Keep Up Your Job Search Efforts

Well here we are it is 2017. The oil industry appears to be on the rebound, the oil price is heading in the right direction, and some Companies seem to be optimistic, increasing their capital spending profiles.

So where does this leave us, the job seekers, looking for a new oil industry position. There are just as many opinions as there are pundits regarding the job market in 2017. If you are like me and are actively seeking new opportunities to get back into the oil industry, you need a strategy and you have to think about the long game. This turnaround will take time and most Companies may be hesitant to add full time staff, this is somewhat understandable.

The one thing that I know for certain is that there will be positions that fit my particular skill set, so it’s just a matter of getting an interview, easier said than done, I know from experience.

Like me, I am sure that you are actively developing and building a network, using social media to keep your name fresh and demonstrate your professionalism, and you are using internet job search tools to find both local and international job opportunities. But let’s be honest with ourselves, this business environment is different from recent downturns. It’s much more prolonged and our industry will have to establish a new paradigm to survive. Understanding what that new paradigm will look like and how you and your experience will add value can be the difficult to understand at the moment.

Take me for example, I have over 35 years of oil industry experience and in 2016 I applied for 53 job postings. Yet, I only received two telephone interviews. Is the employer concerned that I may leave the Company when the industry activity takes off again? Difficult to say, but if I'm enjoying my role and level of contribution, this shouldn't be a concern.

It is very difficult to convey in a cover letter and resume your willingness to take a position that some, but not you, may consider being a step backwards or sideways in your career. Not understanding that it’s the particular project that interests you, the chance to learn, grow and develop new skill sets and experience. Yet, for most of us the resume is the only tool we have to communicate with our potential new employer. Of course you can and should try to network with staff in this Company, but if you don’t have a long standing working relationship with someone directly connected with the hiring manager there is only so much your network can do for you.

As you can see, I don’t have a secret recipe for job seeking success, no one does. But, I do know that we can’t give up, we have to continue to be active and present. It is only you that can find your next new opportunity, of course with help from your network. The one strategy that I have taken is to target select Companies that I would want to work with and build a network within that particular organization(s). I call this my Plan A.  Also, don’t be shy in communicating your career ambitions to your network; it will help them understand how they can help you.

For the remaining 12 – 15 years of my career my ambition is to be able to apply my experience and to further my knowledge and capabilities in an exciting new role. Working with my peers to deliver a value adding business opportunity for my new employer; knowing that my experience, skill sets and interpersonal skills have made a positive difference to the project’s outcome and to my peers.

Are there jobs out there that fit this ambition, you bet and there will be more to follow. Keep up your active job search things are starting to turnaround, meet with new people, connect with former colleagues, and be sure to clearly communicate your career ambition. 2017 will be a good year!