How to find Roustabout or other entry-level unskilled job on offshore oil rigs

The most bothering question every greenhand job seeker is anxious to find intelligible answer to, sounds absolutely natural:

How to find Roustabout, Roughneck, or other entry-level unskilled job on offshore oil rigs?

In fact, this is the question number one that stands out from among the rest of frequently asked questions on specialized discussion forums, dedicated to employment in oil drilling industry, specifically in its offshore upstream sector. Really, how do you find entry-level Roustabout job, where to look for that lucrative offshore position, who speak to?

We are afraid to disappoint a fairly big portion of those beginning offshore job seekers, hopefully prospective Roustabouts and Roughnecks, who are so far the dreamers that just came up with great idea to get job on offshore platforms and start earning unthinkably big salary that could change their life drastically. Probably, in some places over the Internet you were given tips and advice, telling you to put on work clothes, the type worn by manual laborers on oil rigs, overalls, hard hat, rough impregnated boots with steel capped socks and the rest like that, and start applying by a walk-in method, visiting in person drilling contractors offices according to the list you've compiled in advance.

Sorry, this way you're hardly going to impress anyone, maybe just make some people laugh at your eccentric out of place appearance. In the best case good people would refer you to the respective URL on the oil company's website to have yourself familiarized with guidelines and the ways to submit your application, normally via their online application submission form. 99% of the Resumés nowadays are being composed and submitted electronically. It may turn out even worse if you try to reach oil drilling contractor companies by phone telling you would like to work for them as entry-level, no-previous-experience-on-oil-rigs Roustabout. Nowadays the majority of oilfield servicing companies delegate the major portion of recruiting that they need to offshore crewing agencies. If not, all the same the HR people from oil drilling companies won't bother to read your Resumé unless it complies with industry specific set of the requirements. Hiring professionals will assist greenhand applicants to compose their CV/Resumé in the format, accepted across the oil drilling industry. You can also use online semi-automatic offshore oil industry specific writing and Resumé/CV submission service. As an exception, offshore oil drilling contractors may hire the new entry-level staff to fill lower end vacancies bypassing the existing scheme through reference from the veterans. If you have someone with decades of working on offshore oil platforms to vouch for you, this is your way to go.

Improving chances for landing a job

No previous experience doesn't mean equal chances. The best chances to get entry-level job of Roustabout have greenhand candidates from the environment of former seamen, military, mining, construction, crane operator, and catering, hospitality etc. industries. CDL holders may be offered job of Operator of Fracking Equipment. Any skills are important. If you are already a skilled forklift operator, recruiters won't fail to checkmark that, because the versatility from the perspective of functions diversification on offshore oil rigs is valued, considering the need to reduce the number of the low skilled manual laborers aboard offshore oil rig to minimum.

Entry-level Roughneck

Those, who got industry specific previous experience like from working on land based oil rigs as Leasehand, Floorhand, or Foreman may count to get hired for Roughneck position right away as their entry level job, the others are exempt. Roughneck responsibilities, as per Roughneck job description, will normally include: helping the Driller during drilling process; providing physical support and assistance in maintenance of oil drilling equipment, including routine visual inspection of oil drilling rig and mechanisms/appliances, used in the course of drilling for oil; inspection of the safety equipment, routine; knowing the emergencies response pattern and safe evacuation paths for the crew to escape to designated area should accident like fire occur; together with Roustabouts carries out the tasks, related to keeping drilldeck clean and free from foreign objects; connects the sections of drill pipe, using hydraulic clamps; monitors and services as per routine maintenance instruction mud pumps, drill bits, rotary system, shale shakers; serves as a helper when repositioning of pipe from catwalk is required; joins Roustabouts to assist in offloading/loading pipe to auxiliary vessel; provides ongoing maintenance of the oil rig that includes greasing, cleaning, painting, etc. Most of his work time Roughneck will spend on drilling floor, therefore the other name for the position could be Floorhand. Roughneck/Floorhand primary duty is in fact to help the Driller to perform the multitude of operations that ensure the correctness of drilling for oil. For example, offshore Roughneck assembles and disassembles drilling equipment, moves from one place to another drill stems and drill bits, cleans them in time, adds portions of the pipe and connects them using the specially designed hydraulic clips, disconnects the pipe, manipulates the thongs to move pipe pieces and much more. Physical load during these operations is exceptional, therefore Roughneck is required to be in excellent physical form.

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To give you an idea, what Roustabout does on oil rig within the terms of duties and responsibilities as per offshore Roustabout job description, Roustabout position normally is responsible for: cleaning and tidying deck area; assisting offshore Crane Operator by guiding loads, transported by crane in deck area; bringing the instruments to deck wherever required and removing them, when they are no longer needed; keeping gangways free from any pieces that could obstruct or block the movement of crew members through them; replacing Roughnecks temporarily during brief relief breaks; helping Roughnecks, Derrickman, Crane Operator, and Driller whenever ordered by senior crew members. Roustabout may be hired for working exceptionally in maintenance department, which is considered less demanding. Rig laborer in a position of Maintenance Roustabout gets annual salary, which could be $US 5,000 - 10,000 less than what Roustabout on drilldeck earns. The latter could earn approximately $US 60,000 - 65,000 per annum.