When the economy is doing well, you can apply for 10
offshore oil rig jobs and get interviews for 5 of them. But when the economy is in a recession, you're lucky to get 1 interview for every 20 resumes you send out. Every little thing you can do to improve the odds help. Here are two important things that can help your resume survive the cut.
1. Relevant Paperwork
To work on an offshore oil rig, you need quite a lot of paperwork. When oil sold for $140/barrel in 2008, oil companies were more than willing to pay for all your training, certifications and legal paperwork. But now, in 2009, when oil is selling for $40/barrel, things are very different. If your resume clearly lists out all the relevant certifications and legal paperwork that you already have, then you will be several steps ahead of your competition.
So what paperwork do you need? That depends on where you want to work. Different countries, states and provinces have different requirements. Nevertheless, here is a list to help you start your research:
- Trade certification/license recognized by the state where you will be working, e.g. welder, electrician, nurse/medic, etc.
- Passport
- Vaccinations
- Firefighting certification
- Medical fitness certification
- First aid certification
- Offshore survival training certification
- Helicopter underwater escape training certification (HUET)
Does the cost of meeting all this red tape send you into despair? Don't panic yet. American youths should check out the US Department of Labor's JobCorps program. This program offers special training and certification to help you get jobs with various industries, including the oil and gas industry. British ex-servicemen also have a similar program.
2) Relevant Experience
Do you have relevant experience? Then state it clearly on your resume. List a summary of your most relevant and recent working experience on the first page of your resume. In theory, this summary should be on your cover letter. But from my own previous experience, the person interviewing you rarely receives a copy of your cover letter. Just as important, the HR officer screening your resumes may have gotten into the habit of NOT reading cover letters, so it pays to duplicate your most important information.
But what if you don't have relevant working experience? Then list your most relevant training, education, extra-curricular activities and hobbies. Better yet, get some relevant training. In the US, some community colleges and technical training colleges offer practical courses relevant to the oil industry. If you can't afford such a course, enquire at the college if there are any special programs which can subsidize the course fees. One such program is the Labor Department's JobCorps program.
If you want your resume to pass HR's initial screening for
offshore oil rig jobs, you need to clearly list all your relevant working experience and certifications/paperwork on the first half page of your resume. Why? Because on the computer screen, only the first half of your resume shows up. HR is always busy, and the officer will often simplify his own life by not scrolling down your resume.
