Ask the Careers Editor: Future Career Paths and Applicant Tracking Systems
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Ask the Careers Editor is a platform in which our readers can get answers to all their employment-related questions in oil and gas. Questions are generated by readers or are common industry questions we’ve heard in the past. Through this series, we hope to equip you with knowledge that will help you be successful in your job search and subsequent employment.
Q: I have just completed an apprenticeship in oil and gas and I am one of the lucky few to have gained a staff contract with one of the majors. However, I am young and ambitious and can't help but try to look elsewhere. I have all of the qualifications that I possibly could and I am currently enrolled in further higher education. Is there any advice you could give me to make the next step in my career, whenever that may be?
A: While it’s great to consider your future career path, don’t discount what each job opportunity can provide for you. The fact that you were able to secure a contract with a major oil and gas company during a time when hiring is down is wonderful and speaks volumes to your skill level and potential. Kick butt in your current position, but aside from doing great work – connect with as many people as you can. This includes direct managers and senior-level executives. Get a bit uncomfortable as you network: ask for a meeting with your boss and explain to him/her you’d like as much responsibility as allowed, to consider you for new projects, etc. And be diligent in building your industry network outside of the workplace, too. I strongly encourage you to join industry organizations that cater to young professionals and consider applying for leadership positions. You’ll meet industry professionals like yourself who may work in different companies. Forging these relationships will be extremely valuable when you decide to take the next step in your career.
Q: I know a lot of applicant tracking systems and other software have tools in place to screen out candidates before a recruiter even sees their resume. How do I ensure my resume makes it through to the next step?
A: (For this response, I tapped Rigzone’s own recruiting solutions manager Jen Schamble to weigh in)
There are many different reasons companies choose to use applicant tracking systems to track candidates throughout the hiring process. It helps recruiters track the source of each candidate, where they are in the hiring process and their communications back and forth. It also allows recruiters to ensure compliance along the way. Many applicant tracking systems also rank the relevance of a candidate for a certain role based on criteria such as keywords.
The best thing you can do as a candidate is look at the job description for which you are applying, think about what kinds of keywords a recruiter might use to search for their ideal candidate and make sure your resume contains those words as they apply to your education and experience. Whether it’s a recruiter searching by keywords or a certain software doing the same, you’re going to want to make sure they’re seeing the ‘right’ words when screening your resume. When this is being done by a computer, it’s even more important. While a recruiter will understand that your mention of working in the North Sea means you worked offshore, a computer searching for the word ‘offshore’ would not. Mirroring how a job description mentions experience can be key. Does the job description say ‘rotating equipment’ or does it say ‘compressors, turbines and pumps? Does it mention requiring experience in fracturing or does it mention having shale experience in a specific basin? Mirroring what a human or a computer may be looking for is the easiest way to connect the dots that you’re a qualified candidate.
When it comes to completely avoiding the applicant tracking system altogether, that may require meeting a recruiter at a job fair, being referred by a current employee or networking with the right people at an industry event. Typically the next step will be having you apply via the website anyway, but at least then they’ll be on the lookout for your resume if you are already in the running should the system screen it out first.
If you are looking for a job in oil and gas, currently working in oil and gas or have even retired from the industry and have an employment-related question, send them to me at Valerie.Jones@rigzone.com. Please include “Ask the Careers Editor” in the Subject Line.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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