Personal Development Planning for a Career in Oil and Gas Management - Essay Example

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING FOR A CAREER IN OIL AND GAS MANAGEMENT By and State Date of Submission Introduction The oil and gas industry presents exciting career opportunities for professionals with relevant skills and knowledge. Students who pursue a career in oil and gas management would secure competitive job positions in the industries such as senior managers (The Telegraph, 2013, p.1). Moreover, they could advance their skills and knowledge that would yield to promotions up the management ladder to a position in the top management or the chief executive officer (CEO). A degree course study in in oil and gas management thus promises of a desirable career path to the students. In order to enter the field, they would require a set of skills and hands-on experience that would enable them perform assigned tasks effectively besides enhancing their chances of advancing their careers (OPITO, 2015, p.1). This paper will define the skills and knowledge needed for a HR manager in the oil gas industry and discusses ways of developing these competences. Skills and Knowledge Needed for HR Manager Students aiming at positions of human resource managers in oil and gas industries require set of skills and knowledge for managing the human resources in a firm as well as relating with the other executives. In addition, they require skills and knowledge on the operations of a gas and oil firm that would influence the performances of human resources and other dynamics (Oil and Gas Job Search, 2015 p.1). This would be necessary since the work setting in oil and gas industry would differ with work environments in other industries. The HR manager in oil and gas firm has the responsibility of managing all issues of employees that would require wide experience and skills. These include: A minimum of degree in HR management or its equivalent and knowledge in oil and gas management is added advantage Human resource management: - recruitment procedures, compensation systems, personal information systems, labor relations, and training and development programs (Onetonline.org. 2010 p.1) Management of resources for personnel department: motivation, leadership, and cost control Development of human behavior policies: code of behavior conduct, rule and regulations Legal HR requirements by the governments Understanding the management and health and safety occupation standards Proficient communication skills, active listening and public speech Strong interpersonal relations and social perceptiveness Problem solving and analytical skills (MyMajors, 2015 p.1). Coordination and clerical skills Ways of Developing Skills and Knowledge Students undertaking oil and gas management courses would need to develop ways of acquiring the skills and knowledge listed above to promote their employability in the firms upon completion of their studies. Some knowledge and skills are not adequately covered in lecture rooms and students would acquire them by engaging in out of class activities. Students in the oil and gas management would use the following plan to acquire above listed skills and knowledge: They should ensure they are enrolled for degree courses in Human resource management or an equivalent. This would ensure they qualify with degrees that are acceptable in for a position in HR department in oil and gas firms. Ensuring they master the responsibilities of HR in managing human resources including procedure for recruitment, systems used in compensating workers, systems used of keeping information of persons, and the development of training programs. The students would need to learn the application of this knowledge in firms especially those in the oil and gas industry. This would be accomplished by seeking industrial/ institutional attachment opportunities during the course of their studies (UWO, N.D p.1). Attachment programs provide a good opportunity for the students to have hands on experience due to long exposure in the work environment. It also enables to study behaviors of employees and build good relations as well as testing their soft skills. The students would also be exposed to non-routine HR activities or problems that provide opportunity for practicing their analytical and problem solving capabilities (UACS, 2015 p.1). Another way of gaining hands on experience on managing HR systems is through participation in academic trips to human resource departments in different companies. This provides them with opportunity to acquire diverse knowledge since human resources in different firms could differ in their mode of applying HR management concepts. The students would engage in social activities, events, forums, and public talks to develop their communication skills, interpersonal relation as well as public speech. Although these skills may appear easy to acquire, practice is needed to grow the confidence of the student especially in official settings. For instance, the students would seek opportunities to give speeches and talks to groups of people as well as officers. They would also prepare presentation in social events to test the social perspectives since social events comprise of people of different characters as would be found in the work environments. They students would also refer to the laws set out by the governments to regulate practices of firms such as on the labor policies. The government regulations would be amended from time to time and therefore students would keep themselves updates. The students would also read about the standards and their provisions on HR functions. For instance, the students would need understanding of the provisions of ISO on management and occupational health and safety standards that are widely observed in many firms. Conclusion The oil and gas industry provides exciting career opportunities for professionals with relevant skills. A degree course in oil and gas management is of great relevance in the industry and graduates would be offered career opportunities in the firms such in the management positions. For instance, the students could end up as HR managers in the oil and gas firms with responsibilities of managing issues of all employees. They would require wide skills and experiences to perform their task more effectively. The skills and knowledge would be acquired form the content of their course programs, participation in out of class events, involvement in trips to the human resource department of firms, or going for attachment opportunities during the course programs. This work is recommended for future students in the program of oil and gas industry who would need to know their career paths in the industry. References List MyMajors. (2015). Human resource manager career. [Online]. Available at: https://www.mymajors.com/career/human-resources-managers/skills/ [accessed on 16 April 2015] Oil and Gas Job Search. (2015). HR Manager Job in USA. [Online]. Available at: https://www.oilandgasjobsearch.com/Oil-and-Gas-Jobs/Other-HR-and-recruitment-Jobs/HR-Manager/Details/1083272 [accessed on 16 April 2015] Onetonline.org. (2010). Human Resources Managers. [Online]. Available at: http://www.onetonline.org/link/details/11-3121.00?redir=11-3040.00 [accessed on 16 April 2015] OPITO. (2015). Human Resources Advisor. [Online]. Available at: http://www.myoilandgascareer.com/role/human-resources-advisor#role_accordion7 [accessed on 16 April 2015] The Telegraph. (2013, February19). Opportunities in gas and oil jobs heating up. [Online]. Available at: https://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/article/opportunities-in-gas-and-oil-jobs-heating-up/ [accessed on 16 April 2015] UACS. (2015). Benefits & Advantages of Internships and Other Related Experiences. The University of Arizona Career Services. [Online]. Available at: https://www.career.arizona.edu/student/finding-an-internship/internships-and-other-related-experiences/benefits-advantages-of-internships-and-other-related-experiences [accessed on 16 April 2015] UWO. (N.D). Typical Human Resources Intern Responsibilities. University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. [Online]. Available at: http://www.uwosh.edu/cob/undergraduate/development/internships/pdf/typical-human-resources-internship [accessed on 16 April 2015] Read More