By Daniel Curry, Change Agents UK.
Passion for sustainability and the environment is more than just reading and writing about it – it’s about actually doing something positive
It’s a Sunday afternoon and I’m returning from a long weekend away visiting my parents. Being at home for 5 days is about the longest period of time I have been in Mid-Wales since the 2 months I spent post-university doing what is inevitable for all but the most pro-active of students: job hunting. Those words strike fear into the hearts of many who are beginning to plan their next move. Will I get a job? What kind of job do I want? Do I continue my education? The options are familiar to many recent graduates, and this list is far from exhaustive.
With nearly one in four young people (aged 16 – 25) in the UK unemployed, students are faced with a problem. The job market is competitive, degrees are increasingly losing their value and employers are looking for more than just a piece of paper and a friendly face.
But it’s not all doom and gloom. Having graduated in an environmental science related discipline, I was keen to get some experience in the sustainability sector. It was week number 6 after graduation and I had meticulously applied for 6 jobs (with no response). A little frustrated and widening the nets, I then came across the website of a charity called Change Agents UK. “A sustainability charity focussed on increasing the employability of young people” is what I read, so I immediately signed up and applied for a job. That was nearly 2 years ago and I am still in employment – so far so good!
The nature of sustainability is about thinking and acting with systems. To tackle issues – not as isolated occurrences – but as connected indices, as part of a “bigger picture”. The sustainability sector is growing and organisations from across the private, public and third sector are acknowledging that action has to be taken on social, environmental and economic challenges. In 2012 the green economy contributed a third of the UK’s growth, and has recently been quoted as being the only sector which has expanded in the past 12 months. What’s more, there are opportunities for people from a variety of different subject areas and backgrounds; you don’t have to have done a strictly environmental degree to get an ‘environmental’ job.
With a brief period of 3G signal on my largely rural route, I take a look at Change Agents UK’s website to get a better feel for the kind of roles we have recently recruited for. Communications gurus, project managers, GIS technicians, flood risk analysts, policy advisors, sustainable behaviour assistants and energy efficiency officers are just some of the 31 positions that have been available over the past two months. Sustainability is by no means just the domain of scientists any more.
So what do I need to do to stand out, you may be wondering? In my case, my degree helped me get the ticket to an interview, but, having now been working for a couple of years and involved in a team striving to increase the employability of recent grads, it quickly becomes apparent that it is as much about how you articulate answers to questions, your enthusiasm and communications skills that set you apart. Of course, experience gained outside of formal education is also a key ingredient to getting in front of that all-important interview panel. By experience, I don’t necessarily mean being paid – far from it in fact.
University is a great (probably the best) time to take advantage of volunteering opportunities on projects and join groups going on around you; opportunities that often provide the skills sought after by would-be employers. In short, volunteering not only helps you get to the interview, but can actually provide other skills that you can flex whilst you are there. This goes for customer service-type roles too. Working in bars or retail can provide many transferable skills valued by employers: dependability, communication, interpersonal skills, problem solving, time management – but you need to practice selling them in interviews by relating those skills specifically to the job you are applying for.
I studied a unit on energy policy and politics and I joined the university’s Transition group to help deliver a domestic energy efficiency project aimed at students. My first job after graduating was designing and delivering an energy efficiency project in partnership with a local authority – a project that has now been replicated in a further 23 places around the UK. Despite some “interesting” policies and decisions that have stifled certain green sectors in recent years [my only political comment], the outlook is positive, whilst having a job that achieves something positive is a big selling point of working in this sector.
My advice is to take advantage of what is going on around you, in your community and on your campus. If there isn’t something that inspires you – get something started with your friends or course mates. Passion for sustainability and the environment is more than just reading and writing about it – it’s about actually doing something positive. These experiences will not only help you shine on paper, whilst building your confidence and your skills – but they’ll provide clout to those claims of ‘passion’ and ‘enthusiasm’ found in 99.9% of personal statements on graduates’ CVs.