My first month on the Goal7 Graduate Program

Having joined Goal7 just 5 weeks ago, I can share first-hand how the transition has been for me, graduating from university, and moving straight into my first graduate role.

I joined the team as a Graduate Sustainability Analyst on the Economics route. My role will allow me to contribute to the financial and economic aspects of advising and helping organisations implement sustainability strategies.

I grew up in Finland and moved to Scotland four years ago to study Economics and Finance at the University of Aberdeen. I really enjoyed my course throughout and started to gain a strong interest in Environmental Economics when I completed my dissertation in my final year. It was from this that I really knew I wanted to work in this area and I was delighted when I came across the role at Goal7 which was exactly what I was looking for! I was really impressed with how friendly and personal the interviewing procedure felt and was very excited to be offered a role in the team.

With this being my first professional role after University it was important to me that the business I joined had an understanding of my level of technical knowledge but an appreciation that this was my first proper job and had a training and development program in place, to support me turning theory into practice! It was really helpful to discuss this during my interview and this really gave me confidence in my decision to join the team.

My first few weeks have certainly not disappointed! I was quickly made to feel part of the team and am already contributing to live projects. I am currently working with a member of the team on an economic valuation model. Coming from a financial background, working in the Energy industry is very new to me, and my colleagues are helping me get to grips with some of the terminology and ways of working. We have a real variety of expertise in the team and it’s really interesting to see how we all offer a different viewpoint to the projects we are working on. One of the most exciting days I’ve had so far was attending a workshop where industry stakeholders were invited to contribute towards Government activities. Whilst I didn’t feel in a position to input to the session, witnessing this discussion was an extremely interesting and insightful opportunity.

I think for me, the opportunity to join a small, growing business has given me the chance to feel involved very quickly and I think also contributes towards the feeling of a very supportive working environment where we are all growing together. I don’t think I would have felt this so quickly in a larger organization, and I’m really looking forward to continuing settling into my role over the next few months.

Applications are currently open for the 2023 Graduate Sustainability Analyst program, closing 27 January 2023. Click here to apply and find out more.