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switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome
9

switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
Hi to you all!

Well due to circumstances i'm forced to become a member of the job-seekers club and thinking about jumping the automotive ship in the process altogether(fed up).

I'm hessitant to do a touch&go-restart in the same automotive industry for to be layed off again in the (near)future, no thanks. Meanwhile the oil&gas seems to be booming and seems to be a lot more STABLE employment in general.

Furthermore I've always had a interest in oil&gas industry, i'm not much of a watch maker i like the 'bigger stuff', so that's ok also.(some family members where oil&gas too).

Now, are there certain things that would make me less of a noob during my interview(s) so that i can study on those in the meantime?

- certain regulations?
- frequently used DIN/ANSI norms?
- frequently used / popular drilling rigs?!
- current trends?!

Any help/tips more than welcome! I realy want to land this job badly!!!

 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

you need to be honest with your yourself as to why you are in your current situation.  do not get the idea that changing industries is the answer . . .

if you do not know much now about O&G, then be assured that you cannot learn overnight or before any interview in the near future.

regulations?  many . . . CFR 191 - 194, OSHA, ASME piping/vessel codes, API, AWS, etc.

stable?  i remember at one time (year 2000) not meeting a single engineer whom has not been laid off.  business cycles change constantly.  operating companies are lean . . . EPC firms constantly change.

if you cannot readily accept change, perhaps you need to seek another line of work.

regardless, good luck.
-pmover

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

O&G has not been for me. I worked for two O&G companies, in my experiences they were less stable than aerospace.
I expect to see consolidations in the automotive industry soon.
There isn't many professions that are stable anymore.
My suggestions is to do what can, based on your education and experience, until the job market gets better.
In the mean time, educate yourself in the fields you're interested in.

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
For instance: how is the supply chain setup (in general) for O&G?

Is it as much outsourced as in automotive(price is king)? I have a rough understanding of the supply chain in the automotive industry i.e. where what is coming from for what margins and so on.

But O&G seems to be different especially regarding the insurance accreditations needed for products. How does this effect outsourcing? Is there less because traceability and qualitycontrol is a bigger issue?

I know my question is vage but i'm just interested to get some insight perspective on how the O&G industry 'works'

Again thank you all !!
     

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Any way you dice it, a "noob" is a noob.  You can talk the talk, but a cursory peek at your resume, or lack of one, will tell the story.  BS-ing doesn't get you far these days, but a little humility and honesty might :>)

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

It will be a tough transition from automotive to O&G.  If you cram for jargon, standards, etc., you'll make a mistake and they'll know it.  Just be yourself and trust the Lord for results, whatever they are meant to be.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

I had a short stay of employment in process industry from my long stay in material handling industry.  Was it an eye opener of how much is the same(basic controls) but different (jargon, control process, etc).  If you can pick up the jargon, different specifications to go by, of course all the new people, then it might be a good experience.

I think all the posters here have a point of being a little humble asking advise, is not necessarily a bad thing.  Maybe your not a written word communication person.  Some people get the picture either by speech, pictures, or maybe even hand jestures.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

controlsdude, I spent many years in the process industries before switching to parts and pieces manufacturing.  I found it to be fairly easy but the people I've seen do the reverse struggled a lot and with the basics and the culture.  The knowledge I gained in the process industry had not found its way to parts and pieces yet.  People thought I was some kind of smart but I told them the truth, i.e., I'm applying what I've learned from others' experience verbally or written word.  I still found a lot of resistance to change, positive change, even with those 10 years my junior.

It's good to saw the same basics applied.  You learned your lessons very good.  smile

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
Well didn't that little incident cause a lot of interest in this thread (albeit not directly related to my initial question)!

Again chaps, no harm intented from this side of our trenches(although it is quit lonesome here on my own) noevil

KENAT, sorry for being not polite and using the evil demonic thumbs down smily from hell, now let's all hold hands and be friends again.

Back on topic:
lacajun "It will be a tough transition from automotive to O&G"
Yes, i know that the mindset and attitute is 'less polished', but so what? People in that industry seem honest, upfront and down to earth, or am I wrong?

ornerynorsk "Any way you dice it, a "noob" is a noob.  You can talk the talk, but a cursory peek at your resume, or lack of one, will tell the story"
I'm a 'noob' in the O&G industry and i won't pretend I'm not, but i do have Engineering experience in heavy construction. I'm young, eager and willing to learn, especially if it's a good career move.

My intent was not to 'trick' the interviewer, I'm a honest person and don't think that's the right way to live one's life, besides it will backfire harder that a muscle car with a leaking vacuum line upsidedown
I wanted some insights into this industry so to be able to better prepare myself, i would see that as a plus when I was the interviewer, that's for sure.

Meanwhile i got an old 'composite catalog of oil field equipment and services' from world oil which has tons of information regarding equipment, company's and so on, which is a great help for now.



  

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

:D FYI, I'm not a chap.  Is there such a thing as a chapess?

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
@slta
whatever you want, as long as you pay the bill rednose

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

"I'm not a chap.  Is there such a thing as a chapess?  "

Well, if chaps are leather leggings, then female leggings would be legwarmers...

Chaplets are little bits of metal in a mold to provide hard spacing/standoff between parts of the mold before molten metal gets poured in...no, no help there.

A chapped lip is cracked, would a female chap then be a...no, won't go there.

Kenat will be along soon to tell us about backless chaps...not quite equal to a spineless guy, but...well, let him explain.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Employment tracks the price of oil and gas.   It is not stable.  There were big layoffs in 2009 and now there is a mad scramble for people again.   

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

I live in the big middle of O&G in Houston and wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.  Right now they are hiring gung ho.  So if you are a warm body you have a shot.  

They will go through another bust cycle within a few years (check their history), and you will probably be one of the first to go back onto the streets due to your prior background.  I am in manufacturing and while less lucrative than O&G, it is much more stable.  I stay employed while neighbors ride the cycles.

Sorry to hear about your current plight.

rmw

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
@rmw
why is it so cyclical, why the big layoff's?

Let me clarify the situation somewhat better:
I was not the only one layed off, we all were, the only one's left are the local stray cats on the parking lot. Other automotive opportunities woul require a relocate, O&G is locally.

The O&G company produces drilling rigs, now does that make any difference job stability wise? Are they perhaps less effected by local effects, since they sell worldwide? One site goes down, an other one pops up?

The reason why i thought O&G was a bit more stable than automotive was because of the post-banking cirsis here in Europe. The banks here got a MMA-style knockout upsidedown during the US mortage scam and practically all needed life support. As a result they won't invest in automotive which is detrimental to the sector, because of the supply chain effect(no loan = no purhase = no business).

1) Is this equally bad in the O&G industry? It seems the banks are much more willing to invest in O&G than in automotive. Not?

2) Furthermore, here in Europe (for instance in Germany) they plan on shutting down all Nuclear facilities in the near future, that woul surely have an effect on O&G.
 
3) How is a drill rig builder effected by far east competition(China/India)? Is it equally gruesome as in automotive? I mean it's one thing to reverse engineer a cheap a$$ car, but a complete drill rig including the after sale knowhow seems somewhat more of a challenge? Not?



  

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

O&G is the DEFINITION of a cyclic industry.  Boom-bust cycles of the very worst kind.  The trouble with working in a boom/bust industry is that when you're tossed back on the street, you won't be alone- you'll be in LOTS of company.

The worst thing you could do is move to a boomtown where O&G is pretty much the only game in town.  Fortunately for you, it sounds like the O&G work is local.

My suggestion would be to focus on being a good generalist, with transferrable skills- and write your resume accordingly.  Don't try to move from one pidgeon-hole to another.  If you apply with a resume meant for one particular pidgeon hole, it will find itself rather quickly in the recycle bin at the offices of the other pidgeon-hole.   

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Good advice is being given here.  I have also experienced the cyclic nature of the industry, but from the other side.  When my preferred industry is on the downswing, I have been able to move into O&G and energy fields, due mainly to my capability as a generalist.  I do not look forward to the day when every applicable industry is down at the same time.
If you have the aptitude and a skill set that the industry can take advantage of while you learn the ropes, you should have no problem making the switch.  Just don't think it will be the last you will ever make.  If it is, cheers.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Make sure you get paid while it is hot.  Piping CADers will be above $60 an hour. Designers will be above $40 an hour easy. PE's that don't know anything will be around $45 dollars an hour and are brought on just to justify billing a client. Same thing is done with fresh grads. PE's that know their stuff do very well and break 6 figures easy.  

When it is hot, make sure to make bank because when the ride stops you'll not be making as much.  

I am too old for this shit.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

DannyGlover: my grandfather didn't have much education, but even he knew that you make hay while the sun shines, because when it's raining you won't be making sh*t.  Advice to live by-

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

In 1986 the industry hit its first major bust.  80% of the people in Oil & Gas on January 1, 1986 were not in the industry on December 31, 1986.  We went from almost 500,000 people employed in the industry to just over 100,000 during that awful summer.  A depression is often defined as 30% unemployment, so we were in a depression until the staffing levels reached 350,000--that happened in 2002.  Since the end of the 16 year depression (didn't see anything about that on the news did you?), there have been 5 layoffs that each reduced the industry by more than 10%.  

In 2008, I read about a major Oil & Gas company that was reducing its workforce by 12% on the same day that I received an job offer from that company.

Before 1986, there was an expectation that if you had a clue and ANY sense of loyalty, then you could retire from your first professional job.  Several hundred engineers started with the company that hired me out of school in the month that I started (June, 1980).  By 1990 there were 3 of us left.  When I retired in 2003 there was one left (and he has since retired).  It is nearly unheard of today for either the companies or the employees to show any loyalty at all.  Consequently, the industry's reluctance to laying people off ended for all time in the summer of 1986.

If you're looking for stability you came to the wrong window.

David

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

2
My favorite General Manager, mainly because he was a straightshooter, likewise told us at a lunchtime talk in 1994 that we should no longer expect to work at any company for more than about 5 years.  

Everyone thinks some other industry is more "stable" particularly when their own is in turmoil.  Most engineers here think that being a doctor is the ticket, while my doctor wife, battling with inept EMR software, thinks engineers have it easy.

Bottom line is to do something that you're willing to jump out of bed to do, and not because it's "stable;" there ain't no such thing.  

Egypt and Yemen have recently demonstrated that even "stable" governments that have lasted 30-40 yrs can fall in the blink of the eye of history.  Even companies that existed for over 100 yrs and survived the Depression like Montgomery Ward can vanish into the sands of merchandising history.

TTFN

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Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Pat,
They are U.S.  The impact on the rest of the world was about the same percentage, but I don't know the body counts.

David

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Like the old saying, the grass is always greener on the other side, until you look down and see the dirt.

"Good to know you got shoes to wear when you find the floor." - Robert Hunter
 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
"Like the old saying, the grass is always greener on the other side, until you look down and see the dirt"

bollocks IMHO, often misused to 'accept' resignation
  

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

When I started in the industry, there was a progression.  A new engineer would start in a field office doing operations stuff.  Project work was incidental, most of their time was spent on optimization and troubleshooting.  This generally lasted about a year.  Then you'd go to a Division office to work on "bigger stuff" (multi-well workovers, input to reserves analysis, etc.).  After a couple years of that, you either went back to the field as a District Engineer or went to the Region for a specialist job.  After you had ticked all those boxes you would start your career.  At every step there was older and wiser heads that had to sign off on your projects before you could screw something up that could have been stopped.

Today, many companies have VERY regimented "Challenger" programs whereby everyone is supposed to get the same training, same exposure to actual work, etc over their first three to five years.  Mostly these programs are run by administrative dweebs who don't know the difference between a Challenger being stuck in a position with no other engineers and one who was mentored.  Also the population of "older and wiser" heads is getting really thin on the ground.  

These kids (average age of Oil & Gas engineers is under 30, which includes the few remaining dinosaurs) come into Oil & Gas companies not knowing much, spend 3-5 years ticking boxes with little real learning and then are turned loose to sink or swim on multi-million dollar projects.  On many of these projects the ONLY engineer who sees the details is the teenager who is miles out of his depth.  I get called in to fix a lot of these disasters.

This scenario is not good for the young engineers, the companies, or the industry.  But as the industry becomes progressively more MBA-driven, the attitude that engineers are interchangeable-cogs becomes more and more prevalent.  A few more big spills, big explosions, and big economic failures and the MBA's will crawl back into their holes (hopefully dragging their "supply-chaing management" garbage with them), but right now they are running the show and the show is getting scary.

David

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
moltenmetal (Chemical)     
"My suggestion would be to focus on being a good generalist, with transferrable skills- and write your resume accordingly"

Thank you moltenmetal, although it's fairly general and perhaps obvious i do think it's useful

 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
zdas04 (Mechanical)     

"But as the industry becomes progressively more MBA-driven, the attitude that engineers are interchangeable-cogs becomes more and more prevalent.  A few more big spills, big explosions, and big economic failures and the MBA's will crawl back into their holes (hopefully dragging their "supply-chaing management" garbage with them), but right now they are running the show and the show is getting scary"

I have noticed this mindset at local Consulting companies. A lot of them are eager to hire just about every Bachelor/Master. They have the mindset that if you are an engineer you can jump wagon at days notice and shine like a veteran in the job the next month.

When i asked WHO would train me in all those different fields, their answers made me want to crumble up and die.  
Where are the days that the new guy would be trained on the job by an old timer to prevent serious cr@p from happening. It really was a WTF moment for me. ponder

So zdas04, thanks for that piece of advice, although i was aware of it somewhat.
  

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

321GO,
I hope you find the other 'general' and 'obvious' suggestions/comments above to be useful.

Based on the comments, what have you learned? What are your plans?

Chris
SolidWorks 10 SP4.0
ctopher's home
SolidWorks Legion

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

I hope you noticed the thread further don on resume tips and interview questions.

It was interesting to see Schlumberger featured a few times in the interview questions - field engineer positions.

 

JMW
www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Use of MBA running companies and no technical skills.  I remember my first time this happened to me.  It was my first job where I was being directed by an MBA and no other support from engineers.  I thought something was wrong with my skills but later came to the conclusion it was his attitude about not giving any useful suggestions or engineering overall guidance.  Guy was really useless as far as I was concerned.  If you hear this as the only solution from some manager, "Make the problem go away", you know you will never get any real help from that manager.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Stars for the folks for some great humour to start the morning, and to zdas04 for pretty much nailing it re: MBAs etc.

Where I work (Canada) there is now an almost panic-stricken drive towards "mentorship" by universities, companies, Regulators and even the professional engineering associations in an attempt to compensate for what has been decaying in this business for the past three decades.  Smart, young people who are untrained become smart, middle aged people who are equally untrained.

You don't fix this with MBAs.  You fix this with engineers - of whom there are fewer and fewer good ones as time goes by.

 

Regards,

SNORGY.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

I worked in civil (construction and design) up until this year.  The engineering job market where I live is totally dominated by O&G.  I ended up getting a job planning NDT packages for offshore rigs.  I openly admitted that I was a total noob in the O&G side of things during the interview.  I have constructed modules and facilities for O&G but a pipe spool is just a pipe spool to me... I only care about how easy it is to weld.  Anyhow, the O&G industry here is booming, good luck trying to find anything outside of it around here.  I actually know people doing process design that studied environmental engineering.  It does suck starting from scratch again.  Very little of my technical background carries over in this industry.  The one thing I can hold on to is my ability to learn, work with people, and try to do my best no matter what shows up.  If at one point you do make the switch to a new industry it won't take long before your bitter feelings about the old industry dissolve and you are actually left with positive memories.  Yep, I can say that about my old job even though I was laid off just like you.

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

i have worked in O&G/Petrochem/Refinery industry all my career life. so whats the question again?

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
Despite my overenthusiasm for O&G i still see it in a failry positive way.

I read a prensation from allseas.com in which they see a fairly stable setting till somewhere around mid-century(at that point demand & production are forecasted to level out they claim). From that moment on oil/gas prices will increase and as an effect renewable sources could leap ahead. Even so, O&G demand will continue from that moment on i'm sure(sorry treehuggers)

Furthermore engineers would be in demand because of the increased difficulties in extraction in general.

They also noted -as zdas04 already pointed out- that young engineers needed long term practical experience before making their way up to managing(just wanted to mention that).


 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

it seems you're knowledge of o&g is just drilling.

oil and gas industry is a HUGE industry. there is downstream, upstream, midstream, there's EPC, there's supermajors.

you may want to research which industry within O&G industry you want to work
 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
delagina,

particularly drill rig contruction.


 

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

this is how i understand this...

there's supermajors like chevron, shell, exxon, bp

oilfield services like baker hughes, halliburton, schumberger, etc..

Epc like fluor, kbr, bechtel..


i think you are interested in oilfield services companies

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

(OP)
delagnia,

yes, correct.

To recap, my former employer went under and as such i'm looking for new employment. Other Automotive jobs are not local, but the rig building is. Since i have a passion for both Industries i was considering the switch.

  

RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

Bear in mind that most companies do not do new designs very often, so if you are expecting to do one design after another, in quick succession, you will be very disappointed.  The more expensive something is, the less likely there will be a redesign.

TTFN

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RE: switch to oil&gas - interview tips more than welcome

I bumped into a welling drilling electrician on an airplane flight and got talking with him about the industry.  Asking them about how deep they drill, how much the guys get paid, the different positions and such.  Well, towards the end of the flight he asks me about a problem he is having with an overcurrent device that isn't operating correctly when the pump is in auto.  Then he gives me his card with his name and number and tells me how much independent troubleshooters can make.  He claims that he knows of a guy that works close to 280 days a year a gets paid close to $3500 U.S for each of those 280 days and on top of that all of the guy's expenses are covered.  So, he is pulling in close to a million bucks a year being a hired gun that is flying all over the place from his home in Hawaii.  Most of those days are long and the quality of life is crap but it is hard to ignore something like this when if you did it for a few years, you could save up more than you could in a conventional 30 year engineering career.

Oil and gas is a very weird thing where if things are hot, any salary seems possible.  Do these numbers line up with what you guys hear about in the industry or was he just blowing me smoke to get an engineer to work as a trouble shooting field tech?  

I am too old for this shit.

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