A solar installation employer reading resumes and running interviews is checking, fast: Are they actually comfortable at height, or will that become obvious and expensive on day one? Do they have any relevant trade background? Will they show up reliably? Build around all three.
The Resume, Top to Bottom
Header
Name, phone, email, city — then immediately flag anything relevant: NABCEP certification if held (even Associate-level), electrical license if held, any adjacent trade background (roofing, electrical, construction, carpentry). These lines do the most hiring work in this trade specifically.
Skills Block
Trade-specific language: PV racking and mounting, panel installation, basic electrical wiring, fall protection certified, OSHA 10, roof access experience, [manufacturer] equipment familiarity if applicable.
Work History
Prior employer, dates, and specifically call out any roof-work or height-work experience even from unrelated fields — roofing, construction, tree work, window washing. Demonstrated comfort at height from any background is a genuine, transferable credential in this trade.
What to Cut
Objectives, filler. One page.
The Interview
- Genuine height comfort, honestly assessed. Employers have seen candidates claim comfort with heights and then struggle badly on their first real roof — an honest answer here saves everyone time. If you're unsure, say so; many employers will let you try before fully committing either way.
- Physical readiness. Solar installation involves real physical labor — lifting panels, working in direct sun, sustained periods on a roof (the honest physical picture). Be prepared to speak to your physical readiness directly.
- Reliability and teamwork. Crews are small and interdependent — a plain, credible answer about showing up consistently and working well with a small team matters.
- Any adjacent trade knowledge, stated plainly. "I don't have solar-specific experience, but I've done two years of roofing and I'm comfortable up there" is a genuinely strong answer in this trade specifically.
- A question of your own. Ask about the residential/commercial/utility-scale mix, and about the path toward NABCEP support or electrical-license-track opportunities if that interests you long-term.
Any safety certifications (OSHA 10, fall protection training), NABCEP credentials if held, electrical license if held, driver's license — physical copies, one folder. In a fast-moving hiring trade, having documentation ready can be the difference between a same-day offer and a delayed one.
Where to Apply
ZipRecruiter's solar listings turn over quickly given the trade's explosive growth, plus direct applications to established regional solar installers — a genuinely fragmented, fast-growing industry with many mid-sized regional companies actively hiring, not just a few national names.