7 Vital Ways to Improve Your Career Prospects in the Renewable Energy Industry

The Renewable Energy industry is growing rapidly, and with that comes opportunities for anyone wishing to get ahead in their Renewables career. Follow these 7 simple steps in order to improve your Renewables career prospects in the future and put yourself ahead of the curve. 

1. Update Your Online Profiles

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter or (most importantly) LinkedIn, it is important for your online profile to keep up with your latest achievements in work and education for your Renewables career. This can include displaying your degree, your Galileo Master Certificate (GMC) or any other relevant training you may have, as well as making sure your most recent job history and responsibilities are clearly shown.

2. Make the Most of Images

Pictures and logos are a great way to draw attention to a specific part of your application or profile. If you want to draw attention to your GMC, for example, use the logo awarded to successful participants to catch the eye of any prospective employer. This can be as simple as putting the logo on your LinkedIn profile, or even having it on your CV or resume. It’s a great way to make your application stand out from the crowd and to make sure that your achievement is seen by as many people as possible.

3. Network in as Many Ways as You Can

Attending conferences, training programmes and seminars is a great way to meet new people in similar fields to you and an important way of hearing about new opportunities in the sector and advance your Renewables career. As well as helping to develop your knowledge of the industry, these opportunities offer you the chance to interact with experts in the sector as well as a number of prospective colleagues and employers that may not be accessible otherwise.

4. Get involved with LinkedIn Groups

A LinkedIn Group introduces the opportunity to strengthen connections with others in the Renewables industry, providing a space to interact with LinkedIn members to share common skills, experiences, and contacts. Importantly, members of LinkedIn groups can send one another direct messages, offering a major opportunity to talk to employers and influencers in the industry. The Renewable Energy Institute runs a LinkedIn group  exclusively for those involved in the Renewable Energy sector (which can be found here ), offering members the chance to comment on discussions and blog posts, as well as interact with others in the industry.

5. Strengthen Your Management Skills

As you develop through your career, management skills become an increasingly vital part of your skillset, in any industry. Whilst knowledge of the engineering aspect of the Renewables sector is considered a prerequisite for any prospective participant in the industry, many neglect the managerial side of their training and find themselves held back as a result. As a result, the ECT offers a Project Management course designed to help professionals looking to advance in their sector, available both in the classroom and as Distance Learning. The course has received acclaim from past participants and is an excellent way to gain the management skills needed to help push your career to the next level.

6. Read and Keep up-to-date With the Latest Industry Developments

The Renewable Energy industry changes at a rapid rate and it is important to stay on top of the most recent developments in order to stay at the cutting edge of the industry. Whilst watching and reading the news is a great way to stay aware of the major changes, it is far from the only way to keep up to date. Following more academic journals and websites, such as the Energy Learning Journal, offers a more in-depth and scientific look at any changes, and is a great way of getting to know major academics in the sector. Following websites like this is a vital way to keep up to date with the latest research, products and news in the market and can help your career development.

7. Learn How to Promote Yourself Online

With so much content online now, it is increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd in an online environment. In order to do this, it is important to learn vital skills of promotion and marketing: When to post online, what content to publish, how to get individuals or businesses to notice you in a crowded environment. Whilst it is possible to find some promotional tools online, the most effective way to gaining the promotional skills needed is through professional training. The ECT’s Digital Marketing and Communications course is designed for people from technical backgrounds wishing to learn about digital promotion and is an excellent way to advance your knowledge of how to approach the digital world.