5 simple steps to achieving Chartered membership

Becoming Chartered is the next stage of your professional development. Not only does it demonstrate your skills and knowledge to employers, potential clients and your colleagues, but sets you on the path towards becoming a Fellow or Chartered Environmentalist and potentially CIWM President one day.

CIWM Chartered Membership demonstrates you’ve achieved a high standard within the resources and waste sector, signed up to a code of conduct and committed to undertaking continual professional development every year.

However, many industry professionals don’t believe they can achieve accreditation. A lack of confidence is a big barrier holding many people who could be Chartered Members back.

I am so pleased to now be Chartered and recently used this in a job application to help demonstrate my knowledge.

Many professionals don’t realise they already have the skills needed to achieve this accreditation – you don’t need to be working with waste every day, you need a breadth of industry knowledge.

If you’re considering applying, you have a wide array of resources at your disposal to help you on your journey towards becoming Chartered. From an experienced mentor to insightful workshops, you’re supported every step of the way.

It’s important to remember that CIWM wants each and every candidate to succeed in achieving Chartered status. If a candidate doesn’t quite make it the first time, CIWM will work with them to provide detailed feedback and support, so that they understand exactly what they need to work on.

What do you need to be a Chartered Member?

To become a Chartered Member you must either have:

• With a degree – 4 years of work experience.
• Without a degree – 5 years of experience.
• There are also other routes that we can discuss with you, so get in touch if you have any questions.

Next, you must meet the 7 Chartered competencies:

1. Knowledge and understanding of the resources and wastes management industry.
2. Ability to analyse and evaluate problems and develop practical solutions.
3. Effective leadership and management skills.
4. Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
5. Shows personal commitment to Professional Standards.
6. Demonstrates and encourages good practice and sustainability.
7. Demonstrates and promotes safe working practices.

It’s important to consider each competency carefully. For example, some people may be put off by the third competency – “I don’t have management experience, so I won’t apply”. If this is you, ask yourself is this really the case?

The best thing about the experience for me was witnessing the enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and supporting each other within CIWM.

Management experience doesn’t have to involve managing a team of individuals. If you’ve taken the lead on a project, this is something you could put forward to demonstrate this competency.

Have confidence in yourself and take the time to ask yourself if you meet the Chartered competencies.

5 steps to becoming a Chartered Member

1. Register to attend a workshop
2. Find a mentor
3. Research, learn and read about the sector
4. Prepare documents (CV, development log and personal statement)
5. Begin planning your presentation for the Chartered interview

1. Register to attend a workshop

After you’ve finished reading the guidance documents, the first step to becoming Chartered is to register for a workshop or join an informal drop-in session. This is the best route to success.

Workshops take what can feel like an intimidating process and break it down into bite-sized chunks.

While it’s the first step on a journey that requires commitment, workshops provide candidates with a solid foundation to build from. Crucially, workshops help candidates establish initial industry connections that are extremely useful throughout the process.

One of the most important connections candidates can make is with a mentor.

2. Find a mentor

When Circular Online spoke to Gail Martin MCIWM, Member & Centre Engagement Manager, she said the best advice for professionals considering becoming Chartered Members is to get a mentor. She couldn’t “recommend finding a mentor enough.”

A mentor is an experienced guide who can help you navigate the process, so you can avoid any surprises and know exactly what’s expected of candidates. They’re an extra pair of eyes on your interview preparation and personal statement and can double up as a sponsor too.

CIWM has an exclusive mentoring platform for members that helps candidates unlock their full potential.

3. Research, learn and read about the sector

While keeping up to date with the industry will typically be part of your day-to-day role, researching the sector is a great way to prepare for the Chartered Membership application process.

Begin thinking about what areas you want to focus on, whether this is Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Deposit Return Scheme or WEEE. Circular Online’s Knowledge Centre publishes in-depth articles every week on the latest industry events.

This initial research will act as a solid foundation throughout your application and give you the confidence that you’re knowledgeable, experienced and ready to become Chartered.

4. Prepare documents

Aside from finding a mentor, Martin emphasised the importance of planning and preparation. “It’s never too early to begin preparations,” she said.

From updating your CV to beginning your development log and personal statement, preparation is key to not only a successful application but your confidence throughout the process.

You must also source 2 sponsors for your application who are already Chartered.

Attending a workshop will help you understand what’s expected from candidates in these documents. There’s no need to guess, once you know what to include, you can match your experience to the criteria. Your mentor can also provide guidance when you’re preparing your documents.

5. Begin planning your presentation for the Chartered interview

The final step is to begin planning your presentation for the Chartered interview, which CIWM thinks of as more a professional discussion. This presentation is about showcasing your contribution to the sector, so choose a project you’ve managed and know inside and out.

You have 10 minutes for your presentation and it will take place virtually. Prepare a PowerPoint that covers everything you want in detail.

The presentation must demonstrate how you meet the Chartered competencies. So, when you’re going through every slide and point you want to make, ask yourself am I demonstrating these competencies? Tick them off like a checklist to ensure you’ve met the standard.

One key message from a prior workshop is to focus the presentation on you – not your wider team or your business, but you. Focus the presentation on you and your role to ensure the panel gets to know who you are.

Become Chartered

Now you know more about the process of becoming a Chartered Member, if you want to begin your journey towards achieving the accreditation, book your place on a workshop today.

Becoming Chartered really opened doors for me in terms of developing my knowledge and understanding and meeting new like-minded people.

While achieving Chartered Membership requires dedication and hard work, you will have support throughout every stage of the process.

Hear from recently Chartered Members

Chala McKenna MCIWM

I am an associate working in the environmental law team at the commercial law firm Davidson Chalmers Stewart LLP. I was inspired to apply to become Chartered by my colleague, Laura Tainsh, who became Chartered six years ago.

It is a fairly rigorous process involving: completing a competency-based application form; preparing and delivering a presentation and a professional interview in which three interviewers ask you questions on matters such as your presentation and knowledge of the industry.

However, I think it should be, as becoming Chartered shows that you have been peer-reviewed and possess the high levels of knowledge and experience required to merit that accreditation. You absolutely have to put in the reading but I found doing this invaluable in identifying areas I was weaker in and honing my knowledge there.

The best thing about the experience for me was witnessing the enthusiasm for sharing knowledge and supporting each other within CIWM. The process seemed quite daunting at first but CIWM offered workshops to help those applying understand what is expected, and I had a fantastic mentor who helped me with mock interviews to prepare me.

When I first started the process I couldn’t understand why everyone was saying that I’d enjoy the interview but I actually did as it was exciting to discuss topical issues for the sector with really interesting and knowledgeable people.

Becoming Chartered really opened doors for me in terms of developing my knowledge and understanding and meeting new like-minded people and I would highly recommend it.

Aghogho Ateh MCIWM

I thoroughly enjoyed the process. I had the opportunity to speak to professionals from the introductory session, boot camp, conversations with my sponsor and the interview.

I came out of the whole process feeling empowered not only in the depth of my knowledge but also in the reassurance that I am now part of an organisation of professionals with a shared vision and goal.

Joanna Dainton MCIWM

I started looking at becoming Chartered back in 2019, even attending an in-person session which outlined the process; but found it a mental challenge to take steps towards actually starting, especially finding the time and motivating myself to begin.

In January 2022, I booked a virtual workshop run by CWIM on how the application process works and found it really useful for explaining the next steps. I started to think about what project I could use for my presentation and by the summer of 2022 had identified a sponsor in my workplace who supported me in writing my personal statement.

Through another session with CIWM, I was able to link up with a mentor who I met with virtually and spent time discussing the latest legislation and policy changes in the waste sector – something I didn’t often do in work time.

I also practised my presentation with my mentor, which helped make sure I was within the 10-minute limit.

The actual interview part went much quicker than I’d anticipated, and through my sessions with my mentor, I found discussing varied topics interesting and relatively easy.

I am so pleased to now be Chartered and recently used this in a job application to help demonstrate my knowledge and broad understanding of current issues in the waste and resources industry.