Getting a Job in the Oil & Gas Industry

7/28/2019 Getting a Job in the Oil & Gas Industry

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Getting a job in the oil & gas

industry

Being able to do the job well will notnecessarily get you hired. The person whogets hired is often the one who knows themost about how to get hired.


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Steps to securing a position in the

oil & gas industry

z There are 5 main steps in securing the best

position for yourself in this, and indeed anyother, competitive industry:

z Step 1: Self Assessment: identifying the job you

are best suited for.z Step 2: Preparing a CV.

z Step 3: Writing a cover letter.

z

Step 4: Preparing for and completing interview.z Step 5: Job offer and negotiation


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Step 1: Self Assessment

z Essential that you understand your strengths

and weaknesses before trying to sell yourself.z Honesty is the key: focusing on your strengths

and weaknesses will provide vital information

to help you find the right job.z Put yourself in an employers shoes:

z What would they want to know about you?

z What will differentiate you from other applicants?


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Self Assessment: Skill Evaluation

z What do I have to offer? What am I selling?

z By examining your skills and abilities you candetermine yourrelevant strengths which will

help you in determining what you have to offer.

z Define your main skill sets as a useful way tostart the evaluation process.

z For oil and gas positions, you may wish to

divide your skills into the following areas:


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z Technical Knowledge specialist and particular disciplines e.g.Structural Geology, Seismic Depth Processing, Reservoir

Simulation etc.z Industry Knowledge - Licensing, Deepwater Exploration, etc.

z IT/Technical software applications, hardware, operatingsystems, databases.

z Regional geographical areas worked/ studied e.g. North Sea,

Nigeria, Caspian, CIS.z Commercial transferable skills, financial, accounting,

budgeting, languages.

z Managerial business development, project and manpowermanagement skills.

z Analytical problem solving or decision-making abilities,computational etc..


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z Once you have established your skills

set, evaluate each skill individually; givethem a score from 1 to 10 and ask

yourself these questions:

z What are my main strengths, what do I do

best?

z

What are my main weaknesses? What skillsdo I lack, could I retrain?


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Self Assessment: Keywordsz Try and determine the Action words that illustrate and support your skills and

experiences. You will find this evaluation very useful when writing your CV.

z Planning Words:z Created, Designed, Scheduled, Engineered, Innovated, Justified, Tailored, Planned,

Devised, Developed, Estimated, Revised, Formed, Organised, Established.

z Leadership Words:z Directed, Administered, Specified, Authorised, Delegated, Managed, Coordinated,

Guided, Controlled, Trained, Mentored, Supervised.

z Responsibility Words:z Evaluated, Initiated, Authorised, Performed, Developed, Implemented, Handled,

Operated, Maintained, Coordinated, Audited, Assembled.

z Interaction Words:z Conferred, Counselled, Inspired, Appraised, Resolved, Coordinated, Negotiated,

Clarified, Recommended, Mentored, Conferred.

z

Investigative Words:z Analysed, Correlated, Reviewed, Assessed, Observed, Evaluated, Computed, Verified,Investigated, Researched.


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Self Assessment: What drives you?z Now that you have defined your skills and strengths, start to think

about what you would like to do in the future and how you will

achieve your goal.z The following occupational questions might help you picture what

you want to do and where you want to be.z What is preventing me from getting where I want to go?

z What do/did I enjoy most in my current/previous position and why?

z What do/did I least enjoy in my current/previous position and why?z Do I want more or less responsibility?

z Where do I want to be in 2 or 5 years time?

z What is my ultimate career goal?

z Can I relocate, would I like to travel?

z Do I want to spend less time commuting?z What is important to me recognition, money, family, power?


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Step 2: Creating an effective CVz In simple terms, a CV is a personal statement outlining

your life from an educational and professional view.z The idea of a CV is to get you an interview and your foot in

the door, not to get you the job.

z Your CV should reflect your occupational and educational lifeand be relevant to the position you are applying for.

z Think of it as a personal marketing platform to sell/promoteyourself to a prospective employer.

z When constructing your CV bear in mind that potentialemployers will only spend a mere 30 - 60 seconds

reading your life history.


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CV: Structure & Format

z Keeping your CV concise and to the

point is a difficult task. Selecting acomprehensive structure and format will

help you to achieve this.

z There are many layouts to choose from,

and they vary from country to country;

the example layout following is typical forthe European/ African Market.


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CV: Basic Structurez Name/Contact Details - display a permanent address, home phone, email and mobile. (Note: if a graduate

remember to give a permanent address of a family member and your term time address)

z Personal Details - include your Date of Birth, Nationality and Marital status. (Can be placed at the beginningor end of the document.)

z Personal Profile - highly recommended to grab the readers attention, it is a key selling point. Ideally thisshould be punchy, precise and no more than three, 15-word sentences. E.g. A Senior InterpretationGeophysicist with 10 years E&P experience.

z Academic Qualifications - recommend you list higher education only if already working. Include details onyour final year project, i.e. dissertation, thesis. List any other major projects, field studies, training courses etc.

z Work Experience List in reverse chronological order. Include dates, job title/position and company name.As well as writing a brief overview of your job, try and incorporate your responsibilities and achievements.

z Computing Skills - list all geoscience and general software applications used, hardware, operating systems,

databases, etc. For each one you might want to list your level of proficiency.z Additional Skills Industry Knowledge, Technical, Commercial, Managerial, Analytical, Languages.

z Publications be careful not to list too many, you may appear to be too academic. You may want tocombine topics and list the topic and number of papers written/presented.

z Personal Interests - keep this limited but consider what it says about you eg. are you a team player or anindividual?

z Society Memberships - List the most relevant.

z Referees - optional but recommended, use 3 maximum. Ensure at least one is an existing or previous

manger provide details on company name, job title and telephone/email/contact details. Graduates shouldlist at least one academic referee.


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CV: Basic Formatz There are several different formats, the most common are listed below.

Choose one that is suitable for your own career history or the job that

you are applying for.

z Chronologicalz Details your work history in reverse chronological order. It shows no gaps or

changes in your career and is useful to display a continuous work history thatis related to your next job opportunity.

z Functionalz Highlights certain skills, achievements and responsibilities rather than listing

your work history. It is ideal for career changing, periods of unemployment,redundancy or illness. Also useful if you have repetitious job titles.

z Targetedz A one off CV targeted for a specific job or vacancy. It concentrates on your

potential and what you are capable of. Unlike chronological and functionalformats which focus on past work history, this type can be used forspecialised positions.


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CV: Presentation

z The quality and presentation of your CV is vital

when selling yourself.z The appearance of your CV is an indication to

a prospective employer of the type of person

that may be working in their environment.z There is no exact format for compiling a CV,

but the following guideline is a good method to

avoid yours being rejected.


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CV: The Good CVz Is no more than 2 pages max

z long CVs are regarded as time wasting. (If you have an extensivework history, use no more than a maximum of 4 pages.)

z Clearly states who you are, where you have been and what youhave got to offer.z Dont hide your name with your personal information, put it in bold at

the top of your CV and in a minimum of 12-14pt.

z Looks attractivez is well laid out, structured and easy to read.

z Try to print on good quality paper - it may be circulated aroundseveral departments. Also remember to print on one side of thepaper only.

z Has a Personal Profile to grab the readers attention.

z Use bulleted listsz short and concise points are clean and informative.

z Has all relevant work experience listedz make sure its written in reverse chronological order


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CV: The Bad CV

z Avoid excessive references to I, he or she: Alternatively writeEmployed as a Seismic Interpreter with 6 months practicalexperience in ..

z Check for common spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors.z Have someone read your CV, spouses and colleagues know your

strengths and weakness and are often more than willing to criticise.

z Dont draw attention to any negative descriptionsz the idea of a CV is to sell yourself.

z Try not to highlight gaps in your work historyz might cause the reader to have doubts/questions about you. It is

easier to discuss these details face to face at an interview.

z Avoid listing too many interests and personal informationz think about what it is relaying to the reader.


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CV: The Ugly CVz Avoid excessive use of CAPITALS, underlining, bold

and italics, large fonts - NOT VERY USER FRIENDLY

z Dont write long sentences, paragraphs or ramble -aim for concise information, less text is easier to read

z Make sure its not disorganised and unstructured -

dont make the reader switch back and forth betweenpages

z Avoid too many graphics, colours, rigid formatting

z Embedding photos - different software might distort

your appearance so be careful


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CV: Keeping it current

z The cyclical nature of the Oil and Gas

Industry means that it is unlikely you willhave the same job for life.

z Therefore, your CV should be a dynamic

report continually modified to reflect yourlatest skills and achievements.

z It needs to be immediately at hand for

any new opportunities, enabling you tosecure your perfect job!


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Step 4: Writing an effective cover

letter

z A Cover Letter is a medium through which you

will establish a personal connection with apotential employer.

z It is typically the first introduction and thereforeit is essential to make a good impression.

z Sending a well written cover letter with asupportive CV will greatly enhance yourapplication and make a winning impression.

z There is no standard format but the following4 Point Strategy has proven to be successful:


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Writing an effective cover letter:

Stage 1: Opening paragraph

z outline the purpose of the letter.

z State where you saw the advert, the date ofpublication, job reference number and job

title and your purpose in writing - i.e. that

you would like to apply for the position.z Many companies have similar jobs and the

reference number can be very important to

avoid confusion.


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Stage 2: Current position

z Outline your current status and what skills you havethat are relevant to the job.

z Review the candidate requirements of the jobdescription, you do not need to list all your skills thatmatch the requirements in your letter but focus on theessential skills required to do the job.

z Example, if the job spec requires: "GeophysicalProcessing" experience, then ensure that you brieflyoutline your relevant experience in this area.

z Highlight what you achieved in your previous positionthat would bring value to the role.


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Stage 3: Your suitability

z Focus on your qualifications, skills and

experience relevant to the job.

z Specify your interest in the Position/

Company and highlight your career

aspirations in relation to the job.


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Stage 4: Closing paragraph

z Often the job details will provide a contactperson for informal discussion of the position.Use this.

z Initiate actionz I will call you on Friday between 9-9.30am, to

discuss this position furtherz I will call you on Friday between 9-9.30am, to

discuss potential opportunities with yourorganisation

z

This informs the recipient that you plan tocall and they be more inclined to reviewyour CV.


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Writing an effective cover letter: tips

z Create a good impression.1 page max -preferably typed, brief and focused.

z Only highlight key skills relevant to theposition.

z Make sure you send it to the right place.z If it says send to the HR manager, find out who they

are and address it to them. This shows initiative.

z Research the company - it will give you aninsight into their business and may be helpful

when composing your letter.z Dont list anything negative.


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Step 4: Preparing for Interviewz There are no guaranteed interview questions, but you

should consider asking yourselfquestions so that youwill be fully prepared during the interview.

z You know best your own shortcomings and where youmight fall below the expected standard, so it isimportant to anticipate and practice the answers.

z Focus on your strengths and what skills you can bringto a position.

z The interview is your opportunity to sell yourself to the

interviewer


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Preparing for Interview: Questions

z The questions most typically asked atinterviews have been grouped into set topicareas (but are seldom as structured during theinterview process).

z Note that the style and types of questions do

vary from one country to another. This list isnot exhaustive but should provide food forthought.

z You should prepare for questions about your

background, your aspirations, the potentialemployer and the position, your personalityand your interests.


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Preparing for Interview : Questions

z Potential Employer

z Why did you apply to us?z Where did you hear about the position?

What do you know about our organisation?

z Do you know anyone who works for us?z What interests you about the position?

z What do you think we have to offer you as a

company?


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z Career Ambitions

z What are your long/short term goals?z Tell me about your career aspirations.

z What are you looking for in a career?

z Do you have plans to gain furtherqualifications?

z Where do you see yourself in 2/5 years

time?z Describe your ideal employer.


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z Skills and Requirementsz Why should we hire you? - Give me three reasons.

z What have you got to offer the company? - What skills will youbring?

z How do you work best? - Leading a group, in a team oralone?

z Are you prepared to travel?z Are you looking for a position with training?

z What has been your main career achievement to date?

z What was the most difficult problem in your current/previous

position - how did you find the solution?z You say you have xxx skillshow did you demonstrate these

in your previous position?


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Preparing for Interview: Questions

z Personality

z Describe yourself - strengths/weaknesses?z Remember: weaknesses First, then Strengths:

end every interaction with a positive note.

z How would your friends describe you?z What motivates you?

z What are your strengths/weaknesses?

z How do you spend your spare time?


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z Problem/Sticky Questionsz What salary or benefits are you looking forz Why are you changing your career?

z Explain the gap in your work history.

z Given your career plans, how long do youexpect to stay with our organisation?

z Can we contact your current employer for

references?


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z Questions to ask the Interviewer

z Why is the position available?z What skills are needed to succeed?

z What are the initial priorities of the position?

z How does the position fit into the organisationalstructure?

z How much scope (autonomy, flexibility, career

growth, responsibilities) is there within this

position?

z What is the companys managerial style/culture?


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z Questions typically asked of Graduates.z Why did you chose your particular degree/discipline?

z Why did you chose your college/university?z What did you most/least like about your course?

z What was your strongest/weakest subject?

z Tell me about your project work?

z How are your studies related to this position/vacancy?

z Tell me about your career aspirations?z Describe your ideal employer?

z Do you plan to gain further qualifications?

z How do you spend you spare time?

z How would your tutor describe you?

z Besides your degree, what else do you feel you gained fromcollege/university?

z Were you active in any societies?

z What positions of responsibility do you hold/have you held?


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Preparing for Interview : Prior to the

Interviewz Prepare - Prepare for Interview Questions, have a few

to ask the interviewer, dress well.

z Identify - Who are you meeting? their titles,relationship to job.

z Research - Find out what the job entails. Thoroughlyread the job specification. Make sure you have

researched all the information.z Plan Ahead - Get a location map, contact telephone

numbers, have money, mobile phone if possible, allowyourself a good 30-60 minutes of additional time toarrive, etc.

z Check Out - Company brochures or website. Mostcompanies today have a Web Site and they expectyou to have researched their company.


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Preparing for Interview : During the

Interviewz Smile and make eye contact.

z Relax and be friendly.

z Be positive and enthusiastic.

z Think about your body language.

z Dont discuss salary until youre offered the job.

z REMEMBERz 7-10% is what you say

z 20-30% is how you say it

z 60-80% is your image, your body language and the overallimpression you create.


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Step 5: Job offer & Negotiation

z Salary negotiation is one of the last steps in the jobsearch process. It should not be an issue until the

employer is ready to make you an offer. In mostcases, you should never introduce the subject.

z It's never easy when you come to negotiating a salarywith a future employer. However, in many cases there

is room for negotiation.z Before accepting a job offer, think carefully about what

you want from the position in terms of:z Starting Salary

z Relocation Allowances

z Holiday Entitlementz Benefits Package - Pension, Bonus, Health, Dental, Share

Options.

z Eligibility for Employment - Medical, Exams, References.


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Job offer & negotiation: Salary

Negotiationz After being offered the job, you may be

ecstatic, but don't rush to accept the offer anddon't feel pressurised to accept immediately.

z Most employers will give you 1-3 weeks toaccept. You need time to collect your

thoughts/ clarify the details of the offer.z Evaluate the offer in terms of your priorities,

negotiate if you feel it is not market value.

z Remember: most companies have a set

graduate entry level salary so there may belittle room for negotiation at this stage.


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J b ff & ti ti S l


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Job offer & negotiation: Salary

Negotiationz Dont

z Discuss the salary before the employer does.

z Price yourself out of the job.

z Feel pressurised to accept the position immediately.

z Focus on Base Salary - consider the overall package.

z Become rigid/aggressive in negotiating the salary you want.

z Play off one company against another.

z Accept a verbal offer - get it in writing before committing: thisgives you time to review the contract.


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And finally..

z This is not an exhaustive set of guidelines.

z It is the absolute minimum that you need to be doing

before stepping into an interview if you really want tosucceed.

z You may now win first time: remember, practicemakes perfect. Treat every application as an

opportunity to perfect your sales technique.z If you are unsuccessful, ask the interviewer to provide

you with some tips, highlighting where they thoughtyou were less suitable:z you will be surprised how many will do this and if a job in the

same company comes up, how often they will remember yourthoroughness.

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Getting a Job in the Oil & Gas Industry

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