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Most Ocean Jobs Aren't Posted, So How Do People Get Them? · How To Protect The Ocean

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  Most of ocean conservation jobs have
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  never been posted publicly.
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  So how are people
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  actually getting those jobs?
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  Because if you've been applying online,
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  sending resumes and hearing nothing back,
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  you're not doing it wrong.
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  You're just playing the wrong game.
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  This is the How to Protect the Ocean
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  podcast, your weekday ocean news and
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  career insight podcast.
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  If you care about building a career in
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  ocean conservation and science,
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  hit that follow button
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  right now because this week,
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  we're going to be talking about how to
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  get jobs in marine science and
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  conservation for the
• 0:32
  next five episode Friday.
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  I'm going to be talking about something
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  that happened recently to me,
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  but a new job change
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  is going to be exciting.
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  I'm looking forward to doing it and I use
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  a lot of the skills.
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  I've used a lot of the skills that we
• 0:44
  talked about here and a lot of the
• 0:45
  strategies we talk about this week.
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  So don't forget to hit that follow button
• 0:49
  so you can tune into this week's, all of
• 0:51
  this week's episodes.
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  All right, so here's the truth that most
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  people won't tell you about jobs.
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  A huge percentage of the jobs in ocean
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  conservation are filled
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  before they're ever even posted.
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  Not because it's unfair,
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  but it's because it's easier.
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  Think about it from a
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  hiring manager's perspective.
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  If you already know someone, you've
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  worked with them in the field,
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  you met them at a conference or you see
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  you've seen how they
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  think or communicate.
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  Why would you sort through 200 cold
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  applications or probably more these days
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  like 800 cold applications?
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  You wouldn't you would just write.
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  You'd rather just reach out and say, hey,
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  are you available to work this job?
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  And that's that's the hidden job market.
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  It's built on referrals,
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  collaborations and relationships.
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  And this is why cold applications feel
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  like they disappear into a void because
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  most of the real
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  opportunities never make it that far.
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  I have been applying for jobs for the
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  last probably two decades and a lot of
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  the times there was a while where I was
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  getting interviews and stuff.
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  But lately it the game has changed folks.
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  You know, people are getting, you know,
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  three, four hundred, five hundred, six
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  hundred up to 800
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  resumes for one job posting.
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  Most people don't even apply, like don't
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  even qualify for the position, but
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  they're still applying and that just
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  makes it even more
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  difficult for people to get through.
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  And the right candidate to get through.
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  So doesn't mean that you don't qualify
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  for that position and you
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  don't deserve that position.
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  It just means you're not being seen.
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  And because sometimes when the job is
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  posted, there's already somebody that
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  they have in mind for it.
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  They just have to post it.
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  So it's working against you in a way just
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  to post to those resumes.
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  So we're going to talk
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  more about that today.
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  Now, here's where, you know, people get
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  networking completely wrong because
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  networking is a big, a big part of this.
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  They think it means, hey, can you help me
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  get a job or can you get me a job?
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  Do you know if there's a job available?
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  That stuff doesn't work.
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  Networking is not asking for something.
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  It's about becoming
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  someone people recognize.
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  It's about
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  familiarity, trust, consistency.
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  And when your name comes up, someone
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  thinks, yeah, I know them.
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  They're pretty solid.
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  They'd be good at this position or they'd
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  be good at that or I know them.
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  They're really good.
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  That's networking.
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  And it doesn't happen in one message.
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  It happens over time.
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  You have to invest that time.
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  So where does this actually
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  happen in ocean conservation?
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  There's a few key places.
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  If you get to conferences, this is still
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  one of the biggest ones that like biggest
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  means of getting that type of
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  relationship or building
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  those link those relationships.
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  Even small regional ones would really
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  help because the people there, they're
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  the ones that are the ones that are going
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  to doing the work, right?
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  They're the ones who
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  are the hiring managers.
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  They're the ones who are doing the work.
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  They're the ones who are going out and
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  saying, hey, you know what?
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  Like I know of this person is looking for
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  someone or hey, I'd like to get to know
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  what you do all that kind of stuff.
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  So conferences are still one
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  of the best places to do that.
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  They can be far and
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  they can be expensive.
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  I know that but if you can get yourself
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  to a conference, that's the best way to
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  do it, especially if it's
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  local webinars and virtual events.
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  Probably underrated.
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  But people show up consistently ask good
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  questions and get noticed.
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  If you if you've always noticed anytime
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  you're on a webinar, you probably see the
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  same people that come over, especially if
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  it's part of the same group that those
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  people stand out and eventually build
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  those help build those relationship.
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  It's like your way into those
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  relationship and LinkedIn is still one of
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  the best social media tools if you use it
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  properly, not for cold pitching like hey,
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  I'm looking for a job.
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  It's for commenting sharing ideas and
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  showing you understand the space.
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  So don't forget about LinkedIn.
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  Like, you know, one of the things that I
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  noticed about LinkedIn, a lot of science
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  people on there, there's a lot of
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  conservation people in the oceans on
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  there and like like CEOs and presidents
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  and things like that.
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  Those are probably not the ones you're
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  looking to get job, but you can still
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  build a name out for yourself through
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  there, not only by commenting, but by
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  posting your own stuff, you know, looking
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  at how you feel about certain aspects of
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  the business or certain aspects of a
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  project or study that you either put out
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  or paper that you've put out or even just
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  like what people what you've seen and
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  commented on what
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  you've seen that's come out.
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  And of course, as you know,
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  I'm a big fan of podcasts.
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  So I would say podcast is another one and
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  this is where you
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  have an unfair advantage.
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  You don't need permission to reach out to
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  someone and say, hey, I'd love to feature
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  your work on my podcast.
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  That's not networking.
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  It's value and it builds relationships
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  faster than almost anything else.
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  And I'll tell you why as someone who's
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  run a podcast for the last 11 years, I
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  would say I've my
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  network has increased in value.
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  Because of the podcast because when I
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  interview someone, I'm not just
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  interviewing them for the hour 45 minutes
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  to an hour that I have
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  them on the on the show.
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  I'm actually talking to them talking to
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  them maybe in a pre interview.
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  So for another hour before that or half
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  hour before that or like 15 minutes
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  before the interview, but the after
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  interview is really where things kind of
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  pop off in terms of deepening the value
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  of the relationship.
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  That's where now they feel comfortable.
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  You they know what the interviews like.
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  They're not as nervous to do the
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  interview and the guests are like, hey,
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  like what do you how
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  often do you do this?
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  A lot of times I talk about the podcast,
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  the success of it where like when I'm
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  going to post it, but also like, oh, that
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  project you mentioned in the interview.
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  That's really cool.
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  Can you just tell me a
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  little bit more about it?
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  And and we've had really great
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  conversations up to like three hours, you
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  know, in conversations
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  after an episode of that.
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  So I think it's really good to look at
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  doing your own podcast.
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  We're going to talk about that tomorrow.
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  So don't forget to follow because you're
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  going to want to hear tomorrow's episode.
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  But let's be honest, like
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  reaching out can be awkward.
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  So let's make this practical.
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  Here's what not to do.
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  Hey, I'm looking for a job.
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  Can you help me?
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  Do not do that.
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  Please do not do that, especially for
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  people who are not in the
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  position of hiring, right?
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  And even if you're hiring some of that
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  stuff, not the first
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  thing you want to say.
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  It puts pressure on someone
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  who has no idea who you are.
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  Instead, do this.
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  First example, comment on their podcast.
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  Comment on their post or
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  something that they've put up.
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  Find a post and say something thoughtful.
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  It's like, hey, really interesting point
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  about enforcement of MPAs.
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  Let's just say I hadn't thought about how
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  staffing levels impact
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  outcomes that directly.
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  Now they've seen your name.
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  They're going to look especially if not a
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  lot of people are commenting on it.
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  Even if they are just comment, you'll get
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  there and if you start doing it enough
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  and you have valuable comments, people
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  are like that person's insightful.
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  I'm going to keep my
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  eye out on that person.
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  Not stay for a job, but they're just
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  like, oh, this person asked really
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  insightful questions.
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  Then of course, is the follow up message.
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  You can say like, hey, I saw
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  your post on MPA enforcement.
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  Really appreciated the perspective.
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  I'm trying to learn
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  more about this space.
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  Any resources you'd recommend.
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  So not, hey, can you, can I talk to you?
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  No, it's any resources you recommend.
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  You're not asking for a job.
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  You're starting a conversation by asking
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  a question of just like, do you have any
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  more resources about this space?
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  Because they might have more papers or
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  they might be part of an organization
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  that deals with MPAs, all
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  that kind of stuff, right?
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  And then there's example three.
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  We're looking at podcast angle.
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  So we talked a little bit about this, but
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  you get to reach out to people say, hey,
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  I run a podcast on ocean conservation and
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  I'd love to highlight your work.
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  Would you be open to
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  do a short interview?
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  This does three things.
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  It gives them exposure, builds your
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  network and position you as someone
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  that's contributing, right?
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  And that's powerful.
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  That's really, really powerful.
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  But here's the part that
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  most people don't want to hear.
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  Networking takes time.
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  A lot of time in some cases, you don't
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  send one message and then
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  and get a job the next week.
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  That's just not the way it works.
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  What actually works is showing up
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  consistently, engaging with people over
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  time, sharing what
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  you've learned and be useful.
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  Then one day an opportunity comes up and
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  someone says, I know
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  exactly who I should talk to.
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  That's how people get jobs in this field.
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  Not by applying, but by being known.
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  If you're going to take one thing from
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  this episode, let it be this. Start one
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  conversation this week. Just one.
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  Not to get a job, just to be known.
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  Because in ocean conservation, your
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  network isn't optional. It's a pathway.
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  Here's the real thing
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  of this is this is good.
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  Each relationship will take time.
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  So you can start multiple relations, but
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  you don't want to bombard them with
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  comments on every post that they've made.
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  You want to look at their posts. You want
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  to observe how they're posting. You want
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  to observe how they act maybe digitally
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  or even in, you know, at a conference.
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  And when you have you commented a couple
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  of times on his post over the next couple
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  of months and then you meet that person
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  at a conference, you can
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  say, oh, hey, like I know you.
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  Sorry, my name is Andrew. I've seen what
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  you've been posting on LinkedIn. I've
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  commented a few times. I'm not sure if
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  you remember who I am.
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  This is what I do. Right? That is
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  something that's really big.
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  Another thing that I didn't mention that
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  I'll mention now is when you're going to
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  a conference, practice your
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  30 second elevator speech.
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  That's like crucial. Right? Because
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  everything you do, whenever you like,
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  whenever you are introduced to someone or
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  you introduce yourself to someone, you
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  have to say what they do.
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  There will be like an awkward pause.
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  They'll look at you and like, what do you
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  do? Before they even say that, like, hey,
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  my name is Andrew Lewin.
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  I am a podcast. I run. I run a podcast
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  for how to protect the ocean podcast.
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  I've been running it for 11 years and
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  I've displayed, you know,
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  I talked to people who I think are doing
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  really cool things on ocean conservation
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  and science so that other people can get
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  that same resource act as a resource.
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  It's not policy. It's been
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  a while since I've done it.
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  But every time I go to a conference, I
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  practice it in the mirror or I just
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  practice it as I'm walking up because the
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  more you say it, the better it comes out,
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  the more natural comes out.
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  You're not pulling for work just like I
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  was before. So it's never perfect. It
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  doesn't matter if it's perfect or not.
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  But as long as they know who you are and
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  what you do, that is the
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  best thing that you can do.
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  So practice that every single time you're
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  about to go to a conference or you're
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  about to go to a place where you're going
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  to meet people. If you found this episode
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  helpful, please share it with someone
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  that is trying to break into this field
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  and is having trouble getting a job.
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  And I think that's really important
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  because, you know, we need to help as
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  many people as possible get into this,
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  get into this field, whether you're a
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  scientist, whether you're an ocean
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  conservationist, whether you're
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  specialized in some kind of field.
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  There's so many fields out there.
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  There's so many ways that you can
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  contribute to ocean conservation, whether
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  it be through science or business or
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  anything like that. But the idea is to
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  meet people to network and to grow that
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  network out so that eventually one day,
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  hopefully it'll help you in the future.
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  So thank you so much for joining me on
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  today's episode of the How to Protect the
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  Ocean podcast. If you have a question or
• 11:31
  comment, you can reach me. If you speak
• 11:34
  up for blue.com forward slash feedback,
• 11:37
  that's speak up for blue.com forward
• 11:40
  slash feedback links in the show.
• 11:41
  And of course, if you're on Spotify, just
• 11:43
  hit a comment and I will get back to you.
• 11:45
  I want to thank you so much for joining
• 11:46
  me on today's episode of the How to
• 11:48
  Protect the Ocean podcast. I am your
• 11:49
  host, Andrew Lewin. Have a great day.
• 11:50
  We'll talk to you next
• 11:51
  time and happy conservation.