|
Hot Tip -- by Sherri Liddle
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of networking when you are
looking for a job, or when you are a student. What is networking? Networking is the process of developing key contacts for yourself in your desired job and/or career area. In this case, the oil and gas industry. Networking is an organized way to link contacts together to form a "net" of people who can give you guidance, support, direction and information.
Eighty per cent of the jobs are found in the "hidden job market." What does that mean? It means a person needs to find innovative ways of tapping into the jobs that are NOT advertised on the internet or in the newspaper or employment bulletins. These jobs can be accessed through people you know, or people who other people know (like your parents, your parent's friends and your friend's parents), local businesses, associations, clubs, volunteer opportunities.... The list goes on. What I have attempted to do here is provide some possible networking ideas for your job search and career planning endeavors.
We are focusing on oil and gas midstream and downstream in this issue. The terms midstream and downstream have to do with the location of the activity. Midstream is the actual processing of oil and natural gas to remove impurities and make it suitable for transportation in pipelines which carry oil and gas away from the producing areas. Some possible midstream organizations you may want to investigate are:
- Canadian Gas Processors Association (CGPA) phone# 263-5388. This organization represents companies/individuals who design work in natural gas processing plants. The website can link you to other valuable sites in the gas industry.
- Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) phone# 221-8777. This
organization represents major oil and gas pipeline companies like NOVA
and TransCanada but its website is beneficial because it has other
links to gas associations, government, Aboriginal associations, private companies, business/financial sectors and other related gas sites.
Downstream gas is the actual refining of crude oil into gasoline, diesel, etc., the distribution of natural gas, and the marketing of those products to customers and to end users like industries and home owners. A useful website is:
By using the above website you can also find information on individual companies in the gas business.
You can call these companies and ask questions about what they do, whether or not they are they hiring, if there is anyone you could do an informational interview with, conduct a job shadow with, or if they offer work experience opportunities. (The Youth Employment Centre's Job Developers can help you arrange these activities. Call us at 268-2490).You can also find more information on job shadowing and informational interviews under "Job Search and Interviews" on the main page of our website.
You may also want to consider joining a professional or trade association. These type of industry related associations are excellent for anybody who has a degree, diploma or certificate in some profession or trade. These associations or unions have meetings, technical conferences and events which give students and job seekers an excellent opportunity to acquire business cards and network with people who are already employed and working in the industry.
One association you may want to consider is APEGGA (Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta). It has regular monthly meetings in various cities around Alberta for local chapters. It also has many volunteer committees that members can serve on to help with the affairs of the association. Free student memberships are also available.
Other places to network are service related organizations such as the Kiwanis, Lions, or Rotary clubs for example (there are many - look in the phone book for more). You can also get involved in community groups and churches to meet more people in a diverse range of occupations.
General interest organizations are clubs people join because they have a particular interest in something. For example, the Canadian Club fits for those interested in hearing monthly speakers in different professional occupations. There are many professional people who attend these types of clubs. They are an excellent place to meet people for your "network." You may think of joining a sports club (golf is a particularly popular sport in the business environment today). Business deals, networking and card exchanging all occur on the golf course.
Networking has helped me out in my job search numerous times. When I
was a student I knew people in various corporations, associations, clubs
and volunteer agencies who helped me locate summer jobs that were not advertised in the paper or on-line. They were excellent jobs and I would not have been aware of them if it had not been for my "network" of people I knew.
I wanted to also thank my father for helping me locate much of this information. My father is a Natural Gas Consultant and he too started to develop his own network when he was a university student. It takes time and effort to develop a network and contacts, but it is all worth it!
(Sherri Liddle is a Youth Employment Counsellor/Aboriginal Youth Outreach
Worker at the Calgary Youth Employment Centre.)
|
