The nitty gritty green job search

By Kate Levinson

Let's get back to the basics this week: You don't have a job. You want need one. You've sent out 4,927 résumés (but who's counting) and had everyone you know pass your info on to their stepbrother's wife's uncle's coworker's fourth cousin once removed. Nothing.

Or maybe you took a well-deserved break after graduation and are just now getting into The Great Job Hunt.

Either way, there are some pillars in the world of green job-hunting that are good to know, use and monitor:

• Idealist is a mecca for people looking for nonprofit careers—and a lot of environmental jobs pop up in that category. With 8,537 jobs and counting, you can search by location (including national and international), job category, education level and more. Ca''t find your dream job (or any job) just yet? Idealist also has loads of volunteer and internship listings, too.

• GreenBiz has a cool careers section where you can search postings and upload your résumé for recruiters looking to fill positions to discover.

• And, of course, Experience Green: You can create your own portfolio and connect with all kinds of employers. Check out the job listings to get started.

And if that doesn't work?

Don't dismiss the think-outside-the-box advice I’m sure you’ve gotten. As living and working green becomes more important and more popular, totally new jobs and careers are popping up every day. And maybe you can even create one yourself.

Check out these five entrepreneurial new jobs that take advantage of the growth in the green section of the economy—including an eco-focused tour guide, home garden expert/consultant/teacher and iPod doctor. You don't necessarily have to save iPod parts from landfills for the rest of your life, but anything that can keep you busy, help you break into the industry and prevent a big ol' gap on the résumé is worth thinking about.