7 Ways To Attract Offshore Wind Job Offers

Offshore wind is rife with employment opportunities. One doesn’t have to look far to find pundits sounding the alert for talent shortages. However, many of these pieces talk about openings in construction and maintenance–a field reserved for a select group.
 

Tomorrow’s offshore wind farms will be built on the work of thousands of technicians, but they won’t be the only professionals the industry needs. Roles in administration, consultancy, technical writing, and data processing will be just as critical to securing the commercial success of farms. 
 

If offshore wind is your career’s next port of call, here are a few ways to draw the attention of recruiters.

Play To Your Skills

Offshore wind is not a monolith. Every farm is founded on the effort of companies from different fields. Employment opportunities therefore are as diverse, and you can find work up and down the supply chain.
 

Examining where your skills fall will help you find your window into offshore wind. For instance, those with experience in project management and business strategy can find work within a wind advisory group. Openings in supply chain and procurement abound for those with a background in IT and SAP tools.

Complete Safety Training

Offshore work is exciting, but often dangerous. Wind technicians are given extensive training in safety, but even workers who won’t be squeezing into nacelles or scaling turbines are required to take safety courses offered by the Global Wind Organisation (GWO).
 

Specific requirements can vary per position. The role you fit in may also land you on the onshore side of operations, and not have the same requirements as offshore positions. But if you’ve got your sights on eventually deploying out to wind farms, investing in training courses early on is one certain way to capture the attention of hiring managers.

Highlight Your Flexibility

Unlike office jobs, offshore wind follows no standard schedule. Many positions, like storekeeping, are rotated by shifts. There’ll be weeks spent on-site, and weeks spent on “days off”. Even remote or hybrid workers can be required to travel internationally to meet clients or suppliers.
 

Roles in offshore wind can also either be contractual or long-term, depending on the life cycle of the project one signs onto. Companies often relocate workers closer to the site. This isn’t a field for those who aren’t mobile and willing to be away for extended periods of time, making flexibility an advantage worth drawing attention to in your resume.

Proficiency In Languages

Getting into offshore wind is like embarking on a windswept adventure. Postings can take you anywhere from the coasts of Grimbsy to the seas north of Hokkaido. Hundreds of projects planned within the next decade ensure workers can expect opportunities to crop up all over the world.
 

However, that means that as an expat, you’ll frequently be working with a multinational team. Coordinators have to liaise with local stakeholders. Competencies in a different language, particularly for the region you’re targeting, will be a huge advantage in the eyes of employers.

Bring Soft Skills To The Fore

Offshore wind is a highly technical field that prizes backgrounds in science and engineering. Yet it takes more than a degree in specialist fields to have a successful career in offshore wind. Demonstrating that you have the soft skills to thrive amidst the challenging environment of an offshore farm will set you ahead of the competition.
 

Ability to work in teams, communication, and time management are some of the soft skills recruiters look for. Offshore workers spend weeks not only working, but living in close quarters with colleagues. Being a team player and the ability to collaborate is integral to productivity and safety on-site. Projects run on strict timelines and delays can cost millions. A good work ethic and deliverables turned in on time are great accomplishments to highlight.

Network and Connect

Part of landing any job is being in the right place, at the right time. Yet those transitioning from a different field may struggle to figure out where to position themselves in the space or who to reach out to in the first place.
 

The industry is on a mission to find bodies to fill the thousands of positions opening in the next decade. Organisations and academic institutions are launching programmes for professionals who want to make the leap into renewables. Use LinkedIn to find and follow leaders in the space, and keep an eye out for conferences and talks that you can use to bolster your qualifications and network for connections.

Stay Knowledgeable and Updated

Offshore wind is undergoing a decade of rapid growth. Manufacturers are racing to build bigger, more powerful turbines, while the floating wind sector is pushing hard to unlock the power of deep water. Keeping abreast of developments will impress prospecting recruiters. The renewables sector is run by passionate professionals looking to make a difference. Showing the same commitment and interest is bound to impress recruiters. 

Subscribe to industry publications like Offshore Wind Biz and Offshore Engineer Magazine, who report on the latest technological developments and projects that are breaking ground, cluing you in on which markets are set to become employment hotbeds in the next couple of years.
 

If you’re eyeing a transition into renewables, don’t fret. Positions are available for engineers and non-engineers alike, and there are ways you can make your application stand out to recruiters from offshore wind.