6 Steps to How I Landed My Dream Job in Renewable Energy

Do you see the guy on the right? This is what I’ll be doing in a couple weeks! 3 months ago I wrote about the 7 things I learned from losing my dream job in renewable energy, and the 7 values that were driving my job search. I guess I like the number 7.

Losing the job wasn’t really that bad, it was a great experience and showed me how to manage a transition so it will be easier in the future. I started the blog to explore what was happening in the industry in Boston and as of last week I will be working with Nexamp. I’m really stoked, I think they have one of the best business models in the clean energy industry hands down. I wanted to walk through the 6 steps that I took to get the job:

1) Reading

I read a ton. Here are the main things that you need to get out of reading. One, understanding all the acronyms of the industry. Two, knowing what is happening with current companies and industry developments. These two pieces of information will help you to search for companies and also talk with current professionals. If you need to do some reading check out the Clean Tech Guide 101 – Renewable Energy Part 1:Technology Overview and the Clean Tech Guide 101 – Renewable Energy Part 2: Top Reading Material

2) Training

I was lucky to work at company that provided renewable energy training so I received it as part of my training. If you’re not this lucky, training will help to set you apart from the crowd. Here are the major things you need to be looking for in each industry. Green Building is all about LEED certification for professionals. For Solar, you’ll need to take a IREC ISPQ approved training courses. For energy efficiency, you need to look for Building Performance Institute (BPI) training. For Geothermal, you want to get an IGSHPA accreditation.

3) Hands-on Experience

Getting hand on experience is a huge bonus and will help to set you apart from the crowd because it shows your serious, and means the company will have to training you less. If you have no current contacts to do this, read these two posts. The Secret Weapon to Finding a Job Installing Solar Systems and 9 Places to Find a Job in Renewable Energy

4) Started a Blog

I started a blog to use as a platform to explore what was happening the clean tech industry in Boston. At first, it started as a personal blog, but its evolved into much more. Starting a blog gives you a press pass, or student pass, and allows you to talk with anyone and reach out to them with a good excuse. It’s for your blog after all. More importantly, starting a blog on a certain subject will make you more credible, it shows your a self-starter and it will set you apart in the crowd.

5) Got My Foot In The Door

I used the blog to research and get in contact with numerous companies I was interested in working for by sending them an email saying that I was interested in interviewing them for my blog. Here is the interview I did with Job Abe from Nexamp.

6) I stated What I Wanted

After I talked with Jon, I followed up with him a month later and said I’d be interested in connecting again because I’m looking for a position in the renewable energy industry and wanted to know if you had any advice or resource for me. When we talked, we set up an interview. This is the key, during the interveiw I stated exactly what I wanted to do with the company. I said that I wanted to get more hands on experience installing systems before moving onto business development to help grow the company. The logic was simple, I would be better at selling if I really understood the systems. They offered me the job that day.

Tagged as: BPI, IGSHPA, IREC, ISPQ, job search, LEED, Nexamp, Renewable Energy