Date Added: 25.08.21

So you’re new to the industry, hungry for knowledge and looking to climb those ranks as quickly as you can. Sound familiar? Trying to forge a fledgling career in its infancy is in equal parts exciting and frustrating. You know you’re a catch and that you’d be an asset to any company, but how do you get your foot in the door for that shiny new opportunity when you don’t have a huge amount of experience to show off?

It’s the age old contradiction of employers seemingly wanting someone fresh out of university or their first industry job but also requiring a lot of experience and knowledge. As recruiters, we come across this tricky balancing act often and although it sounds nonsensical – we’ve become pretty good at deciphering what the client actually means.

In short: they want the energy, enthusiasm and hunger to progress that comes with youth, but they also want you to be committed, focused and to have an emerging specialism. It’s not that they simultaneously expect you to be nearly brand new but to somehow have accrued 7 years’ experience, it’s that they want to know they can trust you and usually the best way to tell is to look at what a candidate has done in previous roles.

However when someone’s reasonably new to the industry and doesn’t have that track record to fall back on – some employers struggle to know what green flags to look for. We’ve been in this game a long time, have worked with companies of all shapes and sizes, and we’ve gotten to know what your future employer really wants from you. So take a look at our top 4 pieces of advice for junior job seekers to get ahead in the energy and utilities industry:

Find your niche & tailor your CV

You know that saying: jack of all trades, master of none? While it’s unfair to discount someone for trying their hand at a lot of different skills, many a junior job hunter has fallen foul of not having enough experience in any one facet of their chosen profession. This is all role-dependant of course as some jobs actually want you to be an all-rounder. Generally speaking, if you often get feedback about not having enough experience then it’s likely that there isn’t enough of a particular skill. If your recruiter can find out what it was that the hiring manager felt was missing, take that knowledge and put it to use for your next application.

If you’re a jack of all trades at the moment, something you can do to help yourself out is to create different CVs for different types of roles, for instance if a Junior Energy Analyst job requires you to have knowledge of the environmental market then create a CV tailored to that job type. In that instance you would likely be relying on information you picked up at university or perhaps even just referencing it as a personal interest of yours. Tailoring your CV to different roles is a great way to make sure you’re hitting them with all the keywords they will be looking for, all without muddying the water by talking about things they’re not interested in.

Get networking

You’ve definitely heard the whole “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” spiel before, and it shouldn’t work that way but rubbing shoulders with industry experts is a great way to get ahead. Becoming known in the industry by attending sector-specific events is an amazing way to broaden your knowledge base, keep up to date with the latest trends and most of all, potentially meet your next employer. Now that in-person events are gradually making a comeback, you should definitely make a point of signing up to one and see how you get on. That being said, there’s a lot of value to be found in digital events and webinars too – particularly if you’re interested in meeting people from all over the world.

Another amazing career booster for those in entry-level or junior positions is to sign up to a mentoring scheme. Not only are you guaranteed one-to-one career advice from a successful energy industry leader, but your mentor can sometimes work as your eyes and ears for any opportunities coming up within their network. Plus, they can vouch for you as a reference which will no doubt place you a cut above the rest.

Soft skills matter

…especially when your hard skills are lacking. If you’re not sure what constitutes as a soft skill, it’s all the stuff that makes you good at your job and a great colleague that doesn’t involve technical or sector knowledge. For instance, resilience, being a team player and adaptability are some of the most coveted soft skills of the moment. Most employers hiring for a junior role will place a greater emphasis on these innate traits than what you know or what you’ve done in previous roles. The reason being that they know which characteristics will eventually, given the right nurturing and development, transform into the experience they’ll need.

If you have a personal statement on your CV, you could definitely pull out a few of the desired traits specified in the job description, likewise for your cover letter. It’s all about letting the hiring manager or recruiter see what kind of person you are from the get go.

Soft skills often be tested during the interview stage through competency based questions. For instance, you’ll probably be asked to recount a time when you made a mistake on a project and had to ‘fess up and bounce back from it. Or you might be asked to talk about a situation where you had to work as a team to deliver the best results.

Don’t stop learning

Instead of feeling frustrated or insecure about your lack of past work experience to adorn your CV with, view yourself as a sponge. Yes, you read that right: a sponge. Being in a junior position is the best time to absorb information and knowledge, not only are you not expected to have all the answers already but most colleagues will be delighted to impart some of their wisdom on you.

Aside from all the learning on the job you’ll be doing when you finally land that dream job, you should spend some time taking free courses or attending some webinars to brush up on your industry knowledge. Nothing impresses a future employer like seeing how your passion for the industry goes beyond 9-5. It’s also worth noting that many companies are crying out for fresh perspectives and outlooks, if you’re in the know on all the latest industry changes you’ll be in a better position to give them what they need.

We know it’s tough trying to break into your niche so you can make a name for yourself, but it’s so worth it when you finally find the perfect role that not only meets your needs right now, but gives you space to grow in the future. At Consult Energy we’re proud to work with some of the very best in the energy and utilities space, if you’re keen to take that next step in your career why not take a look at our latest vacancies.