You may also find our Guide to Becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer useful.
Renewable energy is a source that is inexhaustible, so the contracting opportunities within this sector are endless. The government are predicting 1.3 million new jobs by 2015 onwards with new projects being confirmed frequently.
The first step to finding a contract is to update your CV. Your CV needs to look as appealing as possible, visit our writing your CV page and our Top 5 CV Tips for more information. Employers will be interested most importantly in your experience and what you can offer them. As you will be working in a ‘green’ industry, it is important to remember you will all be working towards the same goal ‘of making energy carbon neutral’ so your passion and desire must clearly shine through in order to secure a contract.
Consider the following to make you stand out from the crowd:
- Research papers and submit them to the company to emphasise your passion on this topic.
- Extra curricular activities (no, not demonstrations) but you could be an active member supporting local green issues.
- Join LinkedIn and Facebook groups – but nothing that might deter potential clients.
- Keep track of green issues which you can discuss further in interviews.
Recruitment sites and niche specific agencies, who specialise in one particular area of renewable energy, are the most obvious ways to find work. By becoming a member of their network you then have a direct source which can send you regular updates on upcoming contracts and news in your sector. Visit useful sites such as International Renewable Energy Agency, Renewable UK and Renewable Energy South West.
Another option is contacting companies direct. Now not all companies will have their information published for all to see, so online community sites such as LinkedIn may allow you to search for a point of contact within the company, again it may be a hunting game in finding their details, however there is no harm in also sending your CV in the post and by email once you have their details, with a covering letter explaining what contract work you are looking for and what you can offer them.
LinkedIn is not the most obvious source when searching for a new contract, and it is very rare that you will actually find work using LinkedIn, however it is a good way to build up your network, get some strong points of contact within the Renewable Energy sector and to make people aware of when you are looking for a new contract. For more information visit LinkedIn for Contractors.
For more information on Renewable Energy Contracting, visit the following pages:
- Guide to Becoming a Renewable Energy Engineer
- Benefits of Becoming Renewable Energy Engineer
- Rates of Pay for Renewable Energy Engineers and Consultants
- Renewable Energy Engineers
If you still have questions about contracting then you can contact our New Business team on 01442 275789 or email newbusiness@sjdaccountancy.com.