Applying for an Oil and Gas Job? 5 Resume Tips to Keep in Mind

The energy industry shifts constantly as new sources of oil and gas are tapped and older ones are laid to rest. Those who work in this field or who seek to enter it must stay on their toes – and keep their resumes well polished.

If you’re sending your resume to energy companies, keep these five tips in mind:

Treat your resume like a marketing document.

Your resume has one goal: To convince the hiring manager to pick up the phone and schedule an interview with you. To accomplish this goal, your resume should be focused on answering the hiring manager’s most pressing question: “What can this person do for us?”

Skim the job posting and tailor your resume to demonstrate that you have the skills, experience, education, and background needed for this job. Eliminate work that doesn’t position you for success in this job and use the extra space to discuss specific positions and accomplishments that have prepared you to do well at the job to which you apply.

Focus on specific accomplishments.

It can be tempting to list everything you did at your last job – but on a resume, this wastes precious space that could be better used to display your best work.

When you list a former job on your resume, use the space beneath it to highlight your strongest accomplishments. Whenever possible, use specific, quantifiable numbers, like “increased efficiency by 3 percent.” Specific examples show the hiring manager that you can do great things – because you have already done them.

A “summary” may go further than an “objective.”

Many first-time job seekers rely on the old-fashioned “objective” at the top of their resumes. If you’ve been working for a while, however, a summary of your strongest skills and accomplishments may go further than a statement of what you hope to find in a job. The summary demonstrates that you know your value and that you understand what you bring to a company – abilities that a hiring manager will value, especially if your strengths line up to the company’s current needs.

Fact-check your resume.

Do you really need to fact-check your own life?

You can bet the hiring manager will – so it pays to be prepared. Make sure all dates are accurate and that the names of your degrees and your former job titles are correct. In a world with increased access to information online and increased scrutiny, even a small discrepancy can make a hiring manager reconsider your resume.   A document with spot-on accurate details, however, demonstrates that you understand the need for precision and take your work seriously.

Have a trusted colleague take a second look.

No matter how many times you look at your resume, there’s always a chance your eyes will skip right over a typo or a missing word. Have a friend or colleague you trust proofread your resume. And don’t hesitate to run it past your recruiter, who can provide additional tips on organization, layout, and content.

The experienced recruiters at FootBridge Energy Services can help you place your resume in the hands of hiring managers who want and need the skills you have to offer. Contact us today to learn more.