What skills should a Solar Photovoltaic Installer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Installation, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Solar Photovoltaic Installer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer aided design CAD software, Cost estimating software, Extensible markup language XML, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Office software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Solar Photovoltaic Installer work?

O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation, including PV Installer, Photovoltaic Installer, Solar Installer, and Solar PV Installer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Solar Photovoltaic Installer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 37% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Solar Photovoltaic Installer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Solar Photovoltaic Installer resume example

A resume for a Solar Photovoltaic Installer needs to show the work itself: assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. Day to day that means work like this: install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions; check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

PV Installer
Photovoltaic Installer
Solar Installer
Solar PV Installer
Solar PV Integrator
Solar Photovoltaic Integrator
Journeyman Electrician PV Installer
PV Installation Tech
Photovoltaic Installation Technician
Solar Designer
Solar Electric Installer
Solar Panel Installation Technician
Solar Panel Installation Tech
Solar Technician
Solar Tech
Electro-Mechanical Solar Tech
PV Fabrication and Testing Technician
PV Fabrication Technician

O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Journeyman Electrician PV Installer (Journeyman Electrician Photovoltaic Installer)
PV Installation Tech (Photovoltaic Installation Technician)
PV Installer (Photovoltaic Installer)
Solar Panel Installation Technician (Solar Panel Installation Tech)
Solar PV Installer (Solar Photovoltaic Installer)
Solar PV Integrator (Solar Photovoltaic Integrator)
Solar Technician (Solar Tech)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions.
Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations.
Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays.
Assemble solar modules, panels, or support structures, as specified.
Apply weather sealing to array, building, or support mechanisms.
Install module array interconnect wiring, implementing measures to disable arrays during installation.
Install required labels on solar system components and hardware.
Diagram layouts and locations for photovoltaic (PV) arrays and equipment, including existing building or site features.
Determine materials, equipment, and installation sequences necessary to maximize installation efficiency.
Test operating voltages to ensure operation within acceptable limits for power conditioning equipment, such as inverters and controllers.
Determine appropriate sizes, ratings, and locations for all system overcurrent devices, disconnect devices, grounding equipment, and surge suppression equipment.

26 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Identify electrical, environmental, and safety hazards associated with photovoltaic (PV) installations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Identify installation locations with proper orientation, area, solar access, or structural integrity for photovoltaic (PV) arrays, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Computer aided design CAD software
Cost estimating software
Extensible markup language XML
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Word
Project management software
Salesforce software
Work scheduling software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Acetylene torches
Adjustable hand wrenches
Builders' levels
Caulking equipment
Channel lock pliers
Claw hammers
Cordless drills
Crimping lugs
Desktop computers
Digital multimeters
Directional compasses
Dirt shovels

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Installation
02Critical Thinking
03Active Listening
04Judgment and Decision Making
05Monitoring
06Operations Monitoring
07Quality Control Analysis
08Active Learning
09Complex Problem Solving
10Coordination

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Building and Construction
Engineering and Technology
Mechanical
Design
Administration and Management
Customer and Personal Service
Mathematics
Public Safety and Security

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

37%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
34%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
14%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Solar Photovoltaic Installer do?: Assemble, install, or maintain solar photovoltaic (PV) systems on roofs or other structures in compliance with site assessment and schematics. Day to day that includes work like install photovoltaic (PV) systems in accordance with codes and standards, using drawings, schematics, and instructions and Check electrical installation for proper wiring, polarity, grounding, or integrity of terminations.
What skills should a Solar Photovoltaic Installer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Installation, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and Monitoring among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Solar Photovoltaic Installer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Computer aided design CAD software, Cost estimating software, Extensible markup language XML, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Office software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Solar Photovoltaic Installer work?: O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation, including PV Installer, Photovoltaic Installer, Solar Installer, and Solar PV Installer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Solar Photovoltaic Installer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 37% reported their level of education as "Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Solar Photovoltaic Installer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.