Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Your technical skills are on point; you can collect field data using mobile equipment, use GIS to map out sampling locations, and communicate the need for sustainable practices. Between labs, internships, and classes, you have all the skills of an environmental scientist — well, almost all the skills. 

One of the most common issues entry-level environmental professionals face is a knowledge gap related to policy and regulations. The reality is that no matter what sector of the environmental field you are in — clean energy, waste management, or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) — understanding the various and ever-changing rules and regulations is key to being successful in most environmental jobs, especially consulting and management positions. 

Which Regulations Do You Need To Know?

The regulations that you need to be familiar with vary depending on which field you’re in, and to a large extent, your...

 Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Looking to enter the environmental field, but don’t have an environmental degree? Or maybe you don’t have a degree at all. Even though your path into sustainability might look different, you can still do your part to save the planet!

 There are many valid reasons why someone might want to pursue a career without getting a degree first. They may feel it’s too late in their career to go back to school, they may not be able to afford it, or they simply may not have an affinity for academia. Regardless of your reasoning, in this article, we will cover what you need to know to break into the environmental field.

If you have any degree at all — whether you studied computer science, marketing, or even film — those skills can almost definitely help our planet. A relatively seamless way to transition into the environmental field is to apply for roles that you were already applying to before, but at environmental...

Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Not sure which environmental field is right for you? Have you considered environmental consulting? We’ve researched everything you need to know! Read on to see if it’s right for you.

What is environmental consulting?

Although environmental consultants (ECs) can fill many roles, their general job function is to ensure that their clients abide by all environmental regulations. This includes a broad range of services, such as compliance testing, sampling, technical tasks, report research, and writing. Consultants can work in various industries, focusing on waste management, pollution control, environmental policy, etc. 

What are the benefits of being an environmental consultant?

Environmental consulting is a great way to explore many different sectors within the environmental field, pursue freelance opportunities, and gain a lot of transferable skills. ECs can often have more flexible hours than others, and depending on the type of work...

Whether you are a student thinking about entering the environmental field or a career changer hoping to land their dream job, salary is an important factor when you commence your job search. 

When I went back to school for biology after having a potential high salary management position, I told myself and others I didn’t  care about money. In hindsight, I was afraid to want money (and not get it) let alone say it out loud. Don’t be shamed into thinking having financial goals somehow negates your caring for the environment.

If you’re faring enough to put your financial goals front and center, here are some careers you might want to look into. Note: these aren’t entry-level, you’re going to have to make a plan and stick to it to land in one of these rewarding careers.

1. Environmental Lawyers

Median Annual Salary: $126,930

What They Do: Environmental Lawyers often work for advocacy groups, NGOs, energy...

Anyone who works with me knows I’m always talking about how to stand out in a crowd, especially on social media. I recently had an experience that increased my followers on Instagram by 10% in just a week. Considering my goal was first and foremost to share career advice with a group of amazing future environmental heroes and secondarily gain 4 or 5 new followers, I’d say it was a great success. The additional bonus was that it was super simple to execute.  

This experience was with Instagram Takeovers. If you don’t know what a takeover is, it basically means your hand over the keys to your profile to someone else and let them create posts, go live, and share stories with your audience.

This opportunity came about, no surprise, through networking (another topic I’m always talking about). I had given a presentation at SUNY-ESF several months prior and a career advisor there mentioned my name to the Rockland Conservation Corp. Subsequently, their...

If you’re an ambitious, career-focused college student, you probably have had internships on your mind lately. You might have even spent spring break frantically submitting your resume to company after company on LinkedIn. 

At this point, internships have become an expectation for many employers. If you’re looking to get a full-time job in the environmental field upon graduating, you’ll need at least a little “real-world” experience. The good news is many organizations, big and small, are willing to take a chance on interns! 

Here are our tips on how to get started on the internship search:

1. Don’t Procrastinate 

I know, I sound like every parent, professor, and college counselor out there. Although it’s not novel advice, you won’t get an internship unless you make time to search and apply. All too often, internship hunting is pushed to the back burner — not because of laziness, but because work from your classes...

Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Looking to apply for environmental jobs in the federal sector? 

As the environmental job outlook grows, it’s important to remember that a significant number of those jobs are in government. If you’re coming from the private sector or straight out of university, you will quickly realize that the process for applying to a federal job and a corporate/non-profit one is extremely different. 

I recently sat down with Nancy Segal, Professional Federal Resume Writer & Consultant, to discuss those differences and gain insight into some common questions I receive about applying in the federal sector. Nancy has over 30 years working in federal HR and has incredible resources for federal applicants on her website and YouTube channel. This blog article would not be possible without her help, so please check her out!

Without further ado, here is what every federal applicant needs to know: 

The Application Process: 

...

Co-authored by Neha Bhalla

Take a deep breath - you’ve made it through 2020. I hope you had a relaxing holiday season, no matter how you celebrated it, and here’s hoping for a lockdown-free, mask-off 2021!

As the new year starts, here is what you need to know to reinvigorate your job search!

1. Stop Doubting Yourself 

Half of the job-search-battle is your mindset, and after a difficult job market in 2020, it’s easy to feel frustrated or defeated. However, if you’re going into interviews thinking “I’m unqualified for this job” or “I don’t want to be here,” you might as well not show up. Confidence and enthusiasm are everything; acting down-in-the-dumps during an interview or blasé about a job is a massive red flag for a hiring manager.   

If you do find yourself saying “I’m unqualified for the types of jobs I want,” there are plenty of ways to become qualified - whether...

As with most questions about job searching the answer to the question, should I work with a recruiter, is not a simple straight-forward answer. 

Plenty has been said already about what recruiters do, who they are, and the pros and cons of working with one. That said, I am not going to reiterate that info here but rather share some articles that will be helpful to you to help you make an informed decision as to whether or not you want to try to work with a recruiter. 

The biggest thing to note is that aiming to work with recruiters is not a short-cut, thus, it should not be used to try to circumvent doing your own job searches and networking. 

Here are a few articles we think cover all the bases with the specific topics each contains: 

This article from Mac’s List answers the following questions:

• What do recruiters actually do?
• What do I get out of working with a recruiter?
• What are recruiters not telling me?
• Should I work with a recruiter?
• What is the best...

Here’s the truth:

Most people don’t know how to network.

They either don’t do it at all — or do it with no real plan or strategy.

You already know job networking is important.

It’s ESSENTIAL to not just getting a job — but also building your career.

If you want to be effective at job networking.

And I mean truly effective…

 You have to put together a plan.

Here are 5 proven steps you can follow to put together a job networking plan to land your dream job.

Step 1: Figure out WHY you’re networking

First — you have to figure out WHY you’re networking in the first place. 

You’re probably thinking “Duhhh, to get a job.” but that’s not enough. Because if you’re trying to meet someone who’s going to give you a job — that’s probably not going to happen.

 You need to form a strategy. And the first part of that is figuring out your networking goals.