7 Steps To Getting Nigeria Oil and Gas Jobs - Fresh Graduates

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   TemitopeSenior Member

   
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   Oil and Gas jobs is one of the highest paid employments anyone can get in Nigeria. The stiff competition in the sector is an attestation to this as many fresh graduates and even people already employed in other sectors often jostle for the limited opportunities in the sector.
   
   One of the major challenges of fresh graduates is the level of work experience often required by the oil companies. As a result of this, new school leavers find it frustrating because they don’t have an idea how to start gathering the needed experience. Here is how a frustrated graduate put it on newscientist.com:
   
   “I would like to work in the oil and gas sector but I lack the experience needed to get a job. What's more, I don't hold out much hope of getting any experience as companies request experience even for voluntary positions.”
   
   But in reality, you can still get your desired job in the oil and gas sector even without much of experience. The following steps suggested by recruiters and top managers in these multinational oil companies reveals how you can land a great job in the oil and gas sector.
   
   Get familiar with opportunities in the oil and gas sector
   
   Find out and get familiar with recurrent job offers in the oil and gas sector, especially the ones that suits you.Oilcareers.com is a global search engine for oil and gas jobs; you can search by category, keywords and country. Nigerian openings are also inclusive. Once you’ve found a trend of job offers that interest you, go ahead and do some personal research on the skills required for such roles. With that, you’ll be able to discover if you’ll need some extra professional training that can help boost your chances for such jobs
   
   Visit the websites of oil and gas companies and recruiters
   
   You’ll have to do some study on the individual companies and recruiters too. Sometimes, some companies post vacancies on their websites without necessarily making it public on other media. This will also help you to target your research more specifically on the company and find out as much possible information. Click here for addresses and websites of oil and gas companies in Nigeria.
   
   Strategize
   
   By the time you follow the first two steps, you should be able to settle the kind of job you’re looking for and the company you want to work with. The next thing to do is compile a list of target organizations and come up with a strategy on how you’ll approach each one of them. If they are currently hiring, write an application letter to them and make a reference of the job details and specifications they provide in the job placement in your letter. Let your letter show that you really read and understood the job offer. Also make sure you compile your CV to suit the specific job opportunity, delete anything that is not relevant to the job.
   
   In the case when a company of your choice is not displaying any job opportunities, what you can do is to contact the HR department or the relevant unit either by sending an email or making a phone call to ask if there is any opening you can apply for. This would help in establishing a connection with the organization. Even if there are no jobs available at the moment, you can keep contacting them at reasonable intervals and they’ll inform you whenever there is a job offer. According to a recruiter on newscientist.com, this will ensure that you are on their radar and show you are proactive – which employers like to see. A new employee who shared his experience on movebacktonigeria.com did something similar to get an oil and gas job. He said, “There wasn’t a great deal of communication from the companies so I had to constantly chase each of them to get updated on the process.”
   
   
   Attend industry events and network
   
   Ed Allnutt, a manager at an oil and gas recruiting firm said, “The more industry people you establish valuable connections with, the greater the chance of you securing the role you want through them.” When you meet professionals, show some level of dedication, expertise and passion to the industry. This can make them recommend you to an employer. You can meet professionals by attending industry events. Find out about an event; maybe a seminar, luncheon or dinner where they’ll be gathered, you’ll have a feel of the current trend in the industry and what they’re looking for. Always go to such events with the intention of meeting people for opportunity sake and not just to look. Go with your CV prepared to the events as there can be some opening from there.
   
   Build your LinkedIn profile
   
   It is advisable that you should have a LinkedIn profile if you don’t have one already. This is another networking platform. LinkedIn is not the same as Facebook or twitter, although those can also be used to build professional networks but LinkedIn is strictly for career development. Once your LinkedIn account is set up, build your profile to reflect your target industry, skills, certifications and any experience you’ve gathered so far. The next thing is to carry out a search on the areas you've identified in the industry, locate people in the industry on LinkedIn and send them a request to add them to your professional network. If you’ve built your profile carefully, they should accept your request. You can also join relevant interest groups in the oil and gas industries and even companies you are interested in working with on LinkedIn. This will help build your knowledge of the industry and equip you with the necessary information when you secure your first interview.
   
   Brace up for Interview
   
   When you have eventually secured an interview, you don’t have to fret as to what the interview would be like in an Oil and Gas industry. Like other areas, there are specific questions that would be recurring in all the interviews. Here are about fifty interview questions in the Oil and Gas as compiled by glassdoor.com. Once you get yourself familiar with this trend, you should have an idea what the interview would look like.
   
   Keep In Touch
   
   Once you’ve done your best in an interview, the next thing is to keep in touch with the HR department. You can put a call through, send an email or make a visit to know your status. The truth is; some things still goes on after the interview within the inner circle, therefore your keeping in touch can still get you favoured, especially if you had a brilliant performance at the interview.