This article, written by Owain Gabb (Director, BSG Ecology) and published in the September 2020 edition of In Practice, aims to provide guidance to students and early career ecologists on the skill sets they might seek to develop, and how to set themselves apart from their peers in a highly competitive job market.

An earlier version of this article featured in In Practice in March 2017. It has been refreshed and updated for 2020.