You may also find our Guide to Becoming an Oil and Gas Engineer useful.
The first step to finding a contract is updating your CV as recruitment sites are the most obvious ways of finding a contract. Your CV needs to look as appealing as possible making you the most desirable candidate, visit our writing your CV page and our Top 5 CV tips for more information. Employers will be bringing you into the company as the 'industry expert' in your specific field, so your CV will need highlight your experience and what you can offer them. It is advantageous to show an interest in protecting natural resources and the environment while meeting the worlds demand for oil and gas.
Any fitness activities your may participate in – to emphasise you are fit and healthy – a rather odd request but this appears to be essential from most companies.
Wood Group – Employs approximately 29,000 people in 50 countries worldwide. Wood Group provide a range of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul and repair services to the oil, gas and power generation industries.
Hydrasun – The leading provider of bespoke fluid transfer and process control solutions to the oil and gas, petrochemical, marine and defence industries. In just their Aberdeen location there is over 400 employees.
Subsea7 – Specialists in seabed-to-surface engineering, construction and service contractor to the offshore energy industry worldwide.
Shell – A worldwide company and within the UK shell has both upstream and downstream businesses. Their upstream business operates from the North Sea. Shell has interests in more than 50 fields, operates more than 30 platform installations, 30 subsea installations, one FPSO vessel, three onshore gas plants and a marine terminal. Shell produces almost 15% of the UK oil and gas.
BP – One of the world's largest energy companies, providing its customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petrochemical products for everyday items. BP employees 80,300 employees worldwide, produces 2.3million barrels of oil per day, owns 16 refineries worldwide and is active in 30 countries worldwide.
Exxon Mobil – The worlds largest publicly traded international oil and gas company and are the largest refiner of petroleum products. Exxon mobile is a key player in every aspect of oil and gas process. From exploration and development to production and marketing.
Now not all companies will have their information published for all to see, so online community sites such as LinkedIn may allow you to search for a point of contact within the company, again it may be a hunting game in finding their details, however there is no harm in also sending your CV in the post and by email once you have their details, with a covering letter explaining what contract work you are looking for and what you can offer them.
LinkedIn is not the most obvious source when searching for a new contract, and it is very rare that you will actually find work using LinkedIn, however it is a good way to build up your network, get some strong points of contact within the Renewable Energy sector and a way to make people aware of when you are looking for a new contract. For more information visit LinkedIn for Contractors.