Graduate Programs are a great way to start your environmental career when you don't have experience. These programs are predominantly open for application between mid-February to late April. Some will start earlier and close as late as early June so you will need to keep your eye on individual company websites to make sure you don't miss out.

Graduate programs are run primarily by larger organisations in the environmental industry. They vary in format between organisations but generally consist of one or two years of a structured training program. Each graduate has a particular job, such as a Salinity Monitoring Officer, for which they must complete specific duties. In addition to these daily duties, they receive further training in many different areas of the organisation. This additional training can prove invaluable in improving your skills and building a wide-reaching network. As part of many of the programs, there are opportunities to move around the organisation within the period of the program.

The third stage varies between organisations and depends largely on the position you are applying for. It commonly consists of an individual interview with a member, often the manager, of the unit you will be working with, and a coordinator of the graduate program. Questions are usually specific to the position but they can ask more general environmental issue questions, such as "Please define Environmentally Sustainable Development".

The recruitment process for graduate programs is often gruelling and the group interviews can go for an entire day, but they give you lots of opportunities to show the employer your strengths. Even if you do not get the position, completing the process provides a good experience for future interviews.

Volunteering for an environmental organisation can give you the experience you need, the opportunity to learn about the organisation and industry, as well as "a foot in the door" so you're in the right place if a paid job opportunity does arise.

Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded people and share experiences of the job market, pass on hints, and find out about jobs that you may not have heard of otherwise.

Volunteering is also a great way to simply help out with a cause you believe in. Many environmental organisations would not be able to operate without volunteers, illustrated by a great quote from an American movie: "There is nothing stronger than the heart of the volunteer".

You can search for environmental volunteer jobs on our environmental jobs page or for more detailed information on how you can actually volunteer our blog post details out more organisations that accept environmental volunteers. Or, if you are a graduate interested in undertaking postgraduate study then check out our universities page.