiting agencies and employers to help accelerate the future of work in the green economy.