Graduate Profile - Bachelor of Environmental Management (Honours)

Could you give a description of what your position involves?

My position (GIS officer, Marine programs Branch: Coast and Marine, Directorate: Natural and Cultural Heritage, DEH) involves the use of spatial data to aid in the decision making and implementation of Marine Plans and the Marine Protected Areas pilot project. A few of my main tasks involve the production of maps displaying marine data in South Australia and the editing these data layers using ArcMap software.

Have the skills you developed at University been an important part of your position?

The skills I learned in undertaking GIS topics within my course are vital to performing within this position, as these skills are specialised. The general course content of the Environmental Management degree has also helped me to understand the purpose of position and how decisions within Marine Programs I am involved in are made.

Have you, or are you planning to undertake further study?

I have no immediate plans to undertake further study after Honours but I am keeping all of my options if I choose to conduct a PhD research project, or do a Graduate Diploma if my career needs to move a different direction.

At what stage during your studies did you begin to think about employment choices and options?

In third year, I began to think about what kind of employment I wanted to secure, which was a deciding factor in what subject I chose in my course that year. When I could not secure employment after third year, I undertook Honours and applied for more positions I had not applied for previously.

With your experiences in securing employment, what advice would you give to students who are in their first, second and final year of study

To first year Environmental Management students, I would suggest concentrating on getting used to the style of study within Social Science with some casual employment. In second year, consider incorporating work experience and volunteer work relevant to your interests. In third year, study hard to achieve results and apply for graduate positions early in the year, don’t leave it until the last minute. Become involved in programs for career development through the Careers and Employer Liaison Centre.

Many employers presenting employment information sessions have commented on the importance of students undertaking extra curricular activities during their time at university. Could you comment on this?

Extracurricular activities are definitely important to gain more skills outside the uni environment. This will show employers that you are a well-rounded person and a broader knowledge of the outside world with life experiences is certainly an advantage. Activities could involve casual employment in an unrelated field, volunteer work or work experience.

How did you go about finding graduate employment?

Flinders University Careers and Employer Liaison Centre, email lists such as GRADJOBS (ENV) and NRM jobs and attending careers fairs at university.

Briefly describe the application process relevant to your position

To apply for the OCPE South Australian Public Sector Graduate Recruitment Program, I obtained an application booklet (also available on the website) answering their selection criteria. The application is placed in a pool of graduates who are selected for referral to a government department when a position becomes available. A word of advice: if your application does not get through the first time, don’t give up. Applications are every six months and each application will be better than the last and new opportunities arise with each round. I applied three times to get this position.

What did you do to prepare for the interview? What questions were you asked?

To prepare for the interview, I addressed the selection criteria I was given before the interview and practiced my responses out loud. When I arrived for the interview I was given a sheet with questions to answer, similar to the selection criteria, 10 minutes before the actual interview, the questions were different from the selection criteria which gave me the opportunity to make my answers sound more natural rather than rehearsed.

The questions asked were:

• Why do I want to work in the marine conservation field,
• Give examples of GIS procedures you have undertaken to construct, edit, analyse and present data,
• What are the major benefits of using GIS in coast and marine management,
• How would you manage tensions between information accuracy and project deadlines,
• How do you prioritise your tasks,
• What skills make you a good team worker and what experience have you had with working under limited supervision,
• What do you consider important GIS data management issues throughout projects?
• In your opinion, what factors enabled you to be successful in obtaining employment?

Undertaking Honours in Environmental Management certainly gave me the edge over other applicants, even those with previous work experience in related fields. Being confident and honest in the interview I believe was a big factor in securing this position.  Working hard to obtain good grades showed my employer that I have the potential to perform well in my position even though I had little previous work experience in the environmental field.

Do you have any further helpful hints for graduates?

Be active in your job search efforts – the jobs will not come to you and don’t become discouraged if it takes many applications to secure a graduate position. Another word of advice in the environmental field is try not to keep your options too narrow. This is a broad field and a position that you thought you would not like may become just what you are looking for or may lead to employment in a more desirable area.