In this article I will try to provide some ground rules and guidance for you if you are thinking of changing your job and specifically having a complete change of direction.

If you are trying to change your direction and move into a new career, my general advice at this point in time is Don’t do it! However I would like to add a couple of clarifying points to this. If you are in a secure position where you are, consider the state of the world economy and the daily news of redundancies. There are at present large numbers of people losing their jobs due to the recession, many of these will be highly skilled and experienced in their area and will be joining the long list of job seekers looking for their next job. If you are trying to change your direction in your career you will be competing with an increasing number of experienced applicants for the same role. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from looking for a new job, on the contrary there are lots of really exciting opportunities out there, even in this time of economic suppression, but right now it’s probably more realistic to look at career opportunities within your existing area of skill and expertise. This advice applies equally to you if you have been made redundant and are looking for a new role. If there was ever a time to play your joker and use your areas of greatest strength it is now.

A good example to illustrate my point was a recent applicant who was a Chemist in a pharmaceutical company, he approached me for advice about getting a job in the offshore industry. He wanted to know if I thought he would get an interview for an offshore Chemist job. My advice was that I thought it highly unlikely that he would progress to interview stage in the face of competition from applicants with offshore Chemist experience. He said that he would be happy to pay for his own offshore survival and medical. Again I had to advise that simply possessing these certificates may not increase his chances, as the key factor in short listing would be evidence of relevant experience in the sector. My advice was that he should look at moving into a petrochemical / oil and gas related chemist role onshore initially so that he gained experience in the right sector, and that once he had done this he might even find that a company may sponsor his offshore survival and medical. So keep your expectations realistic, set your goal and work out a set of steps that you need to take to reach your goal. It may be that you need to take a number of small steps rather than a giant leap of faith.

Have you thought of finding a new role using your existing skills and experience but in a new way or with a new company? I spoke to a candidate only yesterday who was completely unaware until very recently that his skills were very much in demand. He is a Mechanical Engineer with particular experience in Maintenance and Reliability engineering and he has good petrochemical experience. At present there are a number of companies looking for these skills and this person was delighted to find out that he could command a good salary or daily rate in a new and challenging role with a new employer. He had been feeling that his role had become stale, it had lost its challenge and he felt stuck in a rut. What better time to look for a fresh new start where he can use his 30 years of experience in a new and interesting job, and in this persons case one that will pay generously for his knowledge. I’m currently waiting for news of an interview, and he was under the misapprehension that no one else would be interested in him! Nothing could be further from the truth for this person.

So if you are feeling like you’d like a change of job, analyse whether it is your duties, your employer, your career aspirations or your colleagues that you want to change, and decide which of these factors is the most important to you? Do you really need to change your direction completely, perhaps you just need more of a slight deviation than a complete U-Turn. Tempering your desire for complete change may prove more lucrative too. Now look for your next role, contact your recruitment agent and take advice. Spend time polishing and honing your CV, it’s your key to change, and is a critical factor in your success. Advice on writing a CV is addressed elsewhere on this blog, and finally, keep your expectations realistic. (However being a glass half full kind of girl I always struggle with this last one myself!)

If you have found the information on this blog useful I welcome your feedback and would be pleased if you would pass my link on to others who it might benefit.

Thanks

Rowena

This is a short article on one specialist area of mechanical engineering in the Oil and Gas industry – Subsea Seawater Lift Pumps.  This article  is aimed at giving an insight into the type of work a Mechanical Engineer might be involved in  when working in the Oil  & Gas industry.

One of the specialist areas that a Mechanical Engineer may be involved in when working in the Oil and Gas industry is the design, installation and maintenance of subsea submersible seawater lift pumps (SLP) on fixed platforms and FPSOs.

Submersible Seawater lift pumps are key to the safe and efficient running of production facilities offshore. The seawater lift pump supplies utility water with the pump lying approximately 10 metres below the deck and under the surface of the sea water. There are two main types of seawater lift pump, the conventional vertical line shaft pump which uses a diesel engine and 90 degree gearbox which the diesel engine drives. The other type is the ESPs which stands for Electrically Submersible Pump (and not Extra Sensory Perception!) The ESP helps to free up deck space and weighs less, other benefits include less noise and vibration and reduced, and less maintenance and capital expenditure. Both pumps can be used on fixed offshore platforms and FPSOs.  Vibration analysis, reliability and condition monitoring of such equipment is another specialist area you might choose to work in.  This work would be involved with ongoing assessment of the condition and operation of the equipment which has many moving and rotating parts, in order to ensure regular maintenance would prevent unnecessary and costly breakdowns.  Analysis of rotating equipment often uses high-tec methods such as laser alignment to check that vibration and movement out of alignment is not causing wear on the moving parts.

If you are thinking of following a career as a Mechanical Engineer you may choose to take a path which leads you to this interesting and lucrative area of oil and gas production engineering. The design and maintenance of the moving parts in this piece of mechanical rotating equipment would be within the remit of a mechanical engineer, and your work would be integral to the safe and efficient working of the oil rig.

We are currently seeking a Mechanical Engineer with specific SLP experience in UK waters, for a job description of this work go to our live vacancies page

http://www.girafferecruitment.co.uk/jobs/index.php/component/option,com_neorecruit/Itemid,158/id,298/task,offer_view/