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Customising Your Profile To Help Land a Job

Customising Your Profile To Help Land a Job

You are a highly skilled renewable energy professional with so much to offer in terms of your experience and expertise but, you tend to ask yourself: “Why are recruiters not reaching out to me?” or “Why does everyone else seem to be getting headhunted but me?”. Well, the answer is simple. There could be a few simple items you may be forgetting to mention on your CV, LinkedIn profile and or job application which could very well change how successful you are in being found or perceived.

We as recruiters have a few tricks up our sleeve when it comes to finding great talent, and if you are out of the loop, you could be out of a new and exciting career opportunity too.

So, we decided to ask our recruiters for some nuggets of insight that they often feel candidates fail to mention when looking for a new opportunity. We suggest that when you are updating your CV or LinkedIn profile that you take into consideration that highlighting these points (where applicable) – could help you get your foot in the door when planning to land your next job!

This is what our team had to say…

Sean Gibson, Managing Director:

“Never say your reason for leaving is “conflict with management”, or similar. Always move on to something bigger and better, never present yourself in a negative light.”

Wiehahn De Jager, Recruitment Consultant:

“Your CV shouldn’t just explain to a recruiter what you do, but also speak to how well you do it. A CV should not define a candidate, but rather distinguish them.”

Robert Veith, Sales Director:

“Explain how you have reacted in difficult situations on power plants. What are your achievements that set you apart (provide at least four bullet points)? But more importantly, highlight how you have rectified issues on site, turned a project around or even saved money for your employers.”

JP Roos, Operations Manager:

“Do not copy and paste content from your job description. Recruiters want the nitty-gritty details of a day in your work-life. Let the passion for what you do shine through and boast about what makes you great at your profession. We want to be able to see the value you can bring and the first selling point for this is your CV or LinkedIn profile.”

Lindy Taylor, Innovation & Business Development Lead:

“Be searchable and consider that the terms you use to describe yourself may not necessarily be the terms recruiters are using. What other synonyms that are relative to your renewable energy technology experience can you use that you could be found for? For example, “rural electrification,” “mini-grids,” “energy storage” and “off-grid”. Mix it up!”

Lisa De Sousa, Recruitment Administrator:

“Show that you are well connected. Whether it be at university or past experiences, you will have met a multitude of different people – show that! Having influential networks shows that you have great communications skills which is always something that an organization looks for.”

Samantha Saunders, Recruitment Consultant:

“Speak more to your achievements rather than your everyday responsibilities. Be sure to highlight successful projects, sales figures where necessary and any company wins that you’ve been involved in! These highlight your value to your potential employer. And remember to make your CV look good – aesthetics do play a big part! Simple, to the point and easy to read.”

Rob Slater, Recruitment Consultant:

“Honesty is very important when putting your CV together. Take time to think and plan your CV so that it shows off who you are and what you will be able to bring to a prospective team. Don’t be shy to put your best foot forward.”

Phillip Khumalo, Recruitment Consultant

“Do not try too hard to over-sell yourself. Let your profile tell a story about your “talent”, what you are good at and enjoy doing, in essence, that is your contribution to the industry. You get hired for contribution to bottom-line goals, not for presenting the most flamboyant CV, name-dropping, or the use of complicated jargon. There is a lot of power in simplicity, honesty, and genuineness.”

It goes without saying that there are a lot of elements that you can add to your CV or LinkedIn profile to make you stand out, such as listing all the projects you have worked on or even that you have a work visa for a country that you are applying to a job for. So the next time you take the time to update your professional profile, take these points into consideration. Who knows, your phone might soon be ringing off the hook! Think outside the box. There are many people who can do what you do, but not necessarily as well as you do it!

If you have questions during your engagements with our recruiters, please speak up! If you would like to enquire about our Career Coaching services, feel free to drop us an email at careers@altgen.com.

Sean Gibson

Managing Director

“AltGen is all about effecting change, through people. With integrity, and passion”. 

Managing Director and Founder of the AltGen’ Group. Sean has played a pivotal role in steering and leading the vision and mission of AltGen, making AltGen the only highly specialist renewable energy recruitment firm operating within the renewable energy and sustainability space in Africa. Sean oversees the success of the entire group of AltGen companies.

Sean holds a Master of Philosophy in Sustainable Development from Stellenbosch University as well as an Honours degree from Rhodes University

Robert Veith

Sales Director

“Without quality and intelligent effort, there is no success and no reward.”

Joining AltGen in 2014, Robert started as a Recruitment Consultant and has since become our Recruitment Director overseeing the Recruitment and Executive Search division. Robert has extensive experience in securing talent for rare skills in the energy engineering market, including skills to the likes of Power System Engineers, SCADA Engineers, Project Developers and Electrical Engineering skills specific to design.

Through Robert’s leadership, each recruitment team is enabled to focus on their specific area of expertise, ensuring all client hiring needs are met. Through Robert’s years of dedication to sourcing and securing top talent in the industry, he has a wealth of insight into the skills market and provides our clients with a competitive advantage in a scarce skills environment enabling them to effectively execute on some of the most challenging renewable energy projects across Africa. Robert is also responsible for growth of the engineering recruitment team.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management from UNISA as well as a National Diploma in Electrical Engineering from CPUT.

Lindy Taylor

Business Development & Innovation Director

“The success of an organisation is defined by its people.”

As the Innovation & Business Development Manager, Lindy is responsible for the marketing and business development activities of AltGen. Through her big picture vision, Lindy has enabled AltGen to remain responsive in the cleantech space. She is responsible for engagements with new clients.
 
Lindy initially joined AltGen in 2015 and has grown into being an integral member of the senior management team. She ensures a collaborative approach with clients catering to their custom needs. Her focus is on attaining new clients, as well as handling contractual relationships with new and existing stakeholders.
 
Lindy holds a Bachelor’ Degree in Social Sciences from Rhodes University.

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Chris Roetz

Workforce Management Services: General Manager

“My goal is to deliver exceptional operational performance within AltGen – Northern Cape building on people, energy and sustainability”

Chris Roetz oversees AltGen’s Workforce Management division in the Northern Cape. He is responsible for the successful execution of HR advisory and management services for clients’ utility-scale projects in the region. Currently, Roetz mobilises an outsourced staff complement of over 200 employees. He also steers AltGen’s Solar Works programme in conjunction with his Pofadder based team.

Chris has 20 years of professional experience in an HR and outsourced staffing capacity within the energy environment and holds a National Diploma in Human Resource Management from UNISA.

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Muslim Janoowala

Consulting Services: Senior Consultant & Business Development Lead

“My focus is to be able to do impactful work, being in the front lines of the development sector finding solutions to safe and reliable drinking water, power and sanitation”

Muslim Janoowala drives AltGen’s consulting services arm. Muslim has 10+ years of experience in the renewable energy, water and general engineering space in Eastern Africa and has played an instrumental role in the success of AltGen consulting engagement on the AFD Green Mini-grid Programme in Kenya. His expertise caters to M&E activities, project management, impact analysis and assessments of funded water and renewable energy programmes that “enlighten” and uplift communities in rural Africa.

Muslim holds an MSc in Construction Management from Cass Business School and a Bachelor of Engineering in Architectural Environment Engineering from the University of Nottingham.

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Wiehahn de Jager

Senior Consultant & Team Lead

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”

Wiehahn de Jager has specialist recruitment expertise in the finance sector and has worked on various mandates for large international and national clients on both a retained and contingency basis. Wiehahn has gained an in-depth understanding of the professional skills operating within the capital markets, fin-tech, and green finance space, with a keen focus on talented professionals within the African context. He has a strong track record successfully working on a range of skill levels, from Directors to Analysts, with a special focus on professionals from mid-level up to Corporate Executives.

Wiehahn holds a Bachelor in Law from the University of Stellenbosch.

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Robert Slater

Senior Consultant & Team Lead

“I love to serve people and be the steppingstone between them and their dream job.”

Robert Slater is an expert in the talent acquisition of carbon management, environmental and social governance-related professionals across Africa. Robert has successfully closed mandates for clients who are focused on sourcing skills with experience in climate change, clean cooking, sustainability, and agricultural environments.

Slater cares deeply for people and the planet, he has a Life Coach Training certification from New Insights and volunteers at ON A MISSION, an NPO which enables businesses and individuals to invest in carbon offset projects. He holds an Honours Degree in Environmental Management from UNISA.

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Natascha Marais

Consultant

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. I look for people who want to change the world and introduce them to like-minded companies.”

Natascha Marais is highly skilled when it comes to sourcing those “unicorns” for our clients in the OEM, AI and technology, economic development, and legal spaces.

Natascha has proven experience in identifying and onboarding professionals to the likes of business developers, sales, and account managers as well as technical sales or software developer skills.

Marais holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Law from Pearson Institute.

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If you are serious about moving to the UK and are a PV Design Engineer or have engineering experience in offshore wind, in grid & transmission/network planning, or sub-station design and construction then let us know!
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