Coordinator

Finding a passionate, dedicated and quick-on-the-feet leader to become the green living program (GLP) coordinator is one of the most important development tasks—and certainly one you will be thankful you took the time to do right. 

This page includes tips and suggestions on the following facets of recruiting a coordinator for your program:

Characteristics of a Successful Coordinator

Ideally your coordinator will be someone who is familiar with your campus, such as a current staff person or recent graduate. The more familiar they are with the campus and the more relationships they already have built around the college or university, the more of a head start they will have on the many tasks ahead. 

Recent graduates or part-time graduate students can be promising candidates. Having been in school recently, they are more able to identify with the schedule, needs and culture of college students. Similarly, they are likely to have relationships built across the campus. For example, they may know administrators, student group leaders or faculty members—connections that could eventually contribute to the success of the GLP.

Other personal qualities to look for in your new coordinator include the following:

  • pays attention to detail
  • works well with a diversity of interest groups, including students, staff and faculty
  • open to building new relationships and acting as a liaison
  • able to multi-task on many different items with frequent deadlines
  • able to set goals
  • responds well to surprises and unexpected opportunities
  • can work flexible hours to accommodate student schedules
  • firm and professional
  • able to set expectations for student employees
  • compassionate and understanding of personal issues, recognizing that academics come first
  • gets others excited about ideas and activities
  • balances activities well to prevent burn out
  • is in it "for the marathon, not a sprint"

It is also important that the coordinator view people as human beings and not just as their specific roles. For example, he or she may recognize the goodness in a staff member, even if that person is constrained by his or her department or budget. In another case, this might mean understanding that a student’s heart is in the right place even if he or she is overburdened with other responsibilities and is not keeping up with his or her GLP duties.

Note that many of the above qualities do not require that the candidate have a lot of work experience. Most are either learnable or innate to the personality of the ideal program coordinator.

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Writing the Job Description

Be very clear about the program's needs and your expectations. Provide as much information as possible, including who the new hire will work with and who will supervise. The job description is your first chance to set the tone and expectations for the coordinator. Specify the salary in the job description (or, at least, in the job listing), unless you have flexibility in your budget to increase the salary for the right candidate. Consider checking out other job descriptions at your college or university to get a feel for the format. If possible, give background on your organization as it is helpful to give interested readers an idea of your own history, goals and achievements. 

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What to Ask for in an Application

Ask for a resume and a cover letter from the applicant. You will want them to express in writing why they are applying for the job, what qualities they can bring to the program, and any other information that will address your concerns. Consider asking for a short writing sample as you will want someone who writes clearly and expresses himself or herself well on the page.

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Posting the Job and Getting the Word Out

Add to your job description specific details for the hiring process, such as approximate salary, start date, how to apply, dates of the application process and any related logistics. Do research to learn how jobs can be posted at your college or university. Depending on the size of your campus and whether it is broken down into different graduate schools, there may be several websites that post job offerings.

Ask professors who are supportive of your work to pass the job listing to alums, staff and graduate students they know and consider a good fit for the position. Invite specific people to apply if you think they would be a good fit. Forward the job description to your campus’ volunteer environmental and educational email lists, if they exist. Find region- or nation-wide environmental and education-related listserves and websites where you can post the job. Here are a few possibilities:

Note that if you expect a high number of applicants, you can include in the job listing a statement like: “If you do not hear from us within three weeks of applying, we will not be requesting an interview.” You will save time later in the application process if you do not have to respond to all the applicants.

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Interviewing, Selecting and Wrapping up

During your interview with applicants, you will want to find someone who is articulate and gives the impression they are familiar with environmental issues and campus greening.  You will most likely sense whether or not the candidate would "click" with students. Most importantly, you will want someone with whom you feel comfortable and confident. After all, they will be a part of your team from now on! If you have never conducted interviews before, consider finding resources with tips on how to interview well.  For example, see Martin Yate’s Hiring the Best: A Manager’s Guide to Effective Interviewing.45

Once you have hired someone, be sure to let all the interviewees (and if possible all the applicants) know the status of the hiring process so they are not still hoping to hear from you. As for offering the job to your chosen coordinator, tell them how happy you are to have them join your team. We are sure you can handle that, no problem!

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