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

[321GO]

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!!!

 

[KENAT]

321GO, my guess is anyone that's been in O&G for any length of time may chuckle at your description of it as more stable.

Posting guidelines faq731-376

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

(probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484​

 

[pmover]

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

 

[ctopher]

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

 

[321GO]

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 !!

 

[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. 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.

 

[lacajun]

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.

 

[controlsdude]

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.

 

[lacajun]

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.

 

[321GO]

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)

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
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.

 

[SLTA]

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

 

[321GO]

@slta
whatever you want, as long as you pay the bill

 

[ctopher]

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

 

[btrueblood]

"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.

 

[chemjock]

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.

 

[rmw]

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

 

[321GO]

@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 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?

 

[moltenmetal]

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.

 

[ewh]

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." - [small]Robert Hunter[/small]

 

[DannyGlover]

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.