Welcome to our Germany-USA Solar Industry Blog!

This blog is published by the Germany-USA Career Center, which assists companies in the solar and photovoltaic industry with recruiting sales / engineering, administrative, accounting and C-level management talent in North America and Germany.

The Germany-USA Career Center is
the leading recruiting source for U.S.-German and German-American markets. Since 1997, it provides employment, career and search services for companies in the US and in Germany.

On this blog, our team will keep you posted about ongoings in the transatlantic solar / photovoltaic / renewable energy business:

(German) Solar Industry News Overview:

Buchtipp: Exporthandbuch Erneuerbare Energien USA 2010/2011


Den Markt für erneuerbare Energien in den USA beschreibt detailliert das Exporthandbuch Erneuerbare Energien USA 2010/2011 der Deutschen Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena).

Die Publikation geht im Einzelnen auf die Marktentwicklungen und -perspektiven in den Vereinigten Staaten im Bereich Solar-, Wind- und Bioenergie ein.

Einzelne Staaten haben in den USA die Vorreiterrolle bei Einführung und Förderung erneuerbarer Energien übernommen. Deshalb beschäftigt sich das Exporthandbuch besonders mit den rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen und Fördermaßnahmen der Staaten Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Kalifornien, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas und Wisconsin.

Das Exporthandbuch Erneuerbare Energien USA 2010/2011 ist im Rahmen der Exportinitiative Erneuerbare Energien des Bundesministeriums für Wirtschaft und Technologie (BMWi) entstanden. Hier geht's zu Bestellseite und Leseprobe.

5 Questions Foreign Solar Companies Should Ask When Recruiting in the U.S.

In cross-border business, particularly in relatively new markets, there is no shortage of "You want it? We can do it!", Jack-of-all-trades business consultancies and organziations, who offer their service when companies from abroad are looking to recruit employees in the US.

PV companies from abroad who have recently arrived in the US have most likely encountered the type. Using a boutique "business development" services provider for everything on the shopping list may seem tempting, but it can backfire.

Why? If you are in charge of recruitment German-speaking, German-trained PV sales engineers, project planners or back-office staff for your solar company in the U.S., you may want to read these examples from the Germany-USA Career Center blog:

5 Questions to Ask Recruiters and Search Consultants

Did you notice that recruiting agencies and job boards keep playing bait-and-switch with their clients, constantly changing their focus, service and fee structure? Theirs has turned into a buyer’s market, thanks to a miserable economy. And it definitely hurts.

Good for you, the buyer – IF you know to ask the right questions, and how to compare apples to apples (without getting distracted by the occasional orange or lemon the other side throws in, just to make their offer look extra yummy).

In my experience, the following five questions should serve American and German companies in Germany and in the U.S. well, when evaluating organizations, recruiting agencies or job boards for helping them find and hire bilingual or multilingual, highly qualified employees:

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