Clean Tech is sexy, and job seekers all around the world are looking for ways to enter this exciting market. But the job search can be daunting, and it can take months to land a job. Career changers with several years of experience in other industries are facing additional challenges as some are not confident applying directly for clean technology positions.
The best way to boost your confidence is to learn about the companies and technologies, to identify what you are passionate about, and to learn what roles your experience is best suited for. To do that, you need to research, attend conferences, and network! (See: Does Your CleanTech Job Hunt S***?)
The core tool you should have in your search is an outstanding resume. A professional resume writer can help you identify your most important skills, leverage your previous experience, and position yourself for a CleanTech job. CleanTechies talked to Andy Burnett, a seasoned Sales & Business Development professional, about his decision to work with a professional resume writer.
Why did you work with a professional resume writer?
After 20 years of starting my own companies and helping other start-ups expand their markets and sales, I decided to live my passion and pursue a career in Renewable Energy. I updated my resume and put two months of work into it, trying to make it sound just right. But I realized that it was going to be difficult for me to enter the CleanTech market, given that I didn’t have a typical career. I wasn’t sure about how to position myself and lost confidence in my resume – not a particularly good way to start looking for a job. When I came across a TreeHugger article on CleanTechies’ resume writing services, it made a lot of sense to me. I knew it was exactly what I needed to speed up my job search.
How did you decide which resume service to use?
What I particularly liked about CleanTechies’ professional resume writing service was the special focus on CleanTech resumes. I really liked the idea of having a CleanTech recruiter and a professional resume writer working together. The resume writer knows how to write a perfect resume, and the recruiter has the necessary CleanTech knowledge to oversee the process. I liked the unique focus on CleanTech, and I was comfortable with the price – especially after having done a quick search on typical pricing for this kind of service. The combination of having an expert writer and a recruiter team up really made it for me, and I knew a strong resume was the first and very critical step in building a CleanTech career.
What were your expectations from a professional resume?
The challenge with my resume was to take my story and make it flow. I didn’t know what the resume had to look like specifically, but I trusted CleanTechies’ experience with hundreds of resumes written. Previously, I had asked some friends who work in HR to take a look at my resume and give me advice. While that was somewhat helpful, my resume never became a complete story. In contrast, the resume writer I worked with transformed a disjointed story into a career story that flows. She chose words that are going to help me succeed with my job search.
How did you figure out where to fit in within CleanTech?
In the past, I don’t think I was giving myself enough credit. I had 20 years of work experience, but I didn’t know how to leverage my experiences and position myself for a CleanTech career. It was great to have a professional resume writer look over my achievements and highlight the most important ones, thereby using the keywords CleanTech recruiters are looking for. The resume writer explained how my previous career experiences were a better fit for this market than I had realized. She raised my confidence and encouraged me to apply for positions such as VP of Sales & Marketing or a Regional Business Development position in CleanTech.
Do you have any advice for job seekers looking to enter CleanTech?
It’s definitely a good investment to have an expert look at your resume. Each industry has its own specific needs, and a generic resume is not going to get you anywhere. If you are applying for a CleanTech position, you need to pull out a resume that shows you have CleanTech experience – or other relevant industry experience that you can leverage in your new job. I talked to a lot of people, and some asked me whether I really needed to have an expert write my resume. I certainly didn’t want to throw away cash, but I don’t have a past that speaks for for itself. I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy sell, and I needed an expert to tie all ends together and offer a complete picture. I felt very comfortable spending the money on a professional resume writing service, and I think it’s a good investment in my future career. Now, I know that I have the best resume I could put forward, and that makes me feel confident.
Learn more about how CleanTechies can help you write a winning resume and cover letter.
3 comments
Great post. We just had a guest expert, Frank Marquardt, post an article called “Finding a Clean Tech Job.” Please check it out at http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/05/finding-clean-tech-job.html as it may offer some more insight into pursuing opportunities in this career field.
Chris, thanks for pointing us to Frank Marquardt’s article. We know Frank well. In fact, he is writing a five-part series on clean tech job search strategies on this Blog. You can read it here:
http://cleantechies.wpengine.com/2009/05/22/green-technology-job-hunt-succeed-with-clear-goals/
I found that there are a couple of things that really increase the chances of getting a job, even now with an economic recession the basic rules still apply.
* Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Want
* Use Design That Grabs Attention
* Medium Size Resume and The Use Power Words
* Identify and Solve Employer’s Hidden Needs
* Sell the Benefits of Your Skills – it should be pretty obvious for the employer why not hiring you would be a loss for their company
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