Breaking Barriers: Inclusive Hiring in Oil and Gas Engineering

Are you looking to get a job in oil or gas engineering? Are you concerned that it is going to be harder than it looks?

When most people think of an engineer, they usually picture a man who is older, white and has on a white shirt. However, this image is more commonplace in these areas than many people think and, over the last 20 years, oil and gas companies are aiming to move away from this.

In 2024, going into 2025, there are some techniques that gas and oil companies are using to hire their candidates, which will be explored here.

Assessing Skills

Getting a degree in engineering is no small feat. However, when it comes to inclusive hiring for gas or oil engineers, many companies are now focusing on skill-based assessments, recognizing that candidates who may represent groups that are not typically seen in engineering circles may have experience on their side rather than qualifications.

Assessing skills typically involves incorporating simulations, problem-solving exercises or even technical assessments, which will give better clarity as to who can perform job-related tasks. Companies are also ensuring that reasonable accommodations are major in the hiring process, which will ensure that candidates who have disabilities are able to participate. If you are looking for more advice or information on how gas and oil companies assess skills, check out the Orion Group for more information.

Blind Recruiting

When you are looking for a job in oil and gas engineering, you may be interested to note that there is a process known as blind recruiting.

This is essentially when HR teams that represent oil and gas companies remove the names, sex, gender, and date of birth from applications, so that only the skills and experience are explored in relation to the job that is being interviewed for. This is done with the help of AI tools, which can cut this process time down and help at scale for larger companies. This removes biases such as ageism, sexism, and ableism.

Supporting Underrepresented Groups

It is well known that in the world of STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), there are groups that are underrepresented, and that men dominate the field. In 2024 moving into 2025, oil and gas companies are aiming to be more proactive in getting underrepresented groups into these workplaces. Indeed, many companies that are pro-underrepresented groups in oil and gas engineering partner with groups such as Women in Energy, as well as Black Women in STEM, and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. So, keep an eye out for those! The impact is that companies like BP are aiming to have as many as 40% of group leadership roles in the company occupied by women in 2025.

Diverse and Inclusive Research Panels

There is also now an emphasis by oil and gas companies to ensure that interview panels are diverse. This will typically involve them being sure to include minorities, women, and professionals from different parts of the organization on their interviewing panels. This will help to prevent unconscious biases and will ensure that a more inclusive selection process is followed. As well as the skills-based assessments, the structured interviews were also often having standardized questions, which will also aim to reduce biases and focus on the skills and experience of the candidates.