In December 2015, Chris Flavell, Managing Director of Zinc Consultants, presented a talk on the topic of ‘Surviving the Downturn’ hosted at the PESGB Offices in Croydon…

Chris’s talk focused on some tips to maximise people’s chances of getting those scarce jobs that are coming to the market. The talk focused on the following areas:

CVs – what to include and what not to include.  Ensure you provide direct examples of applications of your skills.

Geologists – stress those regional skills and specific areas of specialisation.
Geophysicists – if applicable, describe the level of your quantitative interpretation experience with examples.  Don’t list hundreds of training courses that you’ve been on.

Skills Broadening – seek to take every opportunity to broaden one’s skills base, whether via training courses or diversity of projects in one’s current company.  There are some great value training courses currently around, including PESGB-organised courses.

Further Qualifications – whilst education to MSc level is currently the industry norm for graduate entry, give consideration to doing a PhD, but only if genuinely committed to the topic, and if you can go a while longer with restricted income.  Many employers like the specialisation that PhD candidates bring, plus their proven ability as self-starters.

Company Types – give equal consideration to oil companies, integrated consultancies and service companies.  Each company type has its own distinct merits, so keep your options as open as possible.

Conclusions – stay positive, chase all opportunities, the industry WILL recover.