Corentin Neuffer, Energy Advisor, Energiapro

I started my studies with a Bachelor's degree in geography. It was very interesting and stimulating, but at the end of the three years, I needed to define what direction to take professionally and choose a Master's degree based on my project. That's why I decided to take a break before continuing my studies. Although I had done a lot of voluntary work during my Bachelor's degree, such as Editor-in-Chief of l'Irrégulier, or Animator for Fréquence Banane, I needed some professional experience outside the academic world to find my way. So, in my job search, I targeted geography in the broadest sense (statistics, hydrology, agriculture, monitoring, mobility, etc.), but also the Army (Fedpol, internal security, etc.). Unfortunately, I received very few, if any, negative responses. So I had to resign myself to taking food jobs (sales and catering) for a year. To get financial support and help with my integration, I registered for unemployment. I went straight onto social security, but I was able to get support from the ORP, which enabled me to get a BNF work placement. This gave me the chance to take part in a project on energy planning at the Geneva Cantonal Energy Office. This enabled me to develop a number of skills, as well as a network of contacts with professionals in the field. This experience helped me to choose my Master's degree, because I realised that territorial policy was a subject in environmental geosciences that interested me. So I took a Master's degree in geography with a major in sustainable town and country planning at the UNIL. I wanted to make this Master's degree more professional by gaining credits with an internship and also develop my network. So I opted to do my dissertation in a company, at the Direction de l'énergie du Canton de Vaud (DIREN). I was able to do my dissertation on their premises, which gave me access to their documentation and resource people to help me complete my work. A few months after I graduated, someone from the DIREN offered me a job at Energiapro (a company in the Holdigaz group). Once again, your network counts for a lot when you're looking for a job!

My activities at Energiapro include advising local authorities, producing local energy plans, working with the Cité de l'énergie, etc. as part of a multidisciplinary team. This job and my previous ones have required me to develop knowledge and skills such as knowing how energy works and the political context, adapting my communication to suit the people I'm dealing with, knowing how to listen and make myself heard, going out to meet people, working with very different profiles, finding my place, while remaining humble. On the strength of this experience, and sensitive to the issue of graduate employability, I am Secretary of the Argile Association. Its members include 300 professionals who can provide support in your job search.