2019 Job Outlook: ‘Selling’ the safety profession

Selling by word of mouth

Although professional societies are taking the lead, experts agree that individual safety pros have a role to play in recruiting the next generation of students.

“It is crucially important for OSH professionals to share their experiences with others in their communities,” Dony said, “whether it be a career night at a high school or participating in a mentorship program.”

Some ways safety pros can spread the word include:

Talk about the need for OSH. “We all need to be giving people a sense of how urgent the prevention effort is,” Dooley said. “Advocate for young people to find out more about how much this field is needed, how tragic it is that workplace fatalities have been increasing in the U.S. in the last several years and how preventable all those deaths are.”

Tout the selling points of OSH. A career in OSH comes with a multitude of benefits likely to appeal to students (see “Selling points of a career in OSH.”). “The large number of job opportunities will hopefully make it easier to secure a job upon graduation,” said Dony, who also listed advantages such as job stability, advancement opportunities, competitive salaries and the satisfaction of making a difference in people’s lives.

Relate OSH to issues young people know and care about. “Take any opportunity you have to go out and educate people on a safety topic,” Chipman said. “If they take an interest in distracted driving or the opioid crisis, help them see that this transfers to a career path.”

Get involved in OSH societies. Developing relationships with professional associations gives safety pros more opportunities to share lessons learned and participate in outreach activities.

“It’s a Johnny Appleseed scenario,” Heinlein said. “Keep planting seeds. Anytime you have an opportunity to talk this profession up or point someone in the direction of an occupational safety school, credential or group, it helps. It’s going to take all of us in this profession – from societies to individuals – to keep talking about the great careers we’ve had.”

What's the Job Outlook for Safety+Health readers? Browse the results of our 2019 survey.
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