Excited to explore sustainability-focused internships? You're not alone! There's been a noticeable increase in student interest, driven by a greater awareness of environmental issues and a strong desire to make a positive impact on our planet's future. However, we understand that navigating the job search process can be daunting. That's why the Career Center and Office for Sustainability joined forces to provide valuable tips and best practices to help you land your dream job in sustainability.
1. Explore sustainability-focused CIOs
Joining a sustainability-focused CIO is a great way to learn more about specific industries or topic areas. For example, if you’re interested in food access or food policy, attending a Food Assist meeting would be a great way to meet like-minded people and learn more about industry happenings. If sustainable fashion piques your interest, head to the next SWAP gathering. Additionally, participating in projects or organizing events can be great skills to add to your resume. Take a look at the 35+ sustainability-focused CIOs we have on Grounds and consider attending the next meeting.
2. Attend a sustainability event
There are dozens of great sustainability-focused events taking place across Grounds each semester. Attending an event is a great way to learn more about a specific subject, discover existing resources, and meet subject matter experts. Head over to UVA Sustainability’s events calendar or the Handshake calendar and pick one to add to your schedule. Pro tip: introducing yourself to event hosts is an awesome way to build your network. Event hosts will likely remember your name!
3. Connect on LinkedIn
Have you explored LinkedIn? If not, take a first pass at creating a profile that highlights your strengths, assets, and involvement in the sustainability field. Once you have a profile, spend some time navigating through profiles, companies, and job boards. Be sure to check out the alumni tab on UVA’s LinkedIn page, too. That’s a great way to find alumni in a specific industry that you already have a personal connection with (Hoos love supporting Hoos). Pro tip: the blog authors would love to connect with you: send Lela Garner and Ash Jenkins connection requests, and you’ll see all the awesome resources we repost.
4. Use asynchronous resources
There are plenty of great tools available to you in your sustainability career journey, both here at UVA and beyond. Read through the Career Center’s Sustainability Resource Card on Handshake and Sustainability Career Community website to find information on how to gain meaningful experience, scholarships available for sustainability, job roles and organizations in many subindustries, and key websites to help you on your pathway.
Virginia Alumni Mentoring provides an easy way to connect with UVA alumni working in sustainability. After logging in with NetBadge and creating your profile, you can search alumni by major, industry, career topic, and group – which includes our new sustainability group. Reach out to alumni for advice on career pathways, resumes, interviewing, and more.
Depending on what subindustries interest you, there may be professional associations with valuable career information, too. For example, the Society for Conservation Biology has a well-populated job board and articles on a variety of career topics that can help you tailor your search to specific opportunities.
5. Update your application materials
Now is a good time to revise your resume and cover letter for applications. If you’re just getting started, check out the Hoos Career Guide for how-tos and examples of resumes and cover letters. Also VMock is a tool that lets you upload a draft of your resume for feedback or start from scratch using one of the templates – which can be very helpful for figuring out formatting!
Once you want someone to look over your materials, come see the Career Center for drop-in advising at Clemons Library (2nd floor) or 1515 from 1:30-4:30 PM Monday through Thursday. You can also schedule a 30-minute appointment with one of the career counselors. They can help you tailor your materials to specific roles or organizations and give advice on how to best describe your past experiences. (Your materials don’t need to be perfect before meeting with the Career Center!)
6. Talk about your career next steps
If at any point you have questions or would like to chat about your career journey, the Career Center is here to help. The Career Center offers a variety of appointment types you can register for on Handshake including Job Search Strategies, Career/Major Exploration, Extern/Intern/Summer Search, and more. You can also schedule an industry-specific appointment on Handshake with career counselors for tailored career advice for sustainability, including Ash, the primary Career Counselor for the Sustainability Career Community. You can also always ask trusted people in your life to talk about your career, such as professors, friends, family, supervisors, and research mentors. Deciding on your next move can be daunting to do alone, so reach out for support where you can.