VentureLoop, a niche job site catering to the venture industry and startups, is spinning off a new board today: CleanLoop, a dedicated site for jobs in the cleantech field. Readers who have written in of late asking about how to jump into a cleantech startup may find the board useful. Cleantech is an interesting job sector, bearing some resemblance to the first Internet boom. While some individuals have been researching solar panels, fuel cells and other sciences for years, by and large the field is new. Companies are having trouble finding qualified talent. On the other side of the wall, plenty of job-seekers want in, but they're not sure how to go about it. The usual advice is to try to draw on similar skills -- words that might be useful for a semiconductor researcher (who could easily slide into solar photovoltaics) but not so great for someone that has been juggling Javascript his whole career. CleanLoop promises to help out, with postings on its blog. The first post includes some better thoughts, like identifying the position that you want and finding people who fill a similar one on LinkedIn, then examining their backgrounds to see how they made the jump. In quest of more expert advice, I recently asked Amy Vernetti, a managing director at executive headhunting firm Taylor Winfield, for her own methods of hunting down talent. She repeated some of the well-worn suggestions above, but with a bit more creativity. For example, one candidate for an executive position at a biofuels startup had helped grow a beer company -- fermentation being the connection. Interestingly, other hires hadn't had any experience at all. One executive out of Sony was tapped for a spot at a downstream solar company, with no specific experience. "He did so well that six months later, they promoted him to CEO," said Vernetti. Another exec Vernetti mentioned, David Cope, went from IBM to a CMO role at food and water safety company Purfresh, likewise quickly reaching the coveted CEO spot. However, some hires at other companies have quickly washed out. Most important for potential managers or support staff is a strong interest and aptitude; networking, conferences and self-study can help fill in knowledge gaps and prepare for any interviews you might get. And an ever-growing number of colleges and independent courses promise to give a background in specific displines (though caveat emptor). There are a few other articles scattered around on the subject, as well, like Earth2Tech's hit-list of 25 execs who moved to cleantech, and Newsweek on blue-tinged green collar jobs. But the best advice is probably in personal stories -- if you've got one of your own, feel free to share below. VCs also welcome.