Landing a rewarding conservation job is no less difficult than the classes and fieldwork that led you to this exciting time in your career. Whether you just graduated from school or have prior work history, you can expect stiff competition from other passionate job seekers who share your dedication to preserving natural resources for future generations.
Your cover letter can make all the difference in whether your application moves forward in the hiring process. Instead of simply summarizing what's on your resume, use the cover letter as a marketing tool to explain your unique skill set and describe what you can do for the organization.
A cover letter follows a standard one-page format and offers more than a boring resume synopsis. The first section of a cover letter includes the date, contact information for you and the employer, and a greeting addressed personally to the hiring manager or another person within the organization. Bowie State University suggests that cover letters should never say, "To whom it may concern."
Advertisement Article continues below this adThe body of the letter should include three to four persuasive paragraphs that reflect your personality and explain why you're the best person for the job. To avoid getting automatically screened out by the company's applicant tracking system (ATS), use key words that jumped out at you when reading the job posting. For example, clearly state in your cover letter and resume that you're experienced in "invasive species control" if that's a big part of the job. End with a short paragraph expressing your enthusiasm and availability for an interview at the employer's convenience.
Your cover letter should articulate why you are drawn to conservation work. Employers also look for applicants who have clearly researched the organization and share similar values and conservation interests. The Reef-World Foundation states that the best cover letters describe how the applicant's credentials and skills could advance the mission, vision and goals of the organization.
Advertisement Article continues below this adWhen reviewing applications, Reef-World uses a rubric to rate applicants on their data analytics skills, culture fit and interest in marine conservation. The foundation is particularly impressed by those who mention familiarity with the marine tourism industry in their cover letter. Compelling cover letters also highlight lessons learned and meaningful work experiences that show motivation and ability to do the job that was advertised.
The cover letter brings job qualifications into laser focus. Emphasize interests and experiences that best align with the essential functions of the open position and the purpose of the organization. The World Land Trust (WLT) reports that competition is fierce for conservation jobs and yet many applicants blow their chances of getting hired by submitting generic cover letters that don't align with the mission of WLT. The Colorado State University Career Center offers good conservation cover letter examples that may help you customize your letters.
Keep in mind that a wildlife conservation cover letter needs to be different from a cover letter you might write to work as a conservation scientist or conservation officer. Conservation is a broad field that includes everything from tracking bird migration to presenting interpretive programs at a nature center and issuing tickets to poachers on a waterway. Use your cover letter to describe directly related experiences.
Advertisement Article continues below this adYou can set yourself apart by mentioning impressive academic credentials, internships, membership in professional organizations, volunteer work and research projects. Although that information may be buried somewhere in your resume, don't miss an opportunity to relate your unique qualifications to the job at hand.
If you're applying for a physically demanding conservation job, you may reveal in your wildlife conservation cover letter that you're the rugged outdoorsy type. For example, you could include a military, firefighting or construction job that involved hauling heavy equipment, driving all-terrain vehicles, clearing brush and relying on global positioning systems (GPS) in remote areas.