Scotland’s Oil and Gas industry enjoys a global reputation for dynamism, drive, vision and innovation. Decades of experience recovering oil and gas from the challenging North Sea environment has given Scottish companies the expertise needed for oil and gas production and exploration. The Scottish Energy community has had a major impact in the global market place thanks to unrivalled innovation, knowledge and competence. The Energy industry has a strong entrepreneurial culture. Scottish companies harvest the gains from trading internationally and international companies use Scotland as a central business base.
This is one industry in the midst of a jobs boom. According to Price Waterhouse Coopers research, the Oil and Gas sector needs to recruit 120,000 new employees worldwide over the next decade. Companies in the sector are pushing hard to attract employees into this interesting, exciting and well remunerated industry.
Sales & Business Development Professionals are fundamental to the development and growth of any industry. They can help to turn a fledgling company with promise into a pro-active revenue generating business with predictable turnover; and they can help established businesses to grow market share. Oil and Gas clients are bending over backwards to attract the right talent to help them thrive.
Benefits of Working in The Industry
•Above average pay and benefits packages
•Dynamic industry with accounts that are often world firsts
•Opportunity to Travel
•Multi Cultural working environments
•International Training programmes
•Flexible work schedules
•The opportunity to achieve a strong work-life balance
Sought After Skills
The sales people we work with have to have proven core sales skills before we represent them. Building and developing a network of prospects, developing a companies proposition, working to a sales strategy and closing sales are foundation skills. Our clients know this is our standard. The briefs we get from our Energy Sector clients are focusing on additional skills which can help to power their growth. These include:
- International sales experience
- Technical background – mechanical, electrical, electronic, geosciences, software, marine, process, etc.
- Experience in a consultative sales environment, selling complex solutions
- Existing contacts within the industry
Core Sales Skills Override Sector Experience
It can be easier to teach someone about the Oil and Gas Industry than it is to teach someone sales skills. Experience in the Oil and Gas industry can be reinterpreted as an Oil and Gas contact database, relationships with buyers and business owners. Often business owners see this as a guarantee of quicker sales because a previous sales relationship existed. Doesn’t always happen that way. Previous contacts may get a call answered but a database based on Automation and Instrumentation sales won’t circumvent the sales cycle of a drilling solution. The Oil and Gas Industry is risk adverse. Operators aren’t keen on being the first to try a new solution or service. Sales Professionals in this sector need to be driven, persuasive and knowledgeable, innovative, able to develop relationships based on trust and to create a groundswell of interest. People with those skills don’t take long to get a grip on any industry or to use the existing business database as a springboard for their networking. We do advise our candidates to start familiarising themselves with the sector before we start marketing them. In this industry a Christmas Tree has nothing to do with presents!
Getting a Foot in the Door
We do have clients who appreciate getting someone who can sell and teaching them about the industry will get them where they need to be. If you don’t have any experience or contacts in the industry but want to make yourself and your skills appeal to employers:
- Do some homework – The people you’ll be selling to regardless of the business you choose to join will often be from a technical background. Learn about their roles and what drives their decisions.
- Tailor Your CV – Emphasise your experiences and milestones not specific instances. Employers will be able to apply experiences to their own industry and situations
- Subscribe to Industry News feeds /Publications – Decide which part of the industry you’d like to work in start compiling a market analysis. Any interviews you find yourself in you’ll be able to demonstrate some knowledge and ask questions which will reassure the employer lack of experience in the sector won’t be an issue.
Looking for a Job in the Oil and Gas industry?
We specialise in finding great Sales Professionals positions in companies which will value them. If you meet our Core Candidate Criteria then we’d like to meet you.We have Energy Industry clients looking for your skills.