Industry facts

12- www. world- petroleum. org 1.3- The big picture Think globally What are employers looking for and what can a career in energy offer? How the Energy Industry Works ( HEIW) talks to recruitment experts at BP, Chevron, Schlumberger and Tenaris HEIW Why should young people consider a career in the energy business? E H- J I would really struggle to think of another career that gives people access to such a wide and exciting range of opportu-nities. And the issues involved in energy are so varied - political, environmental - that it has an impact on everyone's life. ESOne of the amazing things about the petroleum industry is how many different ca-reers there are and how people can come in with similar credentials and end up taking up very different career paths. With the indus-try in great flux and firms looking at different forms of energy - such as biofuels, geother-mal, wind and solar - it's particularly hard to predict which way young people will head. The industry's scope is a great advantage in allowing you to adjust your work- life bal-ance as your priorities change. If, for exam-ple, you have children, you could have the option of switching from an operations to an office role. In a big energy company, you can move laterally, or sometimes even up, into drastically different functions, and learn and take on new careers without the penalties - such as a setback in salary, for instance - that you could incur in switching industries. I've always loved the opportunity the in-dustry presents to live and work around the world, getting to know and work with people from different cultures, solving common prob-lems. It changes how you see the world. LJIt is an intellectually and profession-ally stimulating environment. Energy is one of the main drivers behind the world's eco-nomic and political development. And many jobs in the sector involve designing and de-ploying state- of- the art technology to meet the world's increasing energy demands in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. HEIW What are you looking for in applicants? E H- J It's true that we're looking for tech-nical excellence, a strong intellect and ana-lytical skills, but the things that make a big difference to us are flexibility and mobility. Can candidates cope with the fast- paced change in our activities? Do they have pas-sion and drive - for their technical subject and the broader business? Are they pas-sionate about learning, new technologies and their personal development? ES It's critical thinking - to be able to think for yourself: breakthroughs in energies of the future will come from someone com-ing up with a new technical concept, a new business model. Communication and interpersonal skills are also essential. You have to be able to work in teams with different skill sets that are typically multi- national, multi- cultural and multi- technical. If a geologist has to talk to an engineer, that's a communication barrier. BP Emma Hardaker- Jones ( E H- J), head of graduate and MBA resourcing. Chevron Eve Sprunt ( ES), uni-versity partnership and recruit-ment manager, Chevron. Schlumberger Oilfield Services Lana Jezrawi ( LJ), recruiting, training and develop-ment manager. Tenaris Gabriela López ( GL), recruitment and development director.