Graduate Profile: Enviromental Management /PhD   

Degree/s Awarded: Bachelor of Environmental Management (Hons), Doctor of Philosophy
Position Gained: Policy Officer
Organisation: An SA Government Department
Commencement Date: October 2007
 
Could you give us a brief description of what your position involves?

80% of my time I am involved in working on policies in the environmental/NRM field. About half of this time is spent sitting at my desk writing/editing/researching. The other half is meeting with other people, either others in my team who are working on the same or similar stuff, or other stakeholders in the process. As with working in any Government Department which has any contact with the public you get something weird and totally out of left field come up most days - usually in the form of a letter of 'concern' to their local MP. These things tend to have to be dealt with almost on the spot as they arise, which keeps me on my toes!

With your experiences in securing employment what advice would you give to undergraduate/postgraduate students?

I agree with the comments of several other graduates in these profiles - you can NEVER be too prepared or too networked. You are trying to set yourself apart from all the other graduates, so having more work experience, committee experience etc than all of them will always make you stand out.

Get involved in a relevant professional association, maybe even get on the committee as a 'student rep'. Go to their meetings/talks and network - you never know when you will find yourself talking to someone who you may end up working for.

My degree included a work experience aspect, but if yours does not then you should seek out an opportunity like that. I always found the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre very useful as a first port of call. And even if your degree includes work experience, doing some extra is a good idea.

Can you briefly describe the application process relevant to your position?

The application called for a CV as well as a response to the criteria listed. Then there was an interview, in which I had to present a 10 minute response to a question they had given me a week prior.

What interview questions were you asked?

The usual stuff: tell us why you want this job, give an example of when you have carried out xyz task, tell us about your experience with xyz..

I also think it's important to ask them a (preferably intelligent) question when they offer you the chance (usually near the end of the interview) because it shows that you are interested enough to look further into the job. Pick something out of the job spec to show that you read more than just the bits you had to respond to directly. In my interview I asked about the 'requirement for intrastate and interstate travel requiring overnight absences from home'. I asked about how regular it is, if it meeting-based or more aimed at community engagement.

In your opinion, what factors enabled you to be successful in obtaining employment?

Before my interview I was able to speak to someone who works in the team that I now work for, he was a contact I had via my network. I therefore had a really good idea of what the job entailed, and was able to frame my responses to the interview questions accordingly. I also have many friends who currently work in various Government Departments who agreed to look over my application and help make sure I was using current 'buzz words' and framing my responses in the right way. I also had some interview practice with friends and staff at the Career Centre, as well as looking at the website and links they provide to help with interviews.

Do you have any further helpful hints for students and graduates?

Don't be afraid to ask questions - ring the contact person on the job ad and ask them whatever you want to know. You won't get another chance and you don't want to miss out on an interview just because you didn't ask about some aspect of the application. Or worse, you don't want to go through all the effort of getting the job only to find it is definitely not what you wanted.

Keep an eye on jobs in your field long before you are even thinking of applying - if you know the field you are less likely to miss out. Sign up to whatever job lists you can find in your field.