Getting hired on offshore oil rigs without experience

The absence of previous experience of working on offshore oil rigs turns out the biggest obstacle that greenhand job seekers stumble upon, when seeking employment in offshore oil drilling industry. In fact, the availability or absence of prior offshore experience is the very first information HR managers, working for offshore oil drilling companies or crewing agencies, specialized in manning offshore oil drilling projects, look for while sorting the CV/Resumés of greenhand applicants for the most popular positions on oil platforms that do not require college, technical school, or university degree. Here we speak about the entry-level jobs such as Roustabout, Roughneck, Leasehand, Floorman, Galleyhand and a couple more of very well salaried low-skill jobs in different departments on offshore oil rigs like catering or dwelling quarters that call just for the individual's excellent health, adroitness, shrewdness, quick response, ability to grasp and master some new simple skills quickly, and physical ability to work hard at a big rate for prolonged stretches of time.

Still there's a bright side of the situation, meaning that the agencies that hire can't fail to realize that all experienced personnel, now working on offshore oil rigs for years, once somehow started working as greenhorn offshore rig employee or worker without having a clue about the specifics and qualities/qualifications, needed to work offshore. And many met the challenge with honor in spite of lacking the notorious previous experience. Therefore the inexperienced candidates for filling offshore vacancies may count on understanding from the behalf of the recruiters that do selection of good fits for offshore oil drilling contractors.

Should you quit trying, though? Of course, not. Even if preference most likely is to be given to candidates with previous experience, they still keep keeping eye on the inexperienced too, trying hard to detect the signs helping them to identify, who from amongst those inexperienced could quickly grow to a good asset for the employer. After all, experience in the offshore environment on oil rigs can be acquired. The other thing not every inexperienced applicant assesses his or her chances realistically. Those should and will be cast out, and the oil companies are concerned about avoiding wasting time on them, while those really worthy are to be given their chance. Therefore the recruiters for oil drilling contractors scan applicants CV's primarily if not for the experience on oil rigs, then for the experience that could be transferable to offshore industry.

Here we speak about the category of offshore oil drilling job seekers, who apply for filling entry-level oil rig vacancy, while having absolutely realistic reasons to believe they could cope with the responsibilities up to the industry's requirements, if hired. Employers look to guess, which greenhand candidate deserves being given a chance to try himself in the capacity of, say, Roustabout. Conscientious and responsible job seeker, from the other side, should be concerned to provide reasonable explanations for recruiter, why it is he or she, but not some of the competitors, who is to be given the hand over the others.

The indirect or relevant experience that candidate has got from previous jobs in other fields, is of huge importance from the point of recruiters' view. Not that they expect you to apply it in your offshore position, they are the proof making them trust you'd cope with what required from yourself during the work in challenging environment the offshore oil drilling employment is associated with.

The entry-level positions on offshore oil rigs that don't require any prolonged training and are relied upon the greenhand's ability to pick up the hands-on experience easily from their colleagues, are available as junior member of drilling crew, rigging crew, in maintenance, in the kitchen (galley), in catering department, in residential/dwelling unit, and in certain other auxiliary positions. The main thing recruiters try to find out in the course of interview (if it comes to it), is whether there are valid reasons to expect a motivated and ambitious candidate would be capable to work in the demanding and the challenging environment on offshore oil rigs.

Previous experience can be crucial, if it's really oil drilling industry related, for example if you're looking to swap from land-based rigs to oil drilling rigs at sea. Mind only that if you worked on mainland as a motorman, on offshore platform you might be offered a position of roustabout, Driller could be offered a position of Assistant Driller (which is a trainee position), Derrickman, Mudlogger etc. Requirements offshore are well above what is required on land based oil drilling rigs. But the salaries are proportionally higher.