Spring is a busy time for ecological consultancies, and we often have to recruit seasonal staff and subcontractors at very short notice. At CGO Ecology we therefore welcome CVs from prospective employees and subcontractors at this time of year, but also throughout the year.
The way we recruit depends on the size and diversity of the projects on our books, but we normally have to scan a large number of CVs quickly, and recruit within a week at most. Therefore it is important to clearly list (ideally as bullet points) the species/species groups you have experience with, stating whether you can ID them proficiently, and how much survey or other experience you have with each group. Please also provide your geographic location (it's amazing how many CVs lack an address), your availability, and an idea of salary expectations. Don't worry though, we pay well and are fair employers.
Currently we have a growing workload of bat, bird, reptile, amphibian, invetebrate and botanical work. If we could target our recruitment to fulfil certain specialisms, we would aim to improve our coverage in botanical and invertebrate fields. Bat worker are always in high demand, and from May to September, we tend to have a shortage of surveyors. It only takes a few surveys' worth of experience to get involved, and we are flexible over the mode of engagement (PAYE or freelance).
If you have previously sent us a CV, please send a new one when it changes significantly, and certainly every year. From experience, if we email people who submitted a CV more than a year ago, there is a good chance they have permanent employment by now, and they often don't reply to our emails. (It's a shame, as we always reply to speculative emails). Hence we tend to focus on CVs less than one year old. Don't be shy to re-send your CV in any case.
If you are looking for work - good luck; and perhaps we will work together in the future. Don't forget: to keep abreast of opportunities, like the Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or check the website occasionally.
Chris Gleed-Owen, Director & Principal Ecologist, CGO Ecology Ltd
