Power Boost: Finding Experts To Build Solar Power Inverters 

The Dilemma

DZConneX's (DZX's) client, a leader in the power conversion space, had just sold $3 billion worth of solar inverters for two solar farms, one of its largest business deals won to date. This was great news for our client, but now they needed to build and deliver the solar panels to its customer across the country in a quick timeframe. Our client did not have nearly enough talent in their pipeline to complete this massive undertaking, so they needed immediate assistance from a talent expert to fill all the positions needed to accomplish the project. This is why our client called DZX's experts to help them, as we were already a trusted partner from a previous project.

The Strategy

In less than three months, DZX would need to find, filter, onboard and hire more than 50 individuals with expertise in building these complex, sometimes dangerous to construct, solar inverters. Going beyond the traditional job boards and average job postings, DZX contacted trade schools, used social media, visited career centers and took to guerrilla marketing to ensure the project demands would be met quickly and efficiently.

The Impact

Not only did DZX's dedicated team deliver on the solar inverter project of 55 candidates ahead of schedule, but by working with DZX, the client was provided nearly unheard of visibility into the talent portion of its business. An impressive 2:1 interview-to-hire ratio was achieved for this project. Because DZX’s solar recruiting proved to be a great success, the client assigned DZX a second and third project with similarly challenging deadlines because the company knew they would get it done.

Power Conversion Industry Facts

14.86% revenue growth in solar inverter market expected from 2014-2019

21.53% annual installed capacity growth in solar inverter market expected from 2014-2019

6 million Americans actively shopping for solar 

$3.7 trillion worldwide investment in solar expected by 2040 

The demand for companies all around the globe to diversify their energy sources, finding ways to switch from inefficient and harmful fossil fuels to renewable energies, has never been higher than it is today. Consumers today are demanding companies to not only offer superior products and services, but that they do it in a way that minimizes any harmful environmental impacts and maximizes efficiency of production.

DZX’s client, a conglomerate in the energy management, power, water, aviation, and many other industries, operates its business with that at the top of their mind. After acquiring a smaller company in the power business after months of negotiation (an acquisition DZX recruitment teams helped with by providing visibility into divisions of the business), the company soon won a big piece of business to build solar inverters for a customer outside Los Angeles.

While the acquired company had a talent supplier it had previously worked with, the conglomerate preferred to work with a firm it trusted and had worked with for years in other capacities– DZX. As a trusted partner for companies focused on developing innovations for the future, DZX is often required to create talent acquisition solutions for the client that are equally as innovative as they are challenging to complete. And this new project was no different.

We Have To Build It 

After winning the $3 billion piece of business from a German company to build these solar inverters, it may have seemed like the easiest part was complete and all that had to be done was build the product. However, this was not the case at all. Although the solar farms were located in the U.S. east of Los Angeles, DZX’s client first had to convince this German company that it would make the most financial and strategic sense to build the inverters in the company’s facility in Pittsburgh, PA, where it had talent acquisition specialists (DZX) who knew the market and how to get talent quickly. Following the delay in receiving the customer’s approval, our client finally gave the go-ahead for the project to officially begin. The only problem was that the client didn’t have nearly enough talent in its pipeline to complete such a critical undertaking, so DZX was called in for help.

In a timeframe of less than three months, DZX was in charge of finding more than 50 talented, experienced electrical technology experts in the greater Pittsburgh, PA area who could quickly read a schematic and construct a detailed, intricate device exactly as described. With most of the available talent in this manufacturing area tied to 90-day hourly contract limits before becoming full-time, salaried employees, DZX would have to navigate the talent market to find individuals who fit that bill. The talent pool was not overflowing with available and qualified candidates. And with a project of such high importance and value to the client, DZX could not afford to waste time or bring in any individuals who weren’t experienced in the exact task at hand.

Social Sourcing To Networking Events 

From going to Pittsburgh trade schools to personally recruiting talent to scouring local and industry-specific job boards continuously, DZX's teams used every tool at their disposal to ensure the talent requirements would be filled. We worked day and night to find and fill positions; recruiters used “help wanted” groups on Facebook to find candidates looking for work, they used online listing sites like Oodle to find qualified resumes and vet talent, and they visited career centers to find contact information for available workers.

DZX also hosted a local invite-only networking event to communicate with a number of potential candidates at once, giving them the opportunity to discover more information about the open positions and schedule future interviews. This also provided clients with an opportunity to meet some of the interested individuals and expedite the interview process. Lastly, DZX modified the client’s existing employee referral program to host a lunch where current employees could provide names of qualified candidates in exchange for a $25 gift card. If the person referred was hired, the referrer would also receive a $1,000 referral bonus.

In the end, no stone was left unturned and the process paid off. Originally tasked with filling 55 positions from the beginning of May until September, DZX completed the project by July 23, more than 6 weeks ahead of schedule, allowing the client to get started on production much quicker than expected. Without DZX's quick talent acquisition efforts, the client would have missed its deadline and cost itself potentially tens of millions of dollars. Through this detailed candidate vetting process, DZX managed an incredible 2:1 interview-to-hire ratio, cutting down on wasted time and saving the client a great deal of money in the long run. 

Successful Scalability

Because the project was such a success – DZX ensured its client was able to complete its $3 billion project on time and ahead of schedule – the work never quite finished. Following the completion of the recruitment for the solar inverter project, our client gave DZX a second project for another 32 positions it wanted filled in a two-month timeframe, and an upcoming third project for an additional 50 positions ready to go for January. From scaling up to scaling down, DZX has the skills to handle it either way.

The trust DZX instilled in the client because of its ability to meet all project requirements and deadlines, and even anticipate needs before they arise, lead to a client-vendor relationship that continues to grow today. DZX’s bottom-line-in-mind approach delivered more than just talent, but also new insight into talent needs that allowed for more accurate spending and savings across the entire talent spectrum.