Industry Expert Shares Top Hiring Trends in the Renewable Energy Sector

As the clean energy sector continues to grow & gain momentum across the globe, consequently, the number of jobs across the industry is set to increase. 

As a result, hiring managers will need to consider retaining and attracting top talent to meet project demands around the world. 

But the question remains – what are candidates looking for? And what are the current trends around candidate hiring, availability and mobility that HR managers should be aware of?

Back in August, Anávo’s VP of Global Talent Acquisition, Jan Rieche, was invited on ATA Insights’ “Renewable Energy Hotline” to answer all of these questions and more! 

Watch the interview here, or read the transcript below for ease.

Disclaimer: This transcript was auto-generated. Please excuse any typos or grammatical errors. 

Current Hiring Trends

What Are The Current Hiring Trends In The Renewable Energy Industry?

With the continued acceleration in renewable energy generation that is expected in 2022 & beyond, it’s anticipated that there will be an increase in renewable energy jobs.

We will see rapid growth in multidisciplinary areas, including business, environmental science, engineering and social science. The negative consequences of fossil fuel usage and climate change have fueled the demand for green energy in the last decades.  

The current worldwide trends are currently in Europe due to the recent announcement of the green deal.  

In Europe, we will see an increase in large scale solar and wind projects which will bring a demand for product managers, project engineers, construction managers and supervisors. 

There will also be continued growth in bioenergy, tidal and wave energy as companies and start-ups take more of an interest in these technologies.

HR managers will play a crucial role in supporting these hiring trends through talent management and workforce planning. Recruiting top talent will be essential to continue the growth of the renewable energy industry.

Job Growth Over The Next Decade

What Will The Job Growth In Renewable Energy Look Like In The Next Decade? 

The renewable energy industry continues to bring socio-economic benefits by creating jobs worldwide. With these jobs increasing and the demand for experts in the industry will become a must-have. 

The growth of large scale projects, such as wind and solar installation will continue to grow worldwide. There will be an influx in renewable energy in Africa in the next decade due to their rich availability of hydro, sun, wind and other energy sources. 

These large scale projects will create opportunities for people outside the industry to transfer their skills in project management and project engineering over to the renewables industry. 

There will also be job growth in newer technologies such as the installation of batteries, tidal and wave, green hydrogen, green ammonia and biomass.

As renewable companies expand they are finding themselves needing traditional business departments such as marketing, payroll, finance and HR. In the coming year’s these departments will play a vital role in scaling up renewable companies and their projects.  

Renewable energy will play a massive role in our day to day lives for the coming decades. Which will continue to create jobs of all kinds for individuals that are currently in the industry as well as those who are not.

HR Strategies To Attract Top Talent

What Strategies Can HR Managers Implement To Attract Top Talent In The Renewable Energy Industry? 

To attract top talent, HR managers need to pay well, involve them in your company, your projects, and create work environments and processes that will attract and make individuals want to work for your organisation. 

These Strategies include: 

– HR managers need to pay according to the market.

– Show individuals the short and long-term ways they can participate in the success of projects and the company ( using bonuses, long-term incentives or shares).

– Create and communicate the company culture (show that your organisation is a fun and safe play to work).

– Flexible working arrangements (home or office) and build robust internal processes. 

– Don’t just chase the next dollar! Create an internal process that prepares your organisation for growth.

Company & Candidate Perspective

Why Aren’t Companies Finding Suitable Candidates & Why Aren’t Candidates Getting Through The Application Process? 

We continue to see this every day! There are two ways to look at it, from the companies perspective and from the candidates perspective. 

– Companies perspective

The renewable industry is moving rather quickly and sometimes companies don’t have the internal manpower and processes to deal with the stage of growth.

This means that some companies don’t have the time to reply to candidates’ applications.  

– Candidates perspective

From a candidates point of view, they are either in the industry and are working on projects or are on the fringes of the industry and don’t have a strong personal brand.

During the application process, if the HR manager can see that a candidate doesn’t tick all of the job criteria, they think they can’t contribute straight away. 

The Biggest Challenges For An HR Manager

What Are The Biggest Challenges For An HR Manager In The Renewable Energy Industry?

The industry is currently looking for the same skillset. HR managers need to look at your organisation and attract those that will be suitable and work well in your organisation. 

HR managers need to look for individuals that have transferable skills that are similar to the job and what they are after, as well as implement the proper HR processes that can help attract top talent. 

How can a company compete to attract talent? Is it enough to pay more? Of course, paying more can help, but it is only just part of the overall package for candidates. So why is more pay sometimes not enough to attract candidates? 

A company’s culture also contributes to attracting candidates. Candidates are looking at the overall communication process of the company.

It can be challenging for new companies to the industry or companies expanding to keep up with the constant business challenges. However, this is where specialised recruiters such as Anávo are the solution!

We often have better networks, have the tools to help attract candidates, and have long personal relationships with both companies and candidates. Because of this, we can often find the right person for the HR or hiring managers.

We also offer HR and hiring managers advice on salaries, packages, company culture to strengthen your communication and attract more candidates. 

Candidate Challenges & How To Overcome Them

What Are The Challenges That Candidates Have, And How Can They Overcome Them?

The most significant challenge that candidates face are:

– They are in the industry and are doing large projects, or

– They are not in the industry and don’t have a public enough profile. 

So, why are candidates applying but aren’t receiving any feedback?

Companies sometimes don’t have the time to reply to candidates because they are overrun with work and don’t have the time or the manpower.  

How can a candidate land their first / new job in the industry? Unfortunately, this is a problem that many candidates are currently facing. 

Anávo’s VP of Global Talent Acquisition. Jan advises that if you are a candidate from outside the industry and want to use your expertise to move into renewable energy, you first need;

– To map out the market and see what’s happening out there.

– Look at the case studies to see where companies / projects have problems that your expertise can help with.

– Learn the industry jargon.

– Identifying key trends and topics in the industry.

– Show that your skills are transferable and that you are willing to learn and apply your current knowledge to the job.    

International Roles?

How Do HR Managers Hire For International Roles? 

This is a common trend worldwide, not just for big companies moving to a new geographical location but also for smaller project companies. These companies are looking for local talent as well as transferring HQ staff across.  

A service company such as Anávo are able to assist and provide advice for companies that need assistance when expanding. We can help you with visa requirements and other challenges that can be daunting when wanting to expand to a new geographical location. 

The first port of call for a company that doesn’t have a setup in a particular location is to work with international recruiters like Anávo that have people on the ground, who can give you advice on how to find employees, how to employ them, what to pay them, how to attract them and how to work through the HR process for that country or state.    

Moving Internationally For A Job

How Do Candidates Move Internationally For A Job?

As a candidate wanting to move internationally, use your connections, they might open a branch in a different geographical location you would like to work in. Speak to that company and get a transfer.  

As an internal employee, you can apply for a transfer to go abroad, which is easily accessible. 

The renewable energy industry is quite international. Both from how projects are done and the equipment that is being distributed around the world. This allows you to work internationally for a period of time or until the project ends. 

Matching Companies & Candidates

How Do You Match Companies And Candidates Through The Recruitment Process?

Anávo’s management process is to help companies find the right offer to attract candidates. This might be the salary, the company culture, or the long-term incentives to stay with the project and the company.

It’s also about giving the candidates a clear path on how they can grow within that organisation, and this is important to attract suitable candidates.

As a candidate, if you work with us when applying for roles with a company, we often have direct access to the HR or hiring manager. Therefore, we are in a better spot to give you feedback throughout the process rather than hearing nothing. We also help you throughout the recruitment process, providing the company and the candidate with a positive experience.  

In the recruitment process, candidates often don’t receive feedback from the company, leading to a negative experience without the company knowing about it. However, when we handle the candidates, they always receive feedback successfully or not. In addition, we provide each candidate feedback on how to improve on their next application. 

Job Flexibility & Working From Home

Is Job Flexibility & Working From Home Here To Stay In The Renewable Energy Industry? 

It’s fair to say that working from home has many benefits for employees and the company itself. It gives companies more relaxed and loyal employees.

Will we see a work environment where there are just a few jobs in the offices, and everyone else is working from home? No, this won’t work, and there are many reasons for this.  

Firstly, you have new people starting in your organisation, straight out of university or after an apprenticeship. You can’t just put them into a home office and expect them to pick things up. You would usually ask things over the shoulder in the office or on a coffee break, and these things can’t be replaced.

Secondly, we have a company culture. This is becoming more and more important for employer branding. If you want to create, keep, and evolve a culture, you need to be with people. You can’t do this every three to six months in global or regional meetings. 

There needs to be a way we can make it easier for people to work from home. One solution is working two to three days from home, this solves a lot of issues such as congestion on your way to work and reduces CO2 emissions as fewer people are driving to work. 

Yes, flexible working arrangements are here to stay but won’t entirely be office, nor will it be entirely from home.

Renewable energy is here to stay, and service recruiters like Anávo are the answer to securing top talent. As there is about to be an influx of large scale renewable projects across the globe, the time is now to reach out to our friendly team of experts. Reach out to Jan today!

With over 20 years of experience in staffing and managing renewable energy, environment, energy efficiency & infrastructure projects across Europe, the US & Australia, Jan is a respected expert in the field.

ATA Insights is an independent strategic communication firm committed to connecting renewable energy companies with growth opportunities. Offering workshops, guides & a regular newsletter, among many other things, they help you stay up to date with industry trends for growth.