Any of you fine folks in O&G (Houston specifically) had any luck with recruiters? I've been "working" with one and have had about zero feedback on anything and it's frustrating as hell.

I know that the market is saturated right now, but I would expect some kind of feedback on how I stack up to other resumes coming across their desks or actively looking for opportunities that I may fit. I'm not sure how the recruiter game works, but perhaps some of you who have been through this before may shed some light.

In the past, when the market was good, I used to get calls 2 and 3 times a week asking if I'd be interested in jumping ship. Now I'm lucky if I can get someone on the phone or return an email. I get constant job updates from Monster, ZipRecruiter, OilPro and the likes so I know there are opportunities out there, but I feel like it's about useless using those mediums. I have gotten inquiries as to whether I'd like to become and HVAC technician (I don't), sell insurance or start my own absentee franchise business, however I have yet to get one meaningful inquiry in the Houston area.

Am I just going through a pisspoor recruiter/headhunter or are they all about the same? I've accepted the fact that there are better candidates than me out there, but when I don't hear anything back and I see the same job open for months I start to wonder what's going on.

Sorry for so many words, but it's starting to get frustrating.

TL;DR - Are recruiters worth it and are there any recommendations?

What kind of O&G job are you looking for? I might have a supervisor opening available for someone with manufacturing/safety experience.

I've been looking for a Project Engineer type position . My background is civil/structural and I've been mostly in the Lead Structural/Technical/Project Engineer role for the past 3-4 years and would like to eventually transition to a Project Manager/Supervisor type position. I don't mind doing the analysis work, but I'm more of a macro type person. Sitting behind a desk all day drives me crazy.

As for manufacturing/safety experience, I have rig-site construction (reviewing weld maps, witnessing/reviewing NDE tests and reports, mitigation and findings reports, etc.), of which is probably about a year max. I have traveled in the past to do site assessments for potential rig fabrication/manufacturing facilities, if that's worth anything.

I'd be happy to discuss further or shoot you over a resume if you'd like to email me (user at gmail).

Recruiters are worth it, but only if you realize they aren't going to be able to do it all for you. What I mean by that, is that you shouldn't be tied to just one recruiter. I've hooked up with several across LinkedIn, and if I see them post anything concerning a job I email them concerning it. I also go to specific company's websites (if a recruiter isn't representing me) and apply for the job directly through the company's online process, and then try to follow that up with a personal email directly to the hiring manager if I can find an email for them.

So, yeah, of course they're worth it if you use them as only another avenue. They shouldn't be your only source for job searching.

if you are a job seeker, recruiters should not be exclusive. Get in front of ALL of them. The recruiter works for the company they get job listings for, they don't work for the candidates. They will only call you if they get a listing that you may fit.

When I was looking, I was in constant contact with 2 dozen recruiters all over the country. It's a numbers game.

Oh yea...don't be afraid to leave O&G - at least for a few years. There's money elsewhere if you are a great employee.

Thanks for the advice. Seems like it's a definite numbers game.

I'm not opposed to leaving O&G, and it seems as though most of my search findings has actually led me away from O&G. Now it's just a matter of getting my resume in front of the people with the ability to move things forward. Of course, the time of the year doesn't help either.

this time of year is a "candidate's market". There may not be a ton of jobs hiring, but for those jobs that are open, you may be the only one looking. just something to think about.

I'm a Completions Engineer and I was laid off from one of the larger O&G companies in October. I've been searching every job posting I can find and have contacted several recruiters but I'm still searching for my next opportunity as well.

My experience with recruiters over the past 2 months has varied. I had one contact me from my LinkedIn profile and he was awesome! I did 2 phone interviews and 2 in-person interviews with the hiring company and the recruiter gave me feedback after each step. I made it to the final 2 candidates but unfortunately I didn't get the job. The recruiter told me they gave it to the other candidate because they had a masters degree and less experience than me so they were willing to take less money.

I've had other recruiters call and say they are going to give my resume to a company and then I never hear back from them. I don't know if it's the recruiter or the company looking to hire that's not interested in me.

I have seen a job posted from a recruiter that I am very qualified for on Glassdoor over and over again. I would submit my resume to the posting, hear nothing back but then see the same job posted a week or 2 later. I swear I applied to it 3 or 4 times and I finally had the recruiter call me and say "I just got your resume this morning and you are the perfect candidate." It only took me 3-4 submittals to finally get through but it worked and I interviewed for the job this morning.

I also reached out to a recruiter on LinkedIn for a job that I would be a good fit for and he wanted to speak with me. It was 4pm at the time so I asked if he could call now but he said he had left the office for the day. I had an interview the next morning so I asked if he could call me after noon the the following day. He agreed but then called me at 10am the next day which was during my interview so of course I didn't answer. I then tried calling him back multiple times and left him voicemails but he still hasn't returned my calls.

I reached out to another recruiter on LinkedIn and he told me December was going to be very slow for any job postings. He basically told me to hang tight and that he'd contact me in January when things heated back up. I've still been searching on my own and I have had a few hits for interviews in December so I'm still grinding away

As the others have said, it's a numbers game. I'm casting a large net, applying to a lot of jobs that are of interest to me and hoping for the best.

Why is December a slow hiring month? I would think the opposite. As companies begin pouring their 2017 plans I'd think they would start seeing areas of need and begin posting openings to get ready and staff up for the new year.

txaggie_08 said:

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Why is December a slow hiring month? I would think the opposite. As companies begin pouring their 2017 plans I'd think they would start seeing areas of need and begin posting openings to get ready and staff up for the new year.

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Budget cycles, holidays, etc.

I'm not a hijacker but I can't PM. My background and education is in manufacturing, I would be interested in the position you referenced if the OP isn't.

civilized and trainer,

I would like to review your resumes. I don't have an opening yet, but i'm hoping that i will get the approval to hire someone soon. I will need a supervisor for my completion tool assembly shop.

youngprofessional_2000 at yahoo dot com

At my old company, they would post job listings knowing full well the positions were already slotted for someone else. I can't recall the legal reason but some jobs you see posted simply dont exist in reality. So you will never hear back from them...

Civilized05- I am having the same experience as you and I think the ineffectiveness of recruiters now is solely the lack of jobs out there.
I have applied to >75 jobs in the last 2 months and signed up for all kinds of job alerts, etc.
The frustrating part is the lack of any interest- no call backs, interviews, etc.

I am finding it is hard to switch industries because other industries don't want O&G engineers. They are fearful of us jumping back as soon as the market is up.

I really would like to change industries- it would be a great challenge and a wonderful learning opportunity. But- if I cant get an interview, it is hard to make happen.

I would love any advice anyone has to give! I am just trying to stay positive that something will happen next year.

And I agree with the posters stating that in December nothing will happen. Too many people are out of the office and no new work will start between now and the end of the year.

Best of luck to all of you- I know I am not the only one in this situation!

amc123 said:

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What kind of O&G job are you looking for? I might have a supervisor opening available for someone with manufacturing/safety experience.

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I am in the market for a supervisory role. I just accepted a package deal from a big O&G company where I was the Manufacturing Materials Manager. If still available, please email me. captrack at yahoo dot com

I had my first experience with an O&G recruiter ever late this summer (I graduated last December in PETE). I have no idea if it went well or not tbh.

The recruiting lady contacted me about a Production Analyst position I applied for (I didn't know it when I first applied but it was with a large E&P company). At the time I had been working for about 2 1/2 months as a Lab Technician only making $12/hr.

The bad: The first I guess bad thing was she told me I had a phone interview the next day if I was interested. I asked if I could maybe push it back a day because I was supposed to go out in the field the next day and collect samples and that I needed to let the place I was working for have a reasonable chance to arrange someone else to take my job that day... but she said No, that ____ sets the time and she has to report them so I either take that time slot or don't interview at all. The same exact thing happened the next week when I had a 2nd interview in the Houston office, and this time the company I was working for had to completely cancel the job for the next day because they had nobody else to send out. She then called me the day after that 2nd interview and told me I had a 3rd interview at the office I would be working in in Austin (so this time I had the chance to give my employer time to make arrangements, but they were obviously becoming pissed).

The good: On the other hand though, every time I talked to her she was extremely helpful and preparing for the interview. She would call the morning of the interview to give encouragement and then again about an hour after to ask how everything went and if it was a job I was still interested in. I really used her advice and I think it contributed to making it to the final 2 candidates...

The crappy thing was though, that they were supposed to be hiring 2 people. She told me the morning of the third interview that I should drive around Austin after I get done and maybe start looking at apartments because she really thought I would be getting a job. The interview went well and the next day after my interview I was laid off from my $12/hr job. I was kinda upset, but my parents weren't pissed because I really couldn't do anything about it and I really did screw the company over those first 2 days I had to take off to interview.

In the end, I called the recruiter the next week and she said sorry, they only ended up hiring one and they wanted the other candidate because they had more work experience and did NOT have an Engineering degree. That second line drives me crazy to this day and has me second guessing my choice of major every day. I haven't gotten squat since that happened early July.

I haven't had a good time with recruiters in my O&G career. I had a recruiter, right after I got out of school, tell me I was unemployable (I got a job on my own shortly after he told me that). I have had other recruiters lead me to believe I got a job only to jerk the rug out from under me at the 11th hour.

I like the advice on this thread, talk to dozens of recruiters not just one. Take anything they say with a salt shaker of salt.

Maroon Stormtrooper said:

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I haven't had a good time with recruiters in my O&G career. I had a recruiter, right after I got out of school, tell me I was unemployable (I got a job on my own shortly after he told me that). I have had other recruiters lead me to believe I got a job only to jerk the rug out from under me at the 11th hour.

I like the advice on this thread, talk to dozens of recruiters not just one. Take anything they say with a salt shaker of salt.

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This is good advice. I'm a recruiter (agriculture) and I have to say that I've heard from many people on both sides of the equation who have had negative experiences. Some like to make as many calls in a day as they can, throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. I'll be very upfront with someone if they don't fit the job description, knowing their time and the client's time is valuable. And it floors me when recruiters try to man-handle the entire process from start to finish. Once I've identified the candidate and made the connection, I try to stay out of the way as much as possible. Sure, I need to know how the conversations between candidate and hiring manager are progressing, and I'm available to answer questions, but there is something to that whole "middle-man" thing. I provide value as someone who connects talented and hard-working employees with potential employers, not as a 1920's telephone operator.

I would encourage anybody to talk with several recruiters until you find one you like, then stick with him. At the very least, be open with him about using other recruiters and the jobs for which you have been submitted/are interviewing.

As a Recruiter my job is to find my customers qualified candidates that meet their requirements. That being said my job would not be to find a candidate a job but instead find my customers employees. So what this means is if a candidate does not meet all of my customers requirements including, commuting distance, skill set, required certifications,applications or software knowledge, direct job experience or plain and simple personality , just to list a few, then they would not be a considered a candidate for that particular job. Then I would continue to hold that persons information with hopes of getting a job request that he or she meets the requirements.

I also know before they leave my office if they are a qualified candidate for the position we just met for. If not I let them know that they do not meet the requirements but I will continue to try and place them when I receive another open position in which they may be qualified for. Hopefully I have weeded out the non candidates in a pre- screen phone call not to waste anyone's gas or time.

As for calling everyone back and giving them updates..... impossible. If you interviewed and did not get selected for the job - yes a call back for sure. Not a candidate after our face to face interview- only notified when I think there is a possibility of a new opportunity.

Keep in mind I am a Recruiter not a Headhunter and that make a difference.

AgLA06 said:

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ameritech said:

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As for calling everyone back and giving them updates..... impossible. If you interviewed and did not get selected for the job - yes a call back for sure. Not a candidate after our face to face interview- only notified when I think there is a possibility of a new opportunity.

Keep in mind I am a Recruiter not a Headhunter and that make a difference.

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Way to put the human in HR. If you have the time to interview them you have time for a 30 second email. HR is the only group I continually see that has no requirement to do their job completely without ramifications.

HR is the face of every company. Treating people with or without respect has just as much impact on a company as their marketing team. It's beyond ironic that an organization in every company named "Human Resources" strives to have the least amount of human interaction possible.

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I hate to be that guy, but I'm going to guess that Ameritech is for a staffing agency. Being a corporate guy, that is exactly how we classify headhunters. Corporate recruiters recruit for just one company, headhunters recruit for clients. Headhunters are hired guns pure and simple.

Second point, I know HR can have a bad rep at times, but we're not all the reclusive type, I try every day to be the face, to make a point to let our employees know the doors always open, and to always feel free to stop by.

Anyway, super rambling post, but figured I'd fire off a response from a Corporate HR guy.

Quote:

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Way to put the human in HR. If you have the time to interview them you have time for a 30 second email. HR is the only group I continually see that has no requirement to do their job completely without ramifications.

HR is the face of every company. Treating people with or without respect has just as much impact on a company as their marketing team. It's beyond ironic that an organization in every company named "Human Resources" strives to have the least amount of human interaction possible.

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Just curious, how is my job not done completely??

I interview a candidate. decided if they meet my customers requirements..then and there do I tell them if they are a qualified candidate.. if they are I walk them through the whole process of getting hired up until the moment they walk through the door on their first day..If they are not a candidate they are told so at the end of the interview and then also told I will continue to try and place them into a position when one becomes available.. Job completed..... until, if and when a position opens up that said candidate has met all the requirements. Then process starts all over minus the face to face interview. Do not know what else you would like me to do?!

In any given week I may have 10 to 50 placements I need to make. And to call each candidate or send a email saying "hey pal as of right now nothing has come up " is not time conducive. It may take 5 face to face interviews to make one placement. So that would mean I need to call 20 rejected people each week to let them know that nothing has come up, then add 20 x 4 (weeks in a Month) and that is 80 people I need to call and let them know that nothing has come up... COME ON! If a candidate wants to call and check in, I will take the call and give them a status update but for me to call all them back daily or weekly, not gonna happen.

Keep in mind again I am a Recruiter not a Headhunter, I do not work for the candidate I work for my customers.

Put an email like this in your outlook tasks - just forward it to the candidate.

Follow up:

Joe,

Hope you're doing well. Just wanted to let you know that I spoke with the hiring manager and we are going in a different direction.

It was a pleasure meeting you and I look forward to working together in the near future.

All the Best,
Ameritech

Edit: just re-read your post. I think you guys are talking about two separate things ...

Just to clear things up, I see "headhunter" and "recruiter" as synonymous. Either you are an internal recruiter working with only one company, or you are third-party like me. My customer is the hiring company also; I never get paid by a candidate. That being said, it is still important for me to maintain good working relationships with candidates, otherwise I would not be able to retain talented folks to show to my clients.

I think the biggest problem most recruiters have is taking on too many search orders at once. The most frequent complaint I get from hiring managers is that most recruiters like to throw everything against the wall to see what sticks. That's no different than posting a job on an online board, and it does not provide any value to the client. Most of my phone conversations (candidates or clients) last anywhere from 20-30 minutes because I want to gather as much information as I can to discern fit.