Why you’d like the role

“I would like this role because I would like the opportunity to be a part of Conservation Careers’ efforts and actions in supporting conservationists’ continued acts in supporting wildlife through their work. I want to use my experience in social media management and digital marketing to support the Conservation Careers community to feel inspired, supported, and encouraged to achieve their professional aspirations in conservation.”

How you’ll benefit

“I think that by undertaking this volunteer position I can develop my creative ability and try new  approaches to social media content. I am also excited about the opportunity to gain valuable  knowledge through the Communications for Conservation Projects online course. I currently use Canva to create my content but would be interested in developing more graphic design skills and editing that I could utilise in my future career. I would also be interested in being more involved in creating a social media schedule and the management of this.”

“I currently run social media accounts but without a professional audience so this opportunity would allow me to shift the way in which I view social media content into a more professional setting. This would be really beneficial for when I move into a professional career after completing my degree as I am very keen in continuing to engage people in conservation through social media platforms when I start working. I would be keen to expand one of my personal social media accounts into a platform that can really engage people with nature and conservation, and this opportunity with Conservation Careers would give me so many valuable skills to facilitate this.”

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“I have a great amount of social media and digital marketing experience and am currently in the process of a career transition from technology to wildlife conservation and marine biology. Working with Conservation Careers on the social media team would allow me to take my previous experience and passions and put them with my current career and passion and flourish in supporting the organization and the audience we cater to.”

Last year I was the Marketing Manager for the FilmBath Festival and now I am working to prove my dedication and further my understanding of social media marketing in a relevant opportunity. I will benefit from this role because I will increase my employability and prove to hiring managers that I am invested in sharing the conservation message.”

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“Every job/volunteering opportunity I undertake, I thrive to make the most out of. I would be looking for constructive advice on how I can improve my writing and how to better utilise social media to create more interest and outreach. I believe my confidence is something I am always working towards, and I hope that from your company I will receive mentoring to excel further in this. I would be very excited to have access to the networking opportunities to mainly learn from others and their experience and use this to further my own skillset and come up with new, fresh ideas on how to move forward in the conservation sector. I am currently writing my own little blog about conservation, events and science which all have an underlying theme of reaching minority groups and those without the financial benefits to undertake a lot of these expensive volunteering opportunities.”

Why you’d like the role & How you’ll benefit (combined)

“I have just completed an 8-month volunteering role as a Social Media Manager for a dog shelter in Northern Thailand called Saved Souls Foundation, and I believe this role would be the prefect successor for the career I’d like to build in social media outreach. Having never been good with public speaking, I found the best way to advocate for conservation matters that are important to me was via social media posts, online outreach projects, infographics and blogs. I am proud to have been able to connect volunteers with their perfect roles during my time with Saved Souls Foundation and would love to continue doing so while volunteering with one of the leading conservation career centres online and expanding my personal network as well!”

“While I have experience with Instagram and Facebook, I’d love to branch out to other platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn and get a better, well-rounded understanding of the benefits social media has on environmental and conservation matters worldwide. By connecting young conservationists with amazing opportunities, I will be able to play a key part in growing public interest in conservation issues and expanding your current network of conservation enthusiasts. 

The benefits offered with this role, such as your courses and inclusion in your online community, will in turn also kelp me kick-start my own career in conservation, as the pandemic has unfortunately put a slight pause in my efforts. After graduating with a BSc in Zoology, I spent the last year volunteering with Red Cross and Saved Souls Foundation and would love to continue my volunteering journey with Conservation Careers.” 

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“I would like to learn new skills and exercise my creativity in this role. It would be great to be working as part of a team and learn from each other. I would also enjoy the creative side of things and learning how to use the analytics too.”

For more examples from past recruitment, check out Behind the scenes | Applying for a conservation job at Conservation Careers and Job application feedback from Conservation Careers.

Our recruitment process

Here’s how we selected our top candidates, step by step.

For each application we received, we first checked whether the application was complete.

Any incomplete applications were dismissed (unless there was a clear mistake – e.g. a PDF didn’t attach properly, etc.)

For all complete applications, we gave the candidate a ranking from 0 to 5 for each component of the application, using an Excel spreadsheet. In this case these components were:

1. Why you’d like the role (<150 words).
2.  How you’ll benefit (<150 words).
3.  Your availability.
4. Sample social media posts for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Because the sample posts were important to the role, we gave each sample post its own ranking out of five. So long as candidates clearly met the availability requirement, they scored a 5.

We then summed up the rankings and used the totals to determine our top candidates.

It’s important to note that each employer and job application is different, but we hope this gives you some insight into the recruitment process from an employer’s point of view.

If you’d like more insights from a conservation employer, we recommend checking out our webinar Conservation Job Applications | Employer Insights and Marine conservation job application tips and tricks from The Reef-World Foundation!

Key messages

• Many conservation job applications fail not because of a lack of skills, experience or knowledge, but because they don’t follow the application instructions, or a lack knowledge of how to successfully apply. Did you know that about 90% of the job applications Conservation International receives are of poor quality?
• Always tailor your application to each and every role, using specific evidence of your suitability.
• If you clearly articulate your motivation (e.g. you can answer, ‘Why am I applying for this role?’ and ‘Why do I want to work with this organisation?’), the employer is much more likely to understand how you fit, and see you as committed.
• Employers are often very short on time. One of the best things you can do as job applicant is to make the employer’s job easy!
• Don’t be afraid to be unique. Let the employer know what makes you you, and how this matches with the role you’re applying for. It will often help you stand out!

We hope this feedback helps you showcase your unique skills to employers. Here are some more resources that can help…

Useful links & Free Stuff

To help you navigate your options, please select which best describes you:

• Are you submitting applications, but failing to get many interviews? Check out our FREE eBook Conservation Jobs: The Step-by-Step System to Get Hired as a Wildlife Conservationist – available on Kindle, EPUB and PDF. You can also read a summary in our Ultimate Guide How to Apply for a Conservation Job: The 10-Step Guide.
• Do you feel alone or burnt out in your job hunt? Learn a simple process to create high-quality job applications that significantly increase your chances of landing interviews, with support from the experts at Conservation Careers and a global community of conservationists! Check out our online course How to Apply for Any Conservation Job.
• Do you want to work in conservation but you’re feeling lost, disillusioned or confused?!? Check out our Kick-Starter training designed to help you understand the job market, to navigate your career options, and to get hired more quickly. It’s designed for students, graduates, job-seekers and career-switchers. We’re proud to say it also has 100% satisfaction and recommendation ratings. We know you’ll love it. Find out more about our Kick-Starter – Online Course.
• Are you applying for your dream job and need extra support to boost your chances? We can review your applications, and provide comprehensive 1:1 advice on how to improve them. Check out our Application Reviews and Career Coaching.
• Do you feel ready to be applying for jobs in conservation? Check out our membership packages for job seekers which provide access to the world’s biggest conservation job board – with over 10,000 conservation jobs shared each year – plus a range of other benefits. Check out our monthly memberships here.
• You’ve got an interview (well done!) and would like our help to prepare for it? We know what employers want, and have helped many people prepare for and deliver successful interviews. Check out our practice interviews here.

Credit: Indo Ocean Project.