5 Oil & Gas Interview Tips
You’ve made it past the application stage and now you’re on to the next phase in the hiring process: the interview.
In the Oil & Gas industry, your job interview can come in a number of different formats, from telephone interview, to face to face meetings, to brief assignment based interviews. The interview is designed to give the employer the best display of your skill set, knowledge, and importantly, your personality.
Take a look at our 5 tips below to refine your skills, and ultimately stand out from the pack.
1. Use the SHARE method to demonstrate your experiences
S — Situation: describe a specific situation
H — Hindrances: identify any hindrances or challenges faced
A — Action: explain the action(s) you took in response
R — Results: discuss the results or outcomes from your action(s)
E — Evaluate: explain and evaluate what you learned from the experience
Being placed in a job in the Oil & Gas industry could hinge on your ability to deal with certain scenarios depending on the nature of the role, with employers will be looking for someone who can demonstrate their ability to deal with these scenarios. If you can successfully demonstrate your past experiences and how you dealt with them successfully, you will be in a strong position.
We have found that our clients are encouraged by experience such as the training of local staff in developing nations. Demonstrating such experiences can go a long way in supporting any work-specific technical knowledge or expertise.
2. Brush up on technical talk
Using the right technical language could help demonstrate your expertise. An Oil & Gas engineering job might require knowledge of industry specific machinery and systems, whereas a management role, overseeing a team of engineers, may need a higher variety of knowledge and solution. Consider your answer and don’t rush in with the first things that come to you. The employer wants to be able to trust you with the work, or managing a team, delegating work and harbouring a full understanding of the job – show them that you are capable.
3. Describe a time when a job didn’t go according to plan. How did you adapt?
There is always a reluctance to talk about times when your work hasn’t gone as well as you would have liked, but in such a high pressure environment as the Oil & Gas Industry, it can be very important to talk about these moments, and most importantly, how they were overcome. Things don’t always go to plan, and demonstrating to an employer the ability to think on your feet and adapt could go heavily in your favour.
4. Keep up to date on industry news
As in any industry, Oil & Gas employers want workers that are not only capable of completing a job, but are enthused enough to go that extra mile. Showing a genuine interest in the industry always helps. Do some research, read some industry publications, journals or online articles. Demonstrating an ability to do a job may show some capability, but in a process where there are multiple applicants, it’s always useful to show whatever knowledge or enthusiasm you may have.
Particular areas to consider when looking to keep your industry knowledge up to speed include:
- Any major project developments in the industry
- Which companies have been awarding contracts for their projects
- Whether or not your experience matches the type of project that you’re looking / the location of work
- In an Oil & Gas job, it is always useful to keep up to speed on any industry specific legislation, or any changes in engineering standards and codes.
5. Do you have any questions for us?
At the end of most job interviews, you are prompted to ask the interviewer some questions of your own. The upswing of it being so common is that it can be expected and prepared for. Try and make the question specific to the role, the company, or to the Oil & Gas industry in general, using any information found from the research you did after Tip 4.
If you have taken our tips on board and feel ready to take the next step, start job hunting right now by registering your details and uploading your CV here and we’ll contact you if we have any jobs matching your skills, or view our Oil & Gas roles here.
