How to Build Up Your Renewable Energy Vocabulary

How to Build Up Your Renewable Energy Vocabulary

Sound Like You Understand the Industry

Employers look for entry-level hires who “understand their business and understand the industry.” The problem for a student is that this is the stuff you don’t learn in class. So, what to do? Be more efficient and smarter with your research so you can build up your renewable energy vocabulary and sound like you understand the industry.

Specific Content to Look For

First, know what you are after. This industry knowledge is often readily available in little pieces of information such as:

  • Hot topics and issues,
  • Names of thought leaders,
  • Technology developments,
  • Buzz words and jargon,
  • Cost/profitability/growth statistics,
  • Competitor lawsuits,
  • New patents,
  • Policy debates, etc.

The common denominator here is money. Look for headlines that affect a renewable energy company’s ability to make money.

Develop Your Own Syllabus

So, be strategic about the sites you browse, videos you watch and LinkedIn companies you follow.  You probably don’t use Twitter to get professional information, but you should; the short business headlines are perfect for accessing up to date and digestible information.  Set up RSS feeds.  Archive content so you can retrieve it later before an interview.  Develop your own reading list – your own syllabus – to build your Renewable Energy Vocabulary.

Reading this way –  just a few minutes every day –  builds context and develops a better understanding of the clean energy ‘big picture’.  The jobs and companies will start to make more sense.  Your job searching will become more focused and efficient.  And best of all, you’ll be able to “leak out” some of this Renewable Energy Vocabulary during an interview and make the recruiter think, “hum, she’s surprisingly aware of what’s going on in our business.”  Then, you can start negotiating moving expenses…

Check out other articles on our Insights page designed to help you find a renewable energy job or internship.