How to Hire a Home Performance Super Star: Best

How to Hire a Home
Performance Super Star: Best
Practices for Building Your
Home Performance Team
October 4th, 2011
1:00 pm EST/ 10:00am PST
Thank You Capitol Circle Sponsors
Efficiency First-Members
We record all of our webinars!
This webinar will be available to view at:
www.efficiencyfirst.org/webinars
This webinar qualifies for up to 1.5 BPI CEUs
We will download the official attendee report at the
end of the webinar and email it to BPI. Participation is
required to qualify for BPI CEUs. You will receive credit
automatically .
Please send all questions regarding CEUs to
[email protected]
The Resource Center
The Resource Center is a national not-for-profit organization
formed to conduct research and education concerning the
field of home energy performance.
AGENDA
I.
Patch Garcia
 Identify Hiring Needs
 General Pre-Qualifying Considerations
II. Tiger Adolf, BPI
 Knowledge, Skills & Abilities at Various Levels
III. Elena Foshay, Rising Sun Energy Center
 General Pre-Qualifying Considerations

IV.
Kif Scheuer, Strategic Energy Innovations
 General Screening Considerations

V.
Resources available: Hiring ToolKit
Resources available: Resource Center’s Career Resources
John Mello, Baltimore Green Careers
 Training Programs & Employer Partnerships
VI. Rob Minnick, Minnick’s Heating and Air
 Perspective from a Maryland HVAC/HP Company
Member Benefits
• 2012 ACI Conference Discount:
• Right Brain Branding:
• Complimentary Web site performance
review
• $150 off the regular registration fee
• $50 off the early-bird registration
• EnergySavvy.com:
• Electric and Gas Industries Association:
• Until October 31, 2011: Free first-year
membership, including discounts
• After November 1 2011, $50 discount off
• TREAT Software from Performance Systems
Development:
• Web Referral Service: 50% discount on
activation fees
• Give Something Back:
• 5-15% off Office supplies
•
•
• 10% off MRSP prices for
• Energy Conservation Institute:
• 5% off MSRP prices for tools and equipment
• 10% off prices for hands-on training courses
Home Energy Magazine:
•
20% discount
Green Builder Magazine:
•
10% discount
• TruTechTools.com:
• 3% discount off the best price for all
products
www.efficiencyfirst.org/member-benefits
Lists current employment opportunities in all aspects of the
Home Performance industry, including openings for energy
auditors, field technicians and administrative staff. There is
no charge for job seekers to view listings or post profiles and
resumes.
To register, visit:
http://jobs.efficiencyfirst.org
Employers who wish to post job openings must be current
members of Efficiency First
Patch Garcia | Recruiter and Intra-Company
Coach
Patch Garcia, a veteran of the S.F. Bay
Area’s “green scene”, has been
recruiting for solar and energy
efficiency companies for more than
ten years.
She is the former General Manager of
Sun Light and Power, former Chief
Culture Officer of Sustainable
Spaces/Recurve
She is currently working as an
independent recruiter for clean
technology companies such as Eco
Performance Builders, Sunwater Solar
and Watersmart Software.
The Ideal Home Performance Team
Technical
Sales
Administrative
When to Hire
Subbing Out Work
Technical
Administrative
Sales/Marketing
Demand Levels
New Employees
New Crews
Identifying Hiring Needs
Natural Talent
Delegate Down
Company Resource Allocation
General Screening Considerations
Shared Values
For Crews, Hire Leaders
Give People Time to Warm Up
Tiger Adolf | Director – Western Region
Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI)
Tiger joined BPI in 2010 and holds the
position of Western Regional Director.
She brings more than 20 years experience
working with federal and state agencies,
as well as investor-owned, cooperative
association and municipal utilities.
She was responsible for administering the
Weatherization Assistance Program in
southeastern Wyoming and also for
launching a Home Performance with
ENERGY STAR Program in the state.
About BPI
• Global Leader supporting the development of:
– highly professional building performance industry consensus
standards development,
– individual and organizational credentialing,
– rigorous quality assurance program.
• ANSI Accredited Standards Development Organization
– Application as ANSI Certification Body in progress
• Our mission is to raise the bar in performance
contracting.
Serving you since 1993
What BPI Offers
• National technical standards for the home performance
industry based on sound building science (open, transparent,
consensus-developed process)
• Certification of individuals in professional technical designations
• Accreditation of contractors committed to delivering quality,
home performance improvements
• Quality assurance to verify conformance with BPI Standards and
provide feedback for continuing improvement
• Affiliate Organizations offer training and preparation for BPI
Certification and deliver exam services to the market
Home Performance is Growing
• The residential energy efficiency retrofit and weatherization
industry is among the fastest-growing segments of the green
collar workforce.
• BPI Standards and Professional Credentials are the foundation
for more than 120 Residential Energy Efficiency Programs
across the nation
• HP industry depends on moving workers with stackable,
portable, national credentials that are recognized across
program and geographic boundaries
• Professional credentials provide certainty to employers in the
private market that the candidate is job-ready.
Demand for Consistency –
In Work and Skills
The second section supports a skilled workforce, identifying the essential job
functions and competencies for four common weatherization and homeperformance job classifications: Energy Auditor, Installer/Technician, Crew
Leader, and Quality Assurance Professional/Inspector. These are:
• Job Task Analyses (JTAs). JTAs identify and catalog all of the tasks a
given worker typically performs when completing a suite of energy
efficiency upgrades in a home.
• Essential Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). KSAs identify the
mental (cognitive) and physical (psychomotor) competencies that a
skilled worker should possess to perform high quality energy efficiency
upgrade work.
Growth of BPI Certifications
BPI Certifications by Year
Year
2001
BPI Certifications by Year New
New Cumulative
12,000
590
591
2002
508
511
2003
345
347
2004
353
513
2005
345
602
2006
752
963
2007
687
962
2,000
2008
1,278
1,622
0
2009
4,556
5,021
2010
11,423
12,043
2011
8,624
9,128
Total
29,465
32,306
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
29,465 active certifications 9/02/11
2010
Competency Framework
Employment
Eligibility
General Education
Requirements
Fundamental Skills /
Certificate
Advanced
Technical Courses
Professional
Certification
Management/
Sales Skills
•Physical
•Legal
•Age
Personal Competencies:
•Interpersonal Skills
•Integrity
•Professionalism
•Initiative
•Dependability
Workplace Competencies
•Team Work
•Customer Focus
•Problems Solving
•Decision Making
•Prior Education
•Eligible to Work
•Driver’s License
Academic Competencies:
•Reading
•Writing
•Basic arithmetic/math
•Verbal and written
communication
•Working with Tools and
Technology
•Checking, Examining, Recording
•Basic Workplace Safety
•Occupation-specific skills and competencies
•Company specific skills and competencies
•Industry recognized skills
and competencies
•Manufacturer Certifications
•Management
•Sales
•Supervisory Skills
•National Certifications
•Advanced Math/Algebra
•Marketing
•Accounting
•Inventory
•Personnel
Home Performance Skills and Abilities
Employment Ready
Home Energy Career Self Assessment
Contextualized Communication Skills
Soft and Other Basic Employment Skills
Installer or Audit Assistant
Basic Computing Skills for
forms
Safety
Basic
Construction Skills
Intro to Building Science
Concepts and Diagnostics
Basic Installation Measures; air sealing,
insulation, base load
Advanced Installer
Basic
Combustion
Safety
Installer
Certification
Diagnostic
Testing
Building
Envelope
Building Science
Applied Mathematics
Advanced
Wx Skills
Sustainable
Lighting
Retrofit, Energy
Consumption
Crew Chief / Energy Auditor
Inspection and Advanced
Measure Installation
Advanced Diagnostic Testing
Codes
Advanced Combustion Safety
Industry Certifications – Crew
Chief or Energy Auditor
Software Modeling Skills
Project Manager/ Production Coordinator
Customer Management
Scheduling and Production
Inventory Management
Owner/Operator
Plan/Direct/Coordinate
Organization Operations
Formulate
Policies
Manage Daily
Operations
Plan Use of Materials
and Human Resources
Certifications
Business License –
Contractor’s License
Nothing Happens Without a Job
• Employers routinely looking for qualified professionals to hire
• Unemployed, highly qualified professionals seeking jobs
• Consistency of qualifications not well aligned between
programs
• DOE/NREL effort to standardize job skills, demonstrate
workforce mobility up career ladders and across career lattices
by establishing a clear set of essential KSAs upon which worker
credentials should be based.
• Quality employees provide the basis for sound business
practices – Nothing Happens Until Somebody Sells a Job
BPI Green Collar Jobs Initiative
Green Collar Jobs
pages
Widely Promoted
Seeks to connect
employers with
qualified employees
Additional tools
coming through QMS
Project
Green Collar Jobs
• BPI's Green Collar Jobs Page: Free Resume Listing/Job
Posting
• For Job Seekers: Postings from Companies Seeking
Certified Professionals:
 BPI accredited firms
 BPI training affiliates and partners
 Companies seeking BPI certified professionals
 BPI careers
• For Employers: Resumes of BPI certified professionals
seeking employment
• Send resumes to or request job posting form from Kim:
[email protected]
Manage the People You Hire
• BPI Quality Management Systems is in Development –
Expected to Launch Late October
• Available to the Public – Home Performance Industry Support
• Guidebook Approach Covering QMS Principles
• Articles
• Templates
• Tools
• Techniques
Standards Under Development
Elena Foshay | Program Director
Rising Sun Energy Center
• Elena Foshay has been actively engaged in
the green jobs movement for more than five
years.
• Elena has published numerous policy briefs,
memos, and reports on green economic
development, job quality standards,
workforce development, and energy policy.
• Elena also did research for the Labor Center
at the University of California, Berkeley,
where she conducted a study of
opportunities in the green economy for
cities and training programs.
Workforce Hiring Toolkit
Assembled by the Efficiency First Workforce
Development Best Practices Committee as a
resource to help employers through the
hiring process.
Find the toolkit here:
http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/memberbenefits/#toolkit
Toolkit Overview
The toolkit offers information and ‘quick tips’ in six
areas:
• Writing a good job description
• Recruiting qualified candidates
• Processing applications and screening resumes
• Conducting successful interviews
• Conducting additional assessments
• Employer hiring and training incentives
Step 1: Write a Good Job Description
• The job description is the first step to
finding the best candidates to fill a job
opening.
• It is your chance to define your specific
requirements and preferences.
• A good job description acts as a preliminary
screening process.
Step 2: Recruit Well-Qualified Applicants
There are numerous options for finding
qualified applicants:
• Online (including Efficiency First Job Board)
• Local One-Stop Center
• Community college career centers
• Local job training programs
• Your company website
• Employer Council
• Internships
Step 3: Process Applications & Screen
Resumes
• Manage and review the incoming flow of
job applications.
• Create a rubric to help you pick the
candidates you would like to interview.
• Respond to top applicants quickly
Step 4: Conduct Successful Interviews
Form a good set of questions that will elicit
informative answers:
• Intro to the company and details about the
position
• Technical aptitude
• Experience and interests
• Cultural fit and leadership potential
• Situational assessments
Step 5: Conduct Additional Assessments
There are many other ways to conduct
additional assessments with job applicants:
• Work-day interviews
• Personality assessment tests
• Background check
– Pros and cons
– Dos and don’ts
Step 6: Employer Hiring and Training
Incentives
Incentives can provide financial support to
subsidize the cost of workforce-related
expenses:
• OJT
• Work Opportunity Tax Credit
• Enterprise Zones, Empowerment Zones
• Payroll tax incentives
• Federal Bonding Program
Kif Scheuer | Program Director
Strategic Energy Innovations
At SEI, Kif's primary focus is on sustainability
initiatives in the municipal sector.
In the recent past, he conducted outreach to
the solar industry for Skyline's Solar Installer
Training Program, and led SEI's green
demonstration project with the University of
Redlands.
Kif has also presented on SEI's work at a
variety of regional and national conferences
including GreenBuild (2007), West Coast
Green (2007), and ACEEE Summer Study
(2008).
Home Performance Resource Center:
Developing Tools for Employer Workforce Needs
• Goals
– Help potential employees understand what they are
getting into
– Offload some preliminary screening for employers
• Approach
– Provide clearer information about what home
performance career options are
– Create custom resources for employers to utilize in their
own hiring process
Home Performance Resource Center’s
Career Resources Website
• http://www.hprcenter.org/career-resources
• Provides key home performance job profiles and
additional resources for self assessment and job
training.
• Created through the Home Energy Retrofit
Occupations (HERO) program, a department of
Labor “Community Based Jobs Training Grant”
The Home Energy Retrofit Occupations (HERO) program is funded by a $2.5 million Community Based
Job Training (CBJT) Grant, as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and
Training Administration and hosted by the San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board
(SMCWIB).
Elements of the Career Resources
Website
• Contractor Video Profiles
• Career information
• Career Self-assessment
HPR Center Career Resources
Contractor Video Profiles
HPR Center Career Resources
Career Information
Career Self-Assessment
Overview
• Designed to compliment traditional workforce
industry recruitment and screening efforts
• Provides a free widely accessible resource that
job seekers can utilize to better understand
the industry as a whole and their potential fit
for employment.
• In process of linking results to EF Job Board.
Career Self-Assessment
Sample Results
Putting Career Resources To Work
• Direct Applicants to HPR Center to answer
their questions prior to applying
• Ask applicants to submit self-assessment
results with their resume
• Post your jobs to Efficiency First job board
John Mello |Green Projects Director
Baltimore Center for Green Careers
John Mello is the Director of Civic Works’
Green Projects department which includes
the Baltimore Center for Green Careers and
EnergyReady.
In this capacity he is responsible for B’more
Green’s operations, including supervision of
staff and certified trainers, program
administration, evaluation and reporting.
John lead the team that launched the
Baltimore Center for Green Careers and was
involved in designing and starting up Civic
Works’ “EnergyReady”, a Home Performance
social enterprise and he currently directs the
newly expanded EnergyReady operations.
Home Performance Installer
Training & Placement
Social Enterprise
Baltimore’s
Home Performance
Industry
Demand
Creation
Workforce
Creation
Entry-level w/d
Why it Works
•
•
•
•
•
•
Employer Demand Driven
Information Session
Pre-screening
Industry Recognized Credentials
On-the-job training
Work Day Interview
www.baltimoregreencareers.org
www.energyreadynow.com
Rob Minnick | General Manager
Minnick’s Inc.
Rob Minnick has 30 years experience in the Heating
and Air Conditioning field, in particular with
Mechanical Design & Home Performance for
homeowners.
Rob Minnick earned his certifications from Air
Conditioning Contractors of America, Building
Performance Institute, Residential Energy Service
Network and United States Green Building Council.
In addition to his heating and air conditioning work,
Rob is a board member for the Air conditioning
Contractor of America Washington, DC Chapter and
Efficiency First Maryland Chapter and serves on the
Board of Directors for MD Clean Energy Center. In
this role, he helps members on up coming codes
changes, training and any other items to help the
member exceed at there business.
Minnick’s Inc.
Background
Launching Home Performance Work
HVAC/Home Performance
Rebate, Incentive & Financing Program Impacts
Hiring Practices
Leveraging Training Programs: Baltimore Civic Works, Lincoln
Tech, Allstate Career Center
Benefits
Invested job seekers
Challenges
Geographic coverage
Adapt from Training Environment to Professional
Environment
Lessons Learned
Streamline standard processes
DISC assessment
Key Pieces of Advice
Adhere to practices in place
Minnick’s Hiring Process
1. Advertise Job Position
2. Pre-Qualify the Applicant
3. Set up 1st Interview
a. If interview goes well, run checks
4. Set up 2nd Interview
a. Run Additional Checks
5. Send Out Offer
6. Train New Hire
Key General Qualities
Character
Attitude
Skills can be taught
Questions
This webinar will be available to download within 48 hrs at:
http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/webinars/
Contact Information
Patch Garcia
Recruiter & Intra-Company Coach
[email protected]
Elena Foshay
Program Director
Rising Sun Energy Center
[email protected]
510-655-1501
Tiger Adolf, Western Regional Director
Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI)
518.951.0666 (Cell)
[email protected]
www.bpi.org
Standards, Certification, Accreditation, Quality Assurance
Contact Information
Kif Scheuer
Sustainable Communities Program Director
Strategic Energy Innovations
[email protected]
415-507-1433
John Mello
Green Projects Director
Baltimore Center for Green Careers Civic Works, Inc.
[email protected]
410-929-6214
Rob Minnick
General Manager
Minnick’s, Inc.
Rob@minnick’s.net
Thank You Capitol Circle Sponsors