Energy Sector Job Interview? How to Craft Better Answers

For anyone interested in engineering work in the energy industry, now is a good time to fine-tune your resume and start applying for job opportunities. In addition to higher hourly wages than the national median average, according to a Supplemental Report to the Annual U.S. Energy and Employment Report, the energy sector also saw fewer job losses following COVID-19 than other industries such as tourism, hospitality, recreation, information, and communications, retail, and building and design.

Landing a dream job in the energy sector, however, takes work. When it comes time for job interviews, candidates must prepare and present answers that highlight their strengths. Here, we have provided some must-have interview tips focusing on engineering and can also apply to just about anybody. Whether an interview will be in person or remote, it never hurts to prepare.

#1 Get personal.

Candidates in the energy sector should prepare for each interview as if it were a personal one-on-one conversation with a unique employer.  Since many interviews contain similar questions, it’s tempting to create and practice stock answers. However, the recruiters at FootBridge recommend candidates highlight personal experience first and foremost.  Better yet, candidates should research the company, study the job description, and learn about the organization’s values and internal culture. Then, they can build interview answers that speak to this company’s specific attributes. In addition to being able to answer questions related to the job, be ready to answer questions such as:

• How do you handle difficult on-the-job situations? This question is geared toward uncovering your problem-solving skills and the resources you may use to solve them.
• Why did you enter the field? Don’t hold back this is a great area to personalize the interview!
• And more specifically, why did you choose to interview with the company?

#2 Focus on accomplishments.

Anyone can promise an interviewer they can or will do the tasks listed on a job description. However, engineering job candidates who discuss how they have already succeeded at similar tasks are the ones interviewers remember. Here’s what candidates can do:

• Record three to five of the most significant accomplishments in your education or career to date. This way, you can use the job description to match the employer’s skills and tasks, hoping to align yourself with those accomplishments.
• When it comes time for the interview, you are better prepared to create short discussions that use terms in the job description to discuss how problems were overcome and name the results.

#3 Know what to ask.

Think about your accomplishments in the context of the job for which you are interviewing. Ask questions that show you are also interviewing the employer like:

• Will I have access to mentors on the job?
• Will I get the chance to participate in experimental projects or to lead a team?
• How does the company support continued growth as an engineer?

It’s perfectly acceptable to write these questions down and ask away during the interview. Preparing ahead of time means these questions will fit more naturally into the interview than any generic questions you might think up on the spot.

At FootBridge Energy Services, our recruiters can help you connect with some of the best oil and gas companies in the industry – and create interview answers that will help your skills stand out. For more information on resume building and interviewing, visit our career development page. Or, contact us today to learn more about our oil and gas job opportunities.