This is part 2 in our oil and gas job interview series, helping you find your ideal position.

Part 2 – Sell Your Skills

No matter if you are applying for an oil and gas freelance job, staff position or long term contract role, interviews are about two things:

1) Selling your skills to prove you can do a job
2) Finding out whether this job / company / project is right for you

Selling your skills might sound like an obvious thing to do, but for an oil and gas job interview it is easy to get caught up in technical details of previous projects, when it is better to focus on the essential skills that are required for a job and how you are able to perform them. When giving work examples from previous oil and gas projects, you should include why you were uniquely able to perform your role, demonstrating how you have the skills required to do the job above other candidates. It is also worth linking previous examples you give to the role you are applying for, therefore linking the skills you have used in the past to the job you will be doing in the future.

You also need to make sure that you reiterate technical knowledge or other skills you have on your CV which are relevant for the role. An interviewer should question you on such details, but if they do not it us up to you to remind them of your software ability, technical knowledge or people skills. You should aim to leave the interviewer in no doubt that you are capable of performing the job, so reminding them that you have the required skillset is an essential part of an interview.

If you are not sure about what is required from a position, then ask questions about the role at the start of the interview in order to be ready to provide correct responses to later questions. Oil and gas projects require a significant number of people and as more projects kick off now is the time to start brushing up on these interview skills.

Originally published at www.talengpro.com on October 10, 2018.