A report by New Energy Finance and Heidrick & Struggles shows that cleantech CEOs are facing a shortage of human capital in the industry. Some of the highlights:
- 96% see the recruitment shortage as serious to moderately serious
- CEOs, CTOs and project managers are tough to find
- Most of the employees are being hired from outside of the cleantech industry
The question is whether or not the flood of money into cleantech will be able to hire enough experienced workers to meet VC expectations for business growth.
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June 2, 2008 at 11:57 am
What types of Cleantech workers are in demand?
More specifically, do you see opportunity for people with startup experience (e.g., sales, business development, fund raising, etc.) to transition into Cleantech to meet the unmet demand?
Any examples or suggestions would be great…
June 6, 2008 at 11:43 am
WRR, yes there are opportunities for technology people with no cleantech experience to transition into this industry. In fact, the study shows that 36% of candidates hired in cleantech come from technology but do not have cleantech or energy backgrounds. This is a great time to transition to the industry if you have no prior experience, as the sector is too new for companies to find plenty of people with prior industry experience. Research the company, find common denominators, and focus your resume on that area. For example, the solar cell market has many commonalities with the semiconductor market. Companies building new cars will have similarities to companies building complex technical and electronic equipment. Different cleantech companies will have different commonalities with existing technology markets. The challenge is to identify where your skills match those overlapping areas.