The energy storage job market in 2023 is both hot and cruel.
From a macro point of view, driven by the dual carbon strategy, the energy storage industry has an urgent thirst for talents. Reflected at the individual level, recruitment information such as "energy storage project, expanded from 200 to 1,000 people during the year, and the annual salary of 1.5 million to 2 million cash at the director level" is not uncommon in the circle of friends of headhunters, and continues to swipe the screen.
But from a micro point of view, young people who are looking forward to entering the energy storage industry are beginning to face brutal screening and competition.
Some fresh graduates reported to the workplace bonus that the autumn recruitment of leading energy storage companies such as CATL and Goldwind Technology has been launched in July, although there are many core positionsMaster's degree start, double first-class study experience, global T0P50 school background and other requirementsIt is almost a necessary condition for the resume to be screened, not to mention the competitive pressure brought by the selection of the best and the proportion of hires.
On the one hand, the demand is huge, on the other hand, the requirements are very high, and the seemingly contradictory talent dilemma is the externalization of the lack of sufficient talent accumulation in the market after the rapid heating up of the energy storage industry: because energy storage technology involves multiple disciplines such as dynamics, mechanics, power electronics, etc., energy storage professionals are bound to have a wider range of knowledge and experience.
At present, the lack of corresponding professional courses and insufficient knowledge reserves in colleges and universities have led to many challenges in the cultivation of energy storage talents. If it is calculated from the "Action Plan for the Development of Energy Storage Technology Professional Discipline (2020-2024)" jointly formulated and issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration in 2020The first batch of energy storage professionals will not be able to enter the industry until the summer of 2024, and from 2020 to 2024, it is not only a period of rapid development for energy storage companies to lay the foundation and get stuck, but also the best period for many job seekers to enter.
In the face of the hot trend of the industry, naturally some people can't wait. However, energy storage, as an emerging hot track, is a new discipline that needs to be frantically made up for interdisciplinary entrants.
When the "storage door" comes to the field of choice of job seekers, some people believe because they know what they do, and some people gamble because they follow the trend.
When you get out of the sinkhole, you can also step on the energy storage tuyere 01
After three years, he is already an energy storage veteran 02
The salary is cut in half, and the executive perspective is 03 in two years
The deep water area is anti-** sloppy into the game, or into cannon fodder 04
When you get out of the sinkhole, you can also step on the energy storage tuyere.
Li Na, 25 years old, has 1 year of experience in the energy storage industry
I've also seen people who have switched from construction majors to energy storage strategic investment, and that kind of guy is the big guy. When it comes to her experience of successfully switching from the thunderstorm industry to energy storage, Li Na seems very modest and feels that she is not a particularly good example.
Li Na graduated from a double non-university university. In the first half of her 3 years of work experience, she worked as an architectural designer. Before the real estate turmoil, she worked nearly 12 hours a day, at least two nights a month, and sometimes had to stay up all night before being sent to talk to clients — butThe downturn in the chosen industry has itself limited the results of the effort
Most of those who started looking for jobs again during the pandemic are Xi being rejected by employers with silence. However, an energy storage company took the initiative to throw an olive branch to Li Na on the recruitment software: "At the beginning, they asked me if I wanted to do sales. I browsed the job information of this company, and there was a scheme design position, I was very interested, so I went to meet with the mentality of giving it a try. ”
In Li Na's experience, the energy storage industry at this stage, as long as you work hard, will give people opportunities. She still remembers that due to the lockdown, she checked the information every day at home and prepared for the interview for two months. "I couldn't understand anything that was too technical, but at the end of the interview, I felt that the questions asked by the other party were all things I prepared. ”
June 2022,There is no professional experienceLi Na really successfully joined this energy storage company.
Li Na's final position was a pre-sales engineer. Although the monthly salary is only 8,000 (the same as the previous construction industry), the company is a start-up company with only 50 employees, but Li Na is very satisfied to say goodbye to endless internal friction and overtime.
In fact, Li Na's successful career change is due to her own efforts on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is inseparable from the background of the blowout demand for talents in the energy storage industry.
According to third-party data, as of August 3, 2023, there are as many as 122,630 enterprises involved in energy storage in China. With the entry of players one after another, the demand for talent naturally continues to grow. The "China Manufacturing Talent Development Planning Guide" once predicted that the overall talent demand of China's clean energy industry in 2025 will be 1.2 million, and the talent gap will be 1.03 million, with a huge gap between supply and demand.
In this context, Li Na switched to the energy storage industryFind the point of convergence in skills between the construction industry and the energy storage industry in the past, it is particularly important: "I used to know the ability to work with drawing software, scheme design, and customer communication that the new industry needs. ”
The popularity of the energy storage industry has attracted many young people to join, and Li Na's company, for example, has doubled the total number of employees from 50 to more than 100 in the more than a year she has been working for.
According to Li Na's observation, among the newly recruited employees, the technology is classyFresh graduates majoring in electrical engineering and electronic informationMajority;In sales and business positions, most of the people in other industries have changed careers - especiallyThe skills are the same, and it comes with its own energy storage customer resourcesTarget.
Seriously, I'm definitely not the hardest, but at this time to enter the energy storage industry, most people have the opportunity. ”
After three years, he is already a veteran of energy storageZhang Lu, 27 years old, has 3 years of experience in the energy storage industry
Energy storage is very hot, and it won't be long before there are new orders. This high-frequency sense of accomplishment is what I want. ”
After only 3 years in the energy storage industry, Zhang Lu is already a senior sales consultant in this industry. Before jumping out of the Internet, she set two screening conditions for her future work: first, to have the opportunity to develop overseas and experience the outside world;Second, the income should be flexible and the working atmosphere should be free. The opportunities and rewards that this job brings now are just as she expects.
Recalling that when she first entered the industry in 2021, Zhang Lu's unit was homeNot a small company, but with only 3 years of experience in leading her。"He is very technically solid, and the business of the entire industry chain is basically understood. In terms of staffing, on the one hand, there are "veteran" leaders who have experienced the dormant period of the industry, and on the other hand, there are energy storage newcomers with marketing experience in the Internet industry.
After the energy storage industry entered the tuyere stage, Zhang Lu's "veteran" leader ushered in his own career opportunity: an inverter [1] start-up invited him to do middle management. After the leadership switched jobs, Zhang Lu was also invited by the former to join the new company, and gradually took charge of the company's overseas market expansion.
From a large company to a start-up, Zhang Lu's most intuitive feeling is that there is no longer a fixed "feeding" market and customers, and everything needs to be constantly forced to develop and explore.
However, what makes Zhang Lu fortunate is that the continuous strengthening of energy storage ** does not make it too difficult for her. As some clients were in a hurry to land projects more than usual, Zhang Lu was able to fully participate in large projects in a short period of time, adding another highlight to her resume experience. “The power generation side I'm responsible forThe investment in large projects exceeded 100 million, but the customer only gave half a year to land. But thanks to this sense of urgency in the industry, she has the opportunity to work overtime with her colleagues to complete a project like thisIt will take two or three years at least, and five or six years at most, Zhang Lu felt that according to his previous personality, he would definitely not be able to bear the loneliness to follow.
In this situation, the product line in charge of Zhang Lu has covered all kinds of energy storage products from the power generation side to the user side, and has almost achieved full coverage of business links.
These changes not only make Zhang Lu have a closer perception of the hot energy storage market, but also increase her scarcity in the energy storage industry.
Since Zhang Lu is mainly responsible for the overseas market in the company, she will face greater challenges in terms of personal performance than in the domestic market. Although the size of the company's domestic sales team is the same as that of overseas sales team, domestic sales are twice that of overseas. Part of the reason is that the company's main product types at home and abroad are different: most of the products in overseas markets are residential, and the unit price of household energy storage products with 10 kWh of electricity is only about 3,000 euros;The main domestic products are source-grid-side energy storage products with a battery capacity of tens of gigawatts. From the perspective of ** alone, the gap between the two has widened.
Even so, Zhang Lu still used his performance to show the flexibility of personal efforts in the energy storage industry: "I can't say that I always sell the championship, but I have basically never fallen out of the top three."The annual sales start at 50 million。This kind of business performance has already impressed the company's management, "It shouldn't be a problem to get a management position." ”
But instead of doing sales management, Zhang Lu wants to continue to be a "sales champion". "Being a sales champion earns more than a supervisor, and my basic salary has exceeded 10,000 yuan, plus commissionsThe annual income can reach 300,000
Now the energy storage companies that are doing a little better will choose to go overseas, and I think my ability can gain a foothold in the Western European market. She is also thinking about finding an opportunity to go to sea, send to Western Europe, and go out to broaden her horizons while she is young, "As long as you do a good job, money is not a problem." In my philosophy of survival, it makes more sense to manage one person than a group of people. "
1] Inverter: A converter that converts DC energy (batteries, batteries) into fixed frequency and constant voltage or frequency modulation, voltage regulation, and alternating current, which is widely used in the energy storage industry.
2] Power generation side: There are multiple profit models for energy storage in different links, and the application scenarios of energy storage products can be divided into power generation side (power supply side), grid side, and power consumption side according to the revenue link. The power generation side distribution and storage mainly refers to our common photovoltaic, wind power, and hydropower distribution and storage, with thermal power plants and power grids peaking and frequency regulation and obtaining income as the main operation mode.
The salary will be cut in half, and it will be entered into the perspective of senior executives in two years
Li Han, aged 31, has 4 years of experience in the energy storage industry
On the road of enterprising in the workplace, Li Han has a kind of non-stop courage.
Before switching to the energy storage industry, Li Han was 27 years old and reported to the executive director at the headquarters of a well-known real estate companyThe annual salary has reached 300,000。Hear himInterview with an energy storage company with a monthly salary of 9,000 in my hometown, his wife asked him "if his head is funny".
However, Li Han's attitude towards energy storage is very resolute: after realizing that the situation in the real estate industry is wrong, he first used the elimination method to screen out the industries that are fully competitive, not prosperous, and not supported by policies, and then found the policy guidance of "compulsory storage and distribution".
A year later,Former colleagues who remain in the real estate industry have missed the first period of transformation to other industries。"They're all so anxious. ”
There are three important factors that led Li Han to successfully switch to energy storage:
First, engineering background, strong Xi ability, understand the technical details of each subsystem of energy storage.
Second, the investment background can help the company quickly establish a sound business model from the perspective of the employer.
Third, a surprise attack on sufficient industry knowledge before the interview.
To achieve these three points, it is inseparable from Li Han's long-term action. When he was in graduate school, he was interested in the field of finance as an engineering major. Before graduation, he studied on his own to obtain a certified public accountant qualification certificate, and had the ability to independently build business calculation models, so he obtained practical Xi opportunities for many enterprises and consulting companies. In the preparation for this interview for changing careers, in order to understand energy storage as soon as possible,He devoted more than a dozen hours a day to intensify the assault
At the stage when he just changed careers, Li Han was the hardest. In order to gain a foothold in the new industry as soon as possible and prove his self-worth, he worked non-stop writing plans, building models, and running the market for three consecutive months after joining the company, and only went home at 11 o'clock every night. However, with his solid work performance, he became the first person in the company to become a regular in advance at the debriefing meeting three months later.
Hard work is hard work, and one thing Li Han has not forgotten is to find a clear new goal for his efforts.
The pursuit of increased salary returns is one of the most common optional goals. Just over a year after changing careers, he posted a new resume on the Internet - because once a company throws an olive branch to him, he can estimate how much he is currently worth from the level of treatment.
But in the end, Li Han did not go to the interview to find a new opportunity. He chose another goal that was linked to "vision and managerial power", which was also more in line with his temporary industry qualifications and personal experience.
My new goal now is to 'get out of my comfort zone', and I should no longer use a specific salary number and target period to determine my future. "His thinking is very simple, if you want to become stronger, you have to learn from people who are stronger than Xi. After some open and honest communication with the boss, the boss asked Li Han to be his assistant.
Vision and thinking are more important than money. After four years of career change, Li Han, who has been working non-stop, has achieved a different kind of achievement in the workplace other than money:In a sunrise industry, do a job that can influence the boss, and learn Xi boss's comprehensive perspective on the problem.
The deep water area is anti-** sloppy into the game, or become cannon fodder
Another way of saying "full of possibilities" is "full of variables".
Li Han, Zhang Lu and Li Na are all people who entered the industry at a time when it exploded, and they shoulder different ranks and job responsibilities, but they all have a close consensus: if you enter the world of "storage door" hastily, you may also end up becoming cannon fodder.
Although the company urgently needs to replenish personnel, Li Han does not dare to recruit fresh graduates. "There is a high probability that fresh graduates will become cannon fodder. He analyzed to the workplace: the policy dividend has peaked, the industry has intensified, and in the future, a large number of energy storage companies will die.
Li Han's pessimistic judgment comes from three directions: business model, security, and data verification.
There is a project investor who invests 400 million yuan, and the annual profit is only 1 million. "In terms of business model, the proportion of investment income is still too low, and the interests of investors cannot be guaranteed, which hinders the development of the industry. At present, the energy storage market is still mainly driven by policy.
In terms of safety, some unscrupulous integrators use inferior battery cells in pursuit of project benefits, resulting in frequent safety accidents. After 2018, there have been more than 80 lithium iron phosphate battery explosion accidents around the world, including China. "A lot of businessesIn order to reduce costs and make profits, cells with a high defective rate are also used
On data validation,In order to grab the project, some enterprises have reached the point of "ignoring the basic facts of the project".。According to the 2022 CEC research report, the overall efficiency of historical projects can reach 83%, which is excellent, and as a result, some companies still dare to sign contracts with %.
Under the dual demand for skills and stress resistance, men have become an important part of the workforceBut for Zhang Lu, the gender imbalance has formed a structural dilemma.
For example, once, a major customer of Zhang Lu's company had to go through the process at the end of the year. Although he had already greeted the other party in advance that "the service response may not be fast enough during the Chinese New Year", the customer still suddenly urged Zhang Lu to stock up in advance during the Chinese New Year, and accused the company of "making a little girl like Zhang Lu responsible for the whole process is disrespectful to him" because of the untimely response. "I try to develop the market with my ability and try to show my image of studying the business, but many customers still look at me with colored glasses, which is close to gender discrimination. ”
Zhang Lu's experience is representative of female energy storage practitioners. "There are really not many women in the core technical positions of energy storage. A lot of people think that I survive by being young and providing emotional value to my clients. ”And in fact, according to Zhang Lu's statistics, herMore than 70% of her clients are men in their 45s, and the generation gap means that she doesn't have much in common with her clientsThe meeting process basically revolved around the energy storage business.
Zhang Lu, who has grown into a veteran, is lucky, and for newcomers to the industry, it takes more opportunities and time to find their own direction.
A month ago, Li Na changed to another energy storage company. Now the most she says is "if you can't do it, run away".
Li Na wanted to learn business, but her previous energy storage company didn't give her such an opportunity. "That company is full of financing - I do pre-sales, but I go to the funders every dayBut without products and technology, how can anyone invest money?
The new job failed to meet Li Na's expectations: "If I want to learn business technology, I have to go to Kunshan, where the factory is located. The round trip takes six hours. The first day I came back, I had three words in my head: 'sloppy'. ”
In desperation, Li Na is ready to try the direction of power trading. She judgedBoth the transmission grid and the distribution network will have energy storage business in the future, and once the peak-to-valley arbitrage forms a commercial closed loop, there will be great opportunities in the future
Last week, Li Han worked more than 60 hours, and he and his boss desperately tried to outrun the energy storage life and death line.
Zhang Lu traveled to Western Europe and met the female boss of a company, where she learned that many women were hired to do technical work. The other party gave Zhang Lu a sentence: "You must stick to it and fight for yourself."
Li Na has begun to look for information on virtual power plants and power trading, and the state of Xi new knowledge is exactly the same as when she was preparing to change careers.
The world of "Chumen" is like the movie that interweaves hope and cruel dreams. In this new world full of variables and possibilities, only professional and business skills are not enough - only by sharpening market insight and crisis response capabilities can we usher in long-term survival and development.
Written byXiaowei
Chen Tong
TypographyDai Xiuqi
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