Getting a job in the oil and gas industry today might be a great opportunity for you to learn amazing things, earn good money and improve your reputation in the future because people that already worked in the oil and gas industry have a higher chance to get a new job in the energy sector when they plan to change their job.
The competition might be high because along with you, many of the future engineering graduates are aiming to get a similar job in the same industry.
However, good things don’t come easy, so even if many people are applying for these jobs, only a few will be accepted by oil and gas companies.
More than that, while jobs in the oilfield still offer some of the best pay, positions will no doubt be harder to get as demand for fossil fuels decrease.
Tips To Getting A Job in the Oil and Gas Industry
If you are a newcomer in the oil and gas industry, you have to know that in this industry you have upstream, midstream and downstream.
In upstream you explore and produce oil and gas, in midstream you transport, process and compress oil and gas for stations and refineries, and in downstream you have the refineries that process all the crude.
The final products obtained are then sold on the market.
If you want to get a job in the oil and gas industry, follow these tips, and your chance to be accepted will significantly increase.
1. Have the right mindset
If you decided to work in the oil and gas industry you need to have the right mindset before job interviews.
Don’t be intimidated by the fact that there is a possibility to work in a big oil company, don’t get overwhelmed by this.
You need to have the right mindset because there can be a phone interview, a face to face interview, cam interview, a personality test and many other things that these companies may require because they need to be sure that they hire the right person.
Take one step at a time and worry about it only when the time comes.
The hiring process itself is very valuable in terms of experience gained, and you can leverage that experience each time you move to the next interview.
2. Get an internship in oil and gas
With an internship in the oil and gas you have much to gain and little to lose because you don’t have experience and your knowledge is limited in the industry.
With this internship, you have the chance to learn many new things because the oil and gas industry is massive and at the end of the internship, the company may consider hiring you because they’ve already spent their resources to train you.
Some companies may even pay their interns, but even of you don’t get paid, I suggest you to complete the internship because this way you will get the required experience for your future job.
Compared to an employee, which is already working in piping, safety or stress analysis, you as an intern have the chance to learn everything.
At this point, whatever you are learning adds value to your general knowledge, and at the interview (after you graduated) just talking about what you’ve learned during your internship would wow the interviewers and will seriously increase your change of getting hired even before the interview is completed.
3. Improve your decision-making skills
Many oil and gas companies are hiring people by using interviewers in the recruitment division and some of these interviewers might be tougher than others.
A few large companies in the oil and gas industry have what they call “recruitment days” where they might invite you for a three to five day camp where they have a series of programs and interviews lined up for you.
They will test your problem solving skills (technical and managerial issues), you ability to work in groups as a follower or as a leader.
After several other interview sessions, in the final day they will let you go, and the results will be available after a few days.
If the oil price is down when you do these interviews, maybe only 2 out of 10 people will be hired.
4. Keep your CV updated
This is a general advice that works in the oil and gas industry but also in other industries as well.
You need to have your CV updated all the time, your online profile as well (social media profiles such as Facebook, Instagram, a professional LinkedIn account, etc.) because these profiles act like an online CV for you.
The human resource department of an oil and gas company may see your profile and decide to contact you (call you) for an interview.
For this reason, make sure that your online CV is always updated.
5. Enhance your knowledge
If you are really interested to work in the oil and gas industry, it wouldn’t hurt to take a few optional classes during your undergraduated studies that are related to the oil and gas sector.
During the final year in the undergraduate program you will have the option to take on a few optional subjects. Choose optional subjects that you consider useful for your future job in the oil and gas industry (plant design, piping system, turbo machinery, engineering design, etc.).
These optional subjects could complete your CV to ensure a future job in the oil and gas industry.
Also learn about industry standards specific to the oil and gas industry such as ASTM standards and British standards.
These will be your main reference when you get into the industry later, so knowing them before will certainly make you stand out in the interview session.
Final conclusion
Despite the fact that mankind is heading towards a green future where fossil fuels will be left behind, today our civilisation still relies pretty heavily on oil and gas for fuels production, heat and energy generation.
Jobs in the oil and gas industry will continue to be available until there will be demand for this commodity on the market, so follow these tips and try your chance to become a worker in the oil and gas sector.
