Writing a Resume for Oil and Gas
By: 
Date: 08/15/2018
Looking to write a resume for the oil and gas industry? Now’s the time. According to NES Global Talent, employers are hiring more than ever since 2014 – a year which marked the biggest price drop in oil. The same survey showed that 27% of oil and gas companies planned on increasing their workforce by some degree, while only 11% planned on continuing layoffs.
So what does that mean? 2018 is the first year since 2014 in which the oil and gas industry is hiring more than laying off it’s employees.
So if you haven’t already switched careers yet (or if you are looking to get your old job back), here is our advice on how to write that oil and gas resume.
Demonstrate Oil and Gas Experience.
Many oil and gas job positions greatly value experience and require you to demonstrate strong experience within the industry. These are often technical positions that require a college degree, but this is just one prerequisite.
Experience is often highlighted many times in a job posting
And since the industry is not hiring in droves yet, it is still relatively competitive to apply for these positions – making it difficult for someone with little oil and gas experience to land the job. (Don’t fret though if you still need experience; keep reading for more advice on that).
Some additional guidelines:
- If you worked offshore, make sure to include the name of the rigs you worked on.
- If you’ve worked oil and gas for most of your career, use that to your advantage. Include industry-specific keywords in your summary, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile summary.
- Education is okay to leave at the top but only if it is more relevant than your professional experience.
- Keep it no longer than 2 pages!
Check Job Postings Carefully. 
Every oil and gas position is different, and there are many types of oil and gas jobs out there (e.g. operations, management, information technology, and accounting). No two position titles are the same! So, if you are applying for more than one type of position, make sure that you have several different versions of resume on hand that are custom-tailored for these positions.
Focus as much as possible on your recent oil and gas accomplishments, making sure to expand upon these bullet points, rather than what you did 10 years ago.
Network that Resume!
The oil and gas industry is fairly tight knit; many good positions at large firms will be hard to break into. So it’s especially important to get out there and start shaking hands! Talk to some oil and gas experts. Get a mentor. Attend conferences or networking events. Volunteer for something oil and gas related.
And what if you’re transitioning to oil and gas from another industry (or just starting out)? It’s not going to be easy. Career coach Janet Scarborough conducted a great interview with Dan Clark, a top recruiter within oil and gas. His advice: career changers need to not only show that their accomplishments are transferable, but they need to get a company insider to vouch for them. So the point remains: in this industry, you need to use your network to your advantage – especially if you are transitioning careers or just starting out.
Need to write an oil and gas resume? Email us at [email protected] with the subject line “Oil and Gas resume blog.” We will offer some free insight as to how we can help you with your oil and gas resume.
Sources:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-14/after-80-billion-blowouts-mega-oil-and-gas-projects-are-back
https://www.vocationvillage.com/oil-and-gas-jobs-advice/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/energy/2017/11/02/recovery-oil-and-gas-industry-hiring-again/819773001/