One way to get involved with Green Career Week is to use social media to show the variety of careers available within your company.
When Stetson University student Olivia Vardy saw the Details Flowers Software booth at a job fair, she knew nothing about the company or the floral industry. Now, as their marketing assistant, she’s come to realize she stumbled upon something special.
“I have very quickly grown to learn how wonderful and gracious people are,” she said during the Society of American Florists’ recent virtual Ultimate Roundtable, which was focused on finding talent. Now, Vardy is leading the company’s efforts to use Green Career Week — an initiative by Seed Your Future, the industry’s organization charged with connecting students to professionals — to spread the word about job opportunities in floriculture and horticulture.
“My main goal is really just to show these students what the possibilities are, and how awesome this industry can be,” she said.
The fact that Vardy found the industry by sheer luck is not uncommon, said Jazmin Albarran, executive director of Seed Your Future.
“Students are passing your business on a regular basis and don’t see you as an employer,” she said. “They don’t realize all of the different positions that you have working directly with the plants, flowers and produce, but also the administrative jobs that you have in accounting, HR, marketing, graphic design, sales and customer service. We want students to realize that no matter what their passion is, they can find a career with us.”
Albarran and others who spoke during the virtual event encouraged attendees to get involved in Green Career Week, Oct. 2-6, and sign up to utilize the step-by-step toolkit, which includes a sample itinerary for school visits and field trips and other helpful resources. (Click here to watch a recording of the event).
Visit a School
Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, of Penny’s by Plaza Flowers in Philadelphia, visited a vocational high school during Green Career Week this spring. During his two-hour visit, Drummond talked with high school juniors and seniors about the different types of careers they can pursue and pointed out that the industry is global. He also had students design a vase of roses to take home.
“I wanted to explain, I wanted to engage — and then I wanted to excite,” Drummond said of how he developed his presentation.
Albarran’s advice: Take staff from different departments or positions so that students can see the wide range of careers available. Post those interactions on social media using #GreenCareerWeek to help build a library of industry companies and careers.
Host Students at Your Business
Ball Horticulture was one of the first businesses to participate in Green Career Week when it launched in 2022. They initially had a few employees visit a horticulture club at a nearby school. Since then, their relationship with the school and students has grown to the point that the school is planning to offer three horticulture classes next year, said Alyson Upshaw, social media manager at Ball. And, Ball’s Green Career Week activities have evolved into having the students visit the company’s offices and tour the gardens, Upshaw said.
Another Green Career Week participant, Danielle Green, director of gardens and grounds at the Naples (Florida) Zoo at Caribbean Gardens, has hosted high school and middle school students at the zoo to show them more about the relationship between plants and animals and how they plan and budget for the gardens.
“It was a unique perspective for them,” Green said. “I think they really enjoyed it, and it’s a completely different perspective on plant care and landscape.”
Albarran’s advice: Think about who will be showing the students around the business. Pick someone who is engaging and enjoys sharing why they are passionate about working with plants or flowers. Plan an activity, because students are more likely to make a connection through action (if you need ideas, the Green Career Week toolkit has 20 activity suggestions). Most importantly, have fun!
Social Media
“We really wanted to make it very personable and show a lot of what we did in the office because we are a software company and so we aren’t necessarily dealing like retail florists with physical flowers and hard goods,” Vardy said.
To accomplish that, she filmed social videos and created posts to show “a day in the life of,” which included an office tour and a behind-the-scenes glimpse at weekly meetings. She also interviewed Details Flowers Software founder and CEO Corrine Heck, PFCI, to show how Heck started as an event florist and eventually started her own company.
“It was a great week in terms of showing students all you can do in the industry, and I hope to continue to be able to shine a light on that,” Vadry said.
Albarran’s advice: Plan ahead. Think about who you are going to film, what they’ll say and how to round out your social media plans to show all aspects of the company and jobs within it. Show how your employees came to the industry and that they are professionally fulfilled and and happy, which is important to the next generation. Then, post to different social media platforms — including LinkedIn — to reach more students. Tag @seedyourfuture and use the #GreenCareerWeek hashtag.
Want to learn more? Albarran is available for a 30-minute Zoom meetings to discuss potential Green Career Week ideas or go over the free resources available for Green Career Week. Email her here.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.
