"HOW TO FIND GREEN JOBS - AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO FINDING ALL THOSE STIMULUS JOBS"

HOW TO FIND GREEN JOBS - AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO FINDING ALL THOSE STIMULUS

JOBSYou'll need to follow the money--and know a few tricks to get there ahead

of everyone else.Five Steps To Finding A Stimulus JobTara Weiss sets out step by step instructions in her article, explaining

exactly how to find that green energy job.The Obama administration says the Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create

or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years in areas like health care,

renewable energy, construction and education. That's great. But where will

you find them?There will be no one place. The jobs will be offered by countless agencies,

states, localities and businesses. So you'll have to employ some serious

sleuthing skills.The key: Follow the money. In most cases, the federal funds will be doled

out to state and then local governments. The governments will then award

grants to private companies, primarily in renewable energy, construction

(to rebuild the nation's infrastructure), and medical offices and hospitals

(to make medical records electronic).Following the money is crucial, because "if you know who is winning the

bids, you will know who is getting the jobs," in the words of Rick

Margolin, managing director of Innovo Energy Solutions Group in Santa

Barbara, Calif.There are several ways to follow the money. First, the Obama administration

has promised to regularly update its Web site Recovery.gov to report where

funds are going in each congressional district. It will say exactly which

private companies are receiving the dollars.When a local government approves a public works project, like expanding a

highway or updating the electrical system in a high school, private

companies will bid on the job. The bids will describe how they'll complete

the work, how long they will take and what their costs will be. As soon as

a bid is accepted, it will be made public at city or town hall meetings and

in local newspapers. Follow these bid requests.Margolin suggests going a step further. Local governments will sponsor

workshops to guide companies in properly preparing their bids. He

recommends going to those workshops to meet the heads of the firms vying

for the work."You can sit around and wait for these jobs to get announced, but it will

be insanely competitive," says Margolin. "Especially in the Midwest, where

so many manufacturing positions have been lost. People who lost jobs in

manufacturing are well suited to take jobs in clean energy." He also

recommends attending regional conferences to meet movers and shakers in the

renewable energy field.Related StoriesOnce you know who is getting the money, network with them. Introduce

yourself to company owners and hiring managers before they even post jobs.

Give them your résumé and an explanation of why you want to work for them."When I was hiring, I was always much more impressed by people who had done

their homework about my company," says Bob Piper, vice president of

workforce development at Associated Builders and Contractors, the trade

association for contractors, subcontractors and materials suppliers. "Being

prepared puts you at a real advantage."If you don’t have a background in, say, making wind turbines or operating

heavy construction machinery and you'd like to learn, get retrained.

Community colleges and vocational schools specialize in such retraining.

You may even be eligible for a grant to pay for it. Find out by visitingGrantOneDay.com. "Think about it as a new career, and look at the long

range," says Martha R. A. Fields, CEO and founder of the career consulting

firm Fields Associates.If there's a particular type of construction you'd like to get trained in,

visit one of the 98 local chapters of the Associated General Contractors of

America, a construction industry trade association. Many chapters run

training programs in conjunction with local high schools and community

colleges. Their duration varies. For crane operators, trainin