Bonus interview points for good communication skills

Phil Tracol of SOLGEN

Phil Tracol is Chairman and CEO of Solgen, a San Jose, CA solar installation company. Phil has over 10 years of electrical engineering and program management experience with a main focus on quality and reliability. Phil holds a Master of Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Montpellier (France). Phil was kind enough to suffer my questions and was very forthcoming with excellent tips for job seekers.

Phil started as an engineer in the manufacturing sector of photovoltaics. He says,

“My background in electrical engineering helps with the design aspects. I also have some project and business creation experience. My partner, Tyler Hummel, brings site construction experience and additional project management skills.

Many solar companies started two to four years ago, so most people are inexperienced. We try to look in parallel industries like construction, electrical and installation.”

Experienced photovoltaic installers are hard to find:

“I find that well-trained is different than experienced.  There are institutes where you can get good, in-depth training. You can also take a one-week training course and get some very good exposure on how to do an installation.

We find that there is a huge difference between people with only one week of training and those with more in-depth training and/or experience, when it comes to climbing on the roof, or using ground mounts. Well-trained goes with experience.

Like training in any other discipline, you need to learn best practices and all about the industry through school, before you can start hands-on training. On the job training is the best. We are more interested in recruiting beginners, who have received very good training, from schools like Solar Energy International.

I would only qualify someone with two to three years experience as an experienced installer. ”

I asked Phil about the timing, given the rough economic climate.

Solar is going to grow, in residential and commercial. This only the beginning, though we have done a lot already.  If we follow the expectations of legislators we have a long way to go to become solar equipped as a country, as a state and even locally.  The city of San Jose wants more commercial and residential installations. There will definitely be a lot of work and need for a lot of installers.  The best time to invest in education and training is during rough times, rather than placing your money on other investments. For us this was a good time to start a solar company as well.  Starting a new venture is a good thing to do during difficult economic times.

Phil spoke about ways to stand apart while interviewing.

An installer that has experience in job management would also be useful. Definitely good communication skills are helpful.  An installer is always with the customer and really needs to have good communication.  An installer must not shut off when the customer comes to him/her, sending the customer back to a sales person to handle their needs.  The installer needs to have a good relationship with the customer. It is part of the job.” For office jobs, multi-tasking is very much needed.”

Phil and I ended our conversation there, leaving me to reflect on his perspective.  Clearly experience is not necessarily a prerequisite for Phil, as long as prospective employees have thorough training and a much needed, exceptional “something” that sets them apart from others.  Like most solar professionals that I have spoken to recently, he advises aspiring solar enthusiasts to invest in thorough training now, rather than later, in order to reap the benefits of the impending solar industry explosion!

Your sunny, transitioning to solar gal,
Linda Siegel, Linda.siegel85@gmail.com

PS: My blog pick this week is 100 Exciting Lectures on All Things Green. Hardly any are about solar PV, but so many are interesting nonetheless. Please tell me what you think.

Industry veteran advises “full speed ahead”

I first met Mike Stevens when he was my instructor at the Solar Training Institute, in San Jose, CA, where I took a photovoltaic design and installation class. Mike has a degree in Technical Writing and Editing (BSc.) with a minor in Metallurgy and Materials Science. Mike has been in the solar industry for over 30 years. During that time he has worked in installation, management, sales and marketing. His broad experience and knowledge, not only of the history of solar, but emerging new technologies, is impressive.  I had never met anyone with his dedication to this industry before. I imagine his resume is quite long.

Mike quipped, “I started in solar just after college, in 1973, when I learned through my research that the sun delivered 100,000 times more energy to the Earth, for free, every day, than the entire human race consumed [at that time].  I figured to tap into that free money source and own the world someday. My greedy thought has since evolved into trying to leave the planet in better shape for my children, their grandchildren and all future generations.”

I asked Mike’s opinion on how the solar industry has fared in this rough economy. He said that the economic downturn only slightly slowed the explosive growth of the industry and that it continues to expand exponentially worldwide, especially here in the U.S.

Some say that there is fierce competition for business in the solar industry, because of the economy, and also high competition for careers in the industry. Should this discourage people seeking a career transition into solar? Mike thinks not. He said,

“People seeking careers in solar should absolutely go full speed ahead. Yes, the short-term competition is fierce, but the long-term prospects are virtually unlimited. Solar still has an extremely small portion of the energy industry, but the phenomenal growth of the industry will only continue to open new employment opportunities, not restrict them. Now is the time to invest in basic solar learning, take entry-level jobs, or create them and LOOK AHEAD!”

Mike discussed what he looks for in potential employees.

“I look for enthusiasm, inquisitiveness and a strong work ethic. I also look for people who are committed to doing the work to the best of their ability.  Job seekers who are neat, confident, willing to take the initiative and figure out how to do something new, while unafraid to ask for direction, always stand out from the crowd. Applicants that have experience in construction or engineering trades get special consideration.

“I recommend that people who are inspired to excel in solar investigate as many aspects of the industry as possible. Find an entry-level job in that industry sector, work hard and work your way up! A friend of mine is a trainer for project managers at a leading solar company. She began working for the company as a laborer, with a college degree in history and no formal training in the solar industry. She got the job because of her desire to learn.”

Being the down-to-earth, personable guy that he is, Mike prefers to go with personal contacts and referrals, when looking for potential employees, rather than placement agencies.

Mike did not take solar classes when he began his career. He relied on his engineering and scientific background to understand the technology. Then Mike gathered a lot of “immersion experience,” aka “hands-on experience,” to gain a command of the industry.

I hope you find Mike’s advice helpful; I know I did.  I recently attended a green group meeting, where the keynote speaker advised the audience of job seekers to look for green jobs in alternative energy careers other than solar.  He believed that the competition for jobs in the solar industry is too strong. He may be right in the short-term, but, as Mike says, “…the long-term prospects are unlimited.”

As our economy gets back on track and people “go green”, spurred by Washington stimulus money, the solar industry will eventually explode full-speed ahead!
Your sunny, transitioning to solar gal,
Linda Siegel, Linda.siegel85@gmail.com

PS: Each blog I plan to share another interesting Internet resource. This first pick is a great blog entry by Solar Fred – an interview with many ideas on marketing solar:

Let’s get solar jobs

Hello and welcome,

I’m Linda Siegel and like helping others retrain for jobs in the solar industry.

I have been walking a solar retraining path for more than 4 months. In July, I was laid off from my interesting marketing, PR, writing and teaching job. Solar immediately impressed me for the growth potential.  So I’m now pursuing a solar job: building sales, effectively marketing, managing projects, people or an office.

My goal with this LindaSolarSun blog is to share ideas and the experiences of people who now work in solar. Hopefully, their lessons already learned will inform us and quicken our solar exploration and journey.

I will be interviewing people who got to their new solar jobs via various paths and employers in the industry. I want to know what made them choose a career in the industry, how they chose their training source, how they found their job, and what they look for in new solar employees.

Having converted my former home in Colorado to solar (off-grid), I thought I was fairly smart on the technology.  Nonetheless, to ease my transition into solar sales/marketing, I recently took a two-day hands-on intro class in photovoltaic design and installation. Simply put, I was BLOWN AWAY to discover just how much I didn’t know! There are incredible advances in the technology almost ready for introduction into the industry. These, and future changes, will rock the industry once they are released.
Here’s a bunch of reasons why I want to be in solar. Please leave your ideas in the comment section below.
•    Society socially rewards those who go green with solar.
•    Solar contractors have affordable cash-flow neutral leases.
•    Government rebates (federal, state and even some counties) are making home solar systems more affordable than ever before.
•    New commercial developments and residential subdivisions are incorporating solar systems into homes and buildings as they are built.
With the hugely increased volume, prices will drop and the solar industry will boom in many directions.  We are here because we want to ride that sweet wave.

Always, please share your ideas, concerns and questions. I’m actively looking for new people to interview. Please consider introducing me to someone you believe has great advice to share or nominating yourself.  Stay tuned as I publish regular updates from people paving a path for going solar with their careers.

Your sunny, transitioning to solar gal,
Linda Siegel, Linda.siegel85@gmail.com

PS: This is my favorite story of the week: Potential for 1.9 Million Renewable Energy Jobs