So your CV is up to date, cover letters sent, and you have been successfully offered an interview… Oil and gas job interviews can come in many forms; from general chats over coffee up to 3 rounds of formal interviews including a technical exam. We have included some tips to help you succeed at all types of interviews. This is part 1 of the series – researching your employer.

Research your Employer

It is always well advised to research an employer prior to sitting down for an interview, however for technical specialist jobs it is crucial to understand exactly what type of projects the company has coming up to make sure you can sell your skills as best as possible. If you are interviewing for an oil and gas freelance job on a major project, then relevant skills to that project are essential. This could include expertise in a particular technology, or the ability to work to a fast track schedule, and knowing what an interviewer is likely to ask will allow you to prepare answers to these questions. It is also worth knowing whether the role you are applying for requires additional skills above technical ability, such as sales or management skills, which you will be asked to demonstrate in an interview.

Researching an employer and their upcoming oil and gas projects will also help you to critically review your CV for areas that a hiring manager might consider a weakness, and allow you to prepare answers to questions that might come up regarding this. At an initial interview stage the only information someone has from you is a CV, cover letter and linkedin profile, so reviewing this information compared against the initial job specification should help identify what areas someone would want more information on.

Researching the person interviewing you is also well advised (if possible). If you are speaking to a department manager, project manager or someone from HR, they are likely to ask different types of questions, and knowing who will be speaking to you will help with your interview preparations.

In addition, if you are more prepared you are more likely to be confident and relaxed which will bring out the best in your body language and help make a good first impression, all essential factors in landing your next oil and gas job.