You’ve got a long long list of ESG goals but your sustainability team is full of holes.
And if you want to comply with a growing list of regulations, and appeal to stakeholders demanding responsible business practices, waiting months to onboard full-time sustainability hires just isn’t feasible, is it?
Unfortunately, it is not. The pressure is on for companies to embrace sustainability now, and that’s why many are turning to freelance ESG professionals for help. If accessed in the right way, these highly specialized experts offer flexibility, affordability, and can be onboarded fast. When it comes to achieving your ESG goals, ESG freelancers can help you make real progress within days.
Sound too good to be true? Well actually, it isn’t, just as long as you know the best places to find these experts! (There are various places you can go to find them, but the truth is, some are much more reliable than others).
To make sure you don’t waste your time looking in all the wrong places, in this article, we’ll explore the most common places companies go to find ESG freelancers. And we’ll highlight the ones you should probably avoid.
Ready to get started? Of course you are! Time really is of the essence here, so let’s make sure you find your perfect ESG freelancer solution today.
ESG freelancers: where can you go to find them?
As you start your search for quality ESG freelancers, it’s important to remember why it is you actually need them. Why can’t you just hire a generalist freelancer instead? Or deal with ESG-related issues internally?
Honestly, it’s because achieving true ESG success means treating it as much more than another box-ticking exercise. ESG is a complex, ever-evolving challenge that demands specialist knowledge, strategic thinking, and real-world experience. Without the right expertise, you risk non-compliance with key regulations, reputational damage, and also missed opportunities for meaningful impact.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the main places you can go to find the ESG talent you need.
LinkedIn and personal networks
To begin with, you might not necessarily have to go far at all. Because it’s possible that LinkedIn and your existing network could be an effective way to source ESG freelancers. Especially if you already move in sustainability circles.
Through LinkedIn, you have the ability to post a role, search for talent using keywords, and reach out directly to people whose work you admire.
The main benefit here is that you are in full control, and don’t have to rely on a third party to find talent for you.
Potential downsides? Quite a big one actually; time. Finding the exact freelancers you need this way can be very time-consuming. You’ll have to search for and screen candidates yourself, and even then, there’s no real guarantee of quality or fit.
So we would suggest that LinkedIn can be a good place to start your search, but if you haven’t found what you’re looking for after a few days, remember that there are much more efficient solutions out there.
Generic freelance marketplaces
Speaking of much more efficient solutions, well, realistically, generic freelance marketplaces like Upwork do not fit into that category! Especially when you need very specific ESG-related expertise.
Although these platforms do give you access to a huge global pool of freelancers, often at very low rates, quality and genuine specialization can be quite difficult to come by. These platforms are not built with ESG in mind, so there is no extensive vetting in place for sustainability credentials.
Often after posting a job, you will be forced to waste a lot of time sifting through numerous low-quality proposals. And it can be incredibly hard to tell who actually understands the relevant ESG-related concepts, and who’s essentially just throwing buzzwords into their profile.
Ultimately, hiring from a generic marketplace might seem attractive due to the low cost, but it is more often than not a time-consuming gamble, with very little guarantee of positive results.
This is an option that we would very much throw onto the ‘ones you should probably avoid’ pile.
ESG recruitment agencies
We were also going to include a separate section for traditional/generic recruitment agencies, but then we realised that would be silly, because you should never look to generic recruitment agencies for top sustainability talent. They just simply do not have the depth of knowledge or expertise necessary to handle the nuance that ESG recruitment requires.
So if you’re considering going down the recruitment agency route, make sure it is with a reputable ESG recruitment agency.
These are agencies that really understand the sustainability landscape. They should have a network of genuine ESG experts, and a track record of making successful placements in sustainability/ESG roles. Find an agency like that, and of course there is a good chance they can connect you with the freelancers you need.
But it is also worth noting that many of these agencies still follow traditional recruitment models, with high fees, slow turnaround times, and processes that don’t always suit freelance or project-based needs.
If your needs are urgent and flexibility is a priority, there may be smarter, faster, and more adaptable solutions out there. (Spoiler alert, there are!).
Specialist ESG talent platforms
What do those smarter, faster, more adaptable solutions look like? Well we’re glad you asked!
These emerging solutions — rapidly growing in popularity — come in the form of specialist ESG talent platforms. Platforms built specifically to connect companies with pre-vetted freelance ESG talent in the fastest and most flexible way possible.
When you use one of these platforms, you don’t have to spend hours and hours sorting through unsuitable profiles, and you don’t have to spend weeks or even months dealing with traditional recruiter processes. Instead, you gain instant access to any kind of ESG expert you need, whenever you need them.
No huge recruiter fees, and no need for long-term commitments; just expertise when you need it, and only when you need it.
Whether you need someone for a quick project, an interim role, or ongoing support, these platforms are designed to meet your exact needs, with the flexibility to fit your workflow and timelines.
We feel we can really say this with confidence, because we have designed one of these very platforms ourselves; Dazzle!
Dazzle can connect you with the ESG freelancers you need, fast
Dazzle is a platform that offers the world’s best ESG freelancers on-demand.
No matter what your ESG goals are, we have already onboarded several top-level freelancers capable of helping you achieve them.
With Dazzle, quality is guaranteed because all of our experts are extensively pre-screened. And the process is also very flexible, as you can choose to work with our experts on a project-based, on-demand, or interim basis.
If you contact us today, based on your exact needs and timeline, we can send you several suitable freelancer profiles within 48 hours.
We have created our platform because we believe ESG recruitment shouldn’t be slow, stressful, or uncertain. It should be fast, flexible, and built around your specific goals.
Give us a try, and you’ll soon forget about all the other options discussed in this article!
