Hiring is everybody’s problem in oil and gas. For those who are working in the SCOOP/STACK, the situation is not any different. The problem for oil and gas is two-fold. One, when times are good in the industry, qualified applicants are in short supply, and job poaching is rampant. So, competition is tough. Two, the industry’s workforce is heavily skewed to senior, late-career workers and youthful entrants, with relatively few workers falling in-between.
This condition makes for an oil & gas hiring challenge in that many Baby Boomers are retiring out of the industry, and leaving a void of experience, not to mention a void of bodies, in their wake.
Shifting Priorities
Young people did flock to oil and gas over a short timeframe. Between about 2009 and 2014, many young people entered the O&G workforce. But since then, young people have not been so enthusiastic about a career in the industry. As recently as five years ago, oil opportunities were dwindling and those entering the workforce looked elsewhere to establish their careers.
Today, as the United States has re-ignited as a world leader in oil and gas production, your industry finds it is not well-prepared. And your outfit might be in that very same tight spot. Maybe you didn’t attract your share of new folks to replace the Baby Boomers who are outbound.
Consequently, this somewhat sudden leap to international leadership has created a vacuum in a workforce pipeline that needs to be filled.
How can you reach today's job seekers?
The generation of folks who are roughly 22 – 38 are the Millennials. Born in the 1980s and ’90s, these potential hires have grown up with computers, and are daily dependent on the Internet that they carry with them. They would rather text than talk. These individuals “check in” instead of dropping by. They “face time” instead of having real honest-to-goodness face-to-face time. (Learn more from the “Workforce of the Future Survey.”)
Digital Dependence
Because they are dependent on digital dialogue, you need to make certain that your company has an opportunity to be a part of the conversation when it comes time to fill a position with your outfit. And if you want the top notch hands out there, you need to at least speak their language.
5 Steps to Whip Your Website into Shape for Job Seekers
Start by making sure your website reflects the heart of your company. Are you old school and out of date? If so, it’ll show in your website. Are you using modern technology to accomplish your oil & gas hiring needs? Your website needs to look modern and appealing enough to outshine the competition.
- Make sure your company has a website. Many oil-related companies do not have a website at all, but this is changing rapidly. Don’t get left behind. (Learn more about O&G Websites.)
- Make sure your website can be found on search. Of the companies that do have a website, most are not optimized for search nor optimized for mobile viewing.
- Make sure your website can be found on social media. Of the Millennials – those 22-38 year olds – 73% found that last position through a social media platform. And Twitter is by far the most effective platform. Linking the job seekers back to your website to fill out the application further strengthens your company’s messaging to the recruits.
- Make sure your website tells that job candidate what is different about your company. As an example, Devon Energy does a fantastic job of enticing candidates to want to work for their company.
- Why should he/she choose to apply for your job instead of another job at “Oil Company X” down the road?
- What are your benefits?
- What is your company culture? Is it a place where you would want your son or daughter to work? Then let the candidates know that.
- Are you involved in the community? What are your company values? What is your safety record?
- Make it easy to apply. Integrate a job board into your website and an online application into your site.
PUT A JOB BOARD ON YOUR WEBSITE
Since you are making a case on your website for why that quality candidate should apply for your open job, why would you want to link them off of your website to a 3rd party job listing? Give them the tools to apply for the job right on your website with an online job application built in.
While a very few may want the option to download the job application, print it out, fill it out by hand, and mail it back in to you, remember, you are trying reach the Millennials. Now that you have done a good job of convincing them why they want to work for you, they will want to take the easy step of spending just 3-4 minutes to fill out the application online and submit it you immediately.
Insofar as you are concerned, it’s good customer service. Where they are concerned, you’ve just sent them a message that you value efficiency.
Easy-to-Use for the Employer
- Add new job listings
- Place job listings into categories such as by location or by skill set
- Search and filter your job listings
- Mark job listings as “filled”
- Delete job listings as necessary
Simple Form - Add a New Job Listing
- Job Details – The form allows you to input job details, including job description, job location, and details about your company.
- Email Address – Each listing can be assigned an email address that job seekers can use to apply to the job.
- Preview Listing – You can preview the listing before it goes live. The preview matches the appearance of a live job listing. After preview, you can publish the listing or edit it further.
Easy-to-Use for the Job Seeker
- Google Map – The job location can link through to a Google map
- Company Info – The company information section can show your company tagline or link to your Twitter account.
- Online Application – Job seekers can quickly and easily fill out your customized job application while on your website
- “Apply Now” Button – An “Apply Now” button is shown beneath the job listing and can be clicked to reveal your online application or your email address.
Search and Filter Oil & Gas Job Listings
- Category
- Job type
- Keywords
- Location
Job Seekers Stay Connected
Our search feature allows job seekers to stay informed when you post new job openings. They can subscribe to a feed containing new jobs that match their search criteria, and they will be automatically notified when you post a new job listing.
In the end, you are ahead of the game when you use your website as a recruiting tool. Your content will build a strong case to job searchers as to why your company is the best place to work. Then, your job will be to choose the best from the pack of top-notch job seekers who apply for your open positions.