Six Recruitment About Our Services
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Press Release: 30/06/08
Six Recruitment are very pleased to announce that we have now moved into our new office suite. We are still located in Altrincham, Cheshire but you can now contact us at 20 Market Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1PF, England. Telephone: +44 (0)161 927 3166.
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Press Release: 26/06/08
Six Recruitment Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of Kerry-Jane Shenton as Office Manager.
Kerry-Jane became a member of the Six Recruitment team at the end of May 2008. Prior to joining Six, she had been an administrator for four years. More recently she was promoted to being the office manager for ITIS Ltd supporting approximately 60 employees and was instrumental in the day to day running of that office.
Kerry-Jane has recently obtained a Certificate of Humanities and is currently working towards achieving a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature through home study with The Open University.
Kerry will be taking a leading role in all administrative duties at Six Recruitment ltd and will be the focal point for any Contracting issues for the company.
Please join us in welcoming Kerry-Jane to Six Recruitment Ltd.
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Press Release: 26/06/08
Six Recruitment Limited is very pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Jones as Consultant.
Adam was previously retained with a specialist supply chain and procurement recruitment consultancy looking after key accounts within international FMCG and engineering companies. Prior to this Adam had completed a BA in Human Resource Management and Organisational Psychology, and in this capacity he has built a strong understanding of how best to identify, select and retain talented candidates throughout the recruitment cycle. A key area of focus for Adam at Six will be within the contracts, procurement and supply chain management discipline.
We would like to take the opportunity to welcome Adam to Six Recruitment Ltd. Should you want to make contact with Adam to talk about opportunities in Contracts & Procurement, Supply Chain or any other opportunities, please feel free to contact him directly on +44 161 927 3166.
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The Daily Telegraph: 19/02/08
Six Recruitment were recently asked to comment on issues around Recruitment and skills shortages in the oil and gas and energy sectors. The Daily Telegraph recently ran their annual 'Careers In Energy' supplement and Six Recruitment featured as one of their experts.
"The Skill Seekers" by David Adams.
These are challenging times for the energy industry, as companies battle against the effects of climate change, search the palnet for untapped sources of raw materials, and invest in new technolgoies.
So it comes as no surprise that the sector is hungry for new recruits. And while energy companies need more people, the number of graduates in engineering is falling, and the average age of the existing workforce continues to rise.
The result is a serious skills shortage and the industry is investing in recruitment programmes, training schemes, aprrenticeships and campaigns to highlight the attractions of careers in the sector.
The most obvious skills gaps are in the oil and gas buisness. James Beazley, a Director at energy recruitment specialist Six Recruitment, highlights an urgent need for mechanical and chemical engineers in subsurface gas and oil exploration and extraction, and in areas including pipeline development.
"Operators like Shell and BP are crying out for staff, particularly in drilling and well completions" he says. " And all oil comapnies are hunting for engineers skilled in conceptual engineering and planning."
Unless oil and gas companies find the people they need, by 2010 production projects could lack 10-15 per cent of their required workforce, according to a report published by Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
The shortfall has already affected the sector, boosting the contracting market as skilled staff sell their expertise to the highest bidders.
Oil and gas companies are spreading the net, catching career changers from technical positions in other sectors and running roadshows in China and India to exploit the pool of skilled graduates in those countries.
In-house recruitment processes have become more sophistocated, with HR professionals joining from other sectors, such as finance.
"Companies are working to create enticing packages for potential recruits, based on a challenging career, international opportunities, consideration for family, and benefits like private healthcare." says Beazley.
To see the whole article please visit The Telegraph website and read the 'Careers in Energy' liftout in the Jobs section.
If you would like to talk more about this or how Six Recruitment could be of help to you or your organisation, please feel free to contact Mr Beazley at jamesbeazley@sixrecruitment.com or call on +44 161 941 1336.
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Recruiter Magazine: 01/10/07
Six Recruitment Limited were again asked for their expert opinion on the latest debate around Data Protection.
Custodial Threat For Data Theft, written by Ben Jones for Recruiter Magazine.
Recruiters who commit serious data theft offences could find themselves in prison if new proposals by an independent body are taken up.
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas's office, which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of data protection poslicies in the UK, wants tougher penalites for those found guilty of serious breaches of the Data Protection Act, with a prison sentence looking over repeat offenders.
Any proposals made by the commissioner would still have to be ratified by MPs, but they offer the clearest indication yet that data thieves will face hard sanctions.
Sally Macauley, solicitor at law firm Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons told Recruiter: " This is really targeted at serious or repeat offenders, or people who steal a database and then sell he information on."
Itis thought that a custodial sentence would only be applicable for contraventions of section 55 of the Act - disclosing or obtaining information without the data controller's knowledge. Misdemeanours of a lesser nature would still be punishable by a fine.
But one recruiter for the oil and gas sector said he thought a prison sentence would be "a little extreme" for such offences. James Usher; a Director at Altrincham-based Six Recruitment, claimed more effective policing of data protection policies would be a better solution.
"I don't think a custodial sentence is the right way to do it," he said. " More strict policing of data protection is more appropriate."
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European Oil & Gas Magazine
Date: 11th June 2007
Taking a slicker approach to recruitment
Despite developing some of the world’s most advanced and efficient working practices, oil and gas companies are seriously lagging behind other sectors in promoting effective recruitment policies. James Beazley, director of specialist oil, gas and energy recruitment consultancy Six Recruitment, explains why this is putting billion dollar investments and the future of the industry at risk.
The good old days
Up until about 30 years ago, the wealth of the oil and gas markets presented companies in this industry with a significant advantage during recruitment. Companies had the financial resources to attract high calibre employees and retain them for long periods by offering substantial salaries, bonuses, pensions and share schemes. Similarly, attractive relocation packages could be offered to employees and their families to help encourage the transfer of expertise to different continents.
In addition to financial pulling power, oil and gas companies were among the first businesses to become truly global entities. This brought with it new opportunities for employees to travel the world working in different countries and job roles, but for the same employer. Employees were faced with an exciting new prospect of long term job security without the risk of becoming stuck in a rut.
Globalisation strengthened public awareness of the industry’s leading companies and perpetuated a positive reputation positioning them as world class employers. Jobs with companies such as Shell and BP became synonymous with terms such as ‘well paid’, ‘plenty of prospects’ and ‘a job for life’.
These factors promoted oil and gas companies to number one in the employment stakes. People wanted to work for the big companies and proudly boasted who their employers were. Essentially, oil and gas companies did not have to invest much in recruitment as talent found them instead of having to be spotted.
Holding on to the past
The oil and gas markets still rank among the most profitable and lucrative in the world, and its leading players are still highly respected as world class employers. However, other sectors have boomed during the last three decades and the number of multinational corporations has soared.
Leading companies from sectors such as engineering, manufacturing, transportation, finance, retail and marketing now have the resources to attract and retain the best recruits too. As companies in these sectors emerged, they did not have the luxury of monopolising the recruitment market.
In complete contrast to the rise of oil and gas multinationals, these new corporations were not just competing with rivals from their industry during recruitment. They had to contend with a whole host of companies from a diverse range of sectors. This intense competition encouraged the new multinationals to hone their recruitment practices to successfully attract the right applicants.
Major companies from outside the oil and gas sectors have continued to invest vast sums in developing recruitment practices. This includes marketing and communication as well as search and selection methods.
The vast majority of graduates have non-vocational degrees and can apply their knowledge to roles in a variety of sectors. Oil and gas companies are now competing with multinationals from other sectors for the best graduates and are losing out.
Companies throughout the oil and gas industry have failed to address recruitment as a key operational matter as it has never been a concern. As a result, companies have become complacent and are getting left behind.
An age-old story
As oil and gas companies are such good employers, it is only now that poor recruitment threatens to cause any real issues. Many young employees who joined oil and gas companies 20 or 30 years ago will have grown with the industry. There is also a generation of highly skilled, senior management level workers aged around 45+ willing to move into the industry from services companies. They appreciate the financial benefits that are offered, relish the chance to take on new challenges and still feel a sense of satisfaction to work for globally renowned companies such as Shell.
This has and is creating an ageing work force and an ageist approach towards recruitment where young people are discriminated against. The industry is reaching a dangerous point where much of its workforce could retire within a relatively short period of time, even despite an extension of retirement ages. This will create a void of specialist skills and expertise, and in turn, could cause billion dollar projects to be put on hold while new people complete training programmes. In an industry where uptime is pivotal to the bottom line, this is not a viable option and could lead to financial ruin.
Oil and gas employers are too fixed on the significance of age during recruitment. Many companies, although they may not be aware of it, are actually violating age discrimination laws and risk facing costly cases of litigation. Some employers wrongly perceive age as the only measure of experience and capabilities. Although oil and gas industry work has potential for near or fatal occupational hazards and years of experience is a definitely an advantage, younger players from service companies who relish the opportunity to work for an operator and already have a solid grounding in the industry, are just as viable. As it stands, applicants younger than 35 years old will either struggle to get an interview or be seriously disadvantaged before they even meet interviewers.
Companies are missing out on the fresh, new thinking that does not always come with age and experience. Just because a younger applicant has not spent 30 years in the field conducting pipe stress calculations or drilling in the harshest of climates, it does not mean that they can not offer solutions for improving working practices.
Oil and gas companies need to be careful that they do not dismiss applicants because of gender. Like many heavy industries, oil and gas is predominantly male dominated, but this should not cloud employer judgement during recruitment. Similar to the perception of age, it can be easy for female applicants to be overlooked as employers do not feel they are capable. Change is starting to take place and some of the larger operators like Shell and BP have very targeted initiatives to attract and retain female recruits.
Company appeal
Oil and gas employers are making a fundamental mistake during recruitment – they still believe that it is purely a ‘buying’ process. In an increasingly competitive market where the best applicants are demanding more, companies can not just rely on brand power alone. They must sell their company to potential employees from the very start of the recruitment programme. Applicants will consider how they are treated by a prospective employer from the moment they make the first phone call and take every aspect of the job application into account.
In the vast majority of cases, it is taking oil and gas companies too long to respond to applicants. To make matters worse, proactive applicants who make the effort to follow-up with prospective employers will be sent on wild goose chases, lured with empty promises or met with walls of silence.
Companies can not afford to be this lapse when it comes to recruitment. They are damaging their own reputations as employers and diminishing the appeal of working in the industry. Word-of-mouth is extremely effective in rapidly communicating bad recruitment experiences. As a result, oil and gas companies are quickly becoming tarnished as arrogant time wasters.
Highly skilled and talented individuals are more interested in pursuing employment opportunities in sectors that take a professional approach towards recruitment. They have confidence that they will be treated with respect and that their time and effort will be rewarded. Even if they are unsuccessful during a job application, they know that they can benefit from constructive appraisal of their overall performance.
Making changes
Oil and gas companies need to take a consistent, structured and defined approach to recruitment. They should have systems in place to handle every job application, whether the applicant is successful or unsuccessful. Companies need to invest the time and resource in making sure that every applicant has a positive experience when interacting with their company.
The industry’s service companies realised the importance of good recruitment practices in the early nineties. This can be seen in the average age of the workforce which is around 29 - 32 years old, compared to 51 years in the operations part of the sector. Service companies have recognised the need to sell the benefits of remuneration packages to prospective employees, listen to employee requirements and take a less insular approach towards individual skills, experience and attributes. They are viewing how applicants could fit within the whole company rather than just one particular role.
Service companies still have a long way to go to streamline their recruitment practices, but are showing a willingness to achieve this. Operators need to act now to ensure that they do not get left any further behind in the recruitment stakes. If they do not, they may have to face outsourcing even more to service companies, who will undoubtedly capitalise on their shortcomings.
Shell were the first of the Super Majors to recognise this trend and now have in place a structured approach to both graduate and experienced hire recruitment. The other Super Majors and some of the larger Independents are quickly closing the gap, even to the point of one Super Major having a HR director represented on the Board.
There is no reason why oil and gas companies can not replicate their excellence in employment during recruitment. This will only be achieved by making recruitment a core part of their business strategies and will help protect company performance in the long-term.
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From The Sunday Times
June 17, 2007
A world of opportunity
The expanding oil and gas industries have gone global in the 21st century
Wendy Sloane
Time was when almost any fresh-faced oil or gas engineer could find a lucrative job straight out of university, working in the oilfields around Dubai or Kuala Lumpur. Now competition for the best jobs is increasingly stiff and industry experience is the most highly prized commodity. But as a skills shortage in the energy industry becomes more acute, qualified people still travel the world.
“The days of the cushy expat number in areas such as Singapore, America or Kuala Lumpur are numbered,” says James Beazley, director of specialist oil, gas and energy for the Six Recruitment consultancy, based in Cheshire. “If you want to go abroad, usually that means new-frontier locations such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Angola.”
The global energy business has shifted from the developed world to include less-developed regions. As a result, the competition for people with the right skills is increasing in countries outside the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
While industry leaders want the best people for the job, they are also recognising the need to attract, train and keep local talent. These days, hiring a specific percentage of staff locally is often part of the contract. BP, which does 60% of its current business in OECD countries but predicts that will drop to 20% within a decade, believes a global company should have leaders reflecting the community in which it operates as a “business imperative as well as a social responsibility”.
“Multinationals will have localisation targets they must meet as part of their contracts in developing countries, which means there will be fewer opportunities for foreigners to come in,” says Beazley. “You’ll have opportunities in the initial period of new projects, which may last three to five years, and after that you’ll see a drastic decrease in the number of expats there as locals come to take over their roles. But there will still be opportunities out there.”
What type of skills are employers looking for at home and abroad? Anybody degree-qualified in engineering or a related technical discipline will score well with the recruiters. Candidates with sub-surface disciplines – geologists, petroleum and well engineers – as well as mechanical and project engineers are especially in demand.
“Technical and engineering skills travel very well, and they always will,” says Martin Grant, managing director of the oil and gas division at engineering consultancy Atkins. “Once an individual of that type has a few years’ experience, they can move around the globe.” Going green doesn’t mean putting a kibosh on international travel. In fact, environmentally-conscious engineers are finding more opportunities than ever before.
“Where you go would depend on the type of role you’re taking: environmental impact assessments, feasibility studies for renewable technologies, people looking to build in Dubai using solar panels,” says James Owen, senior consultant for sustainability at Cyril Sweett, the global construction consultant.
Engineers who are skilled from a renewables perspective are in demand, he says, as well as those with degrees in environmental decision-making or policy. “There is stacks of work in the Middle East. And loads in the Far East, northern Europe, Scandinavia and the western United States – California, for example, thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s green footprint. There is a lot of stuff going on in China and the Far East that requires renewable technology know-how, which we Brits are supplying.”
David McSherry, director at BMT Renewables, a design, engineering and risk management consultancy, says his team is working hard to support business development in China. “The Chinese want to get knowledge transfers, specialist skills supplied from knowledge bases in the UK or Europe,” he says. “They will take anything and develop it as they have so many high-quality engineering graduates of their own.”
Many of the big manufacturers of wind turbines, for example, are establishing manufacturing capabilities in China – and India – to get a share of the market, McSherry says. “By and large they are populated by Chinese technicians with senior management roles, who are learning from expats. Eventually they won’t need the expats anymore.”
“The energy industry is going through a period of rapid change, especially with the development of Brazil, Russia, India and China,” says Nimai Swaroop, head of recruitment marketing for Europe and Africa at Shell. “The last two in particular are accounting for an increasing demand for oil production. They alone will be responsible for 45% of the increase of oil use by 2015.
“There is a lot more global mobility of talent right across the energy sector. But as the number of students studying technical disciplines has declined, the demand for technical energy skills has increased.”
Shell recruits worldwide. Like BP, it has an “action plan” to ensure more locals take on leadership positions. Last year Shell hired 3,000 technical professionals from more than 70 countries, compared with 1,000 professionals in 2004, Swaroop says. A quarter of the graduates hired came from outside the country in which they were working. “Some countries are hot spots for a particular talent,” he says.
“It’s a fairly wide net we have got out there,” Swaroop explains. “Increasingly, engineers and other professionals in the sector are mobile, and we are following that trend. Candidates are like consumers – they have choice, and the top talent often has more than one offer.” The plethora of exciting job opportunities abroad could, however, have an impact on the energy industry in Britain.
Only a small number of engineers have the skills to build power stations, for example, which is a “genuine worry for the economy and could even eventually lead to blackouts”, according to Tobias Read, chief executive of EPCglobal, an engineering staffing company.
“There are some skills around but to a large degree these people have many other opportunities,” Read says. “There are very attractive jobs for them outside the UK. They can go to Abu Dhabi and work tax-free with a 50% salary increase.”
Baby-boomers coming to retirement age are creating vacancies – though not necessarily simply through leaving the job market. “The high oil price has given the kick for senior people looking to retire not to do that but to set up their own companies instead. They are going to have a lot of projects coming up around the world themselves,” says Beazley.
He still believes, however, that the numbers of experienced people coming up for retirement, encouraged by their healthy final salary pensions, could soon create a greater recruitment crisis.
“Five years from now there will be an even shorter supply of technical candidates, and we’ll be relying on India, China and other developing countries that hold the bulk of engineers at that age group the rest of the world needs,” he says
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Press Release: 02/05/07
Six Recruitment Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of two more staff to the Group. Sam Massingham and Richard Sutton.
Sam Massingham started his career as a Recruitment Consultant in London where he placed both contract and permanent staff across a diverse range of industry sectors including construction, education and I.T.
After undertaking a CIPD accredited MA in Human Resource Management, Sam moved into in-house Recruitment. Since then he has worked on a consulting basis with and for several multinational companies, including BOC Gases and ExxonMobil, improving their recruitment processes and building effective global resourcing methodologies.
After graduating with a BA Honours in Business Studies, Richard Sutton began his career in Construction Recruitment. Following 2 years within Construction Recruitment he progressed to a career within Executive Recruitment focusing
on a wide range of industries.
Delivering assignments for global clients such as Dupont and Chemtura Richard has
built an excellent reputation of successful delivery. On joining Six Richard will look to add further value to the client partnerships and develop innovative Recruitment solutions to the Energy sector.
Six Recruitment Limited welcome both Sam and Richard. Their experience, coupled with Six Recruitment's current human capital only serves to strengthen their position in the Oil and Gas and Energy recruitment sector.
The inclusion of Sam and Richard to the Six Recruitment team now makes Six Recruitment one of the largest dedicated permanent recruitment teams for the Global Oil and Gas Sector.
If you would like to speak to Sam, Richard or any of the team at Six Recruitment Limited, please call +44 161 941 1336
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Press Release: 15/01/07
Six Recruitment is proud to celebrate its first full year of trading. Over the course of 2006 we helped our clients to fulfil a number of challenging recruitment and talent management assignments.
We used our extensive In-House experience to consult Oil Majors on recruitment methodology, we have been involved in developing models for outsourced recruitment and we have been successful in our core offering of Executive Resourcing for the Oil and Gas industry.
One of our proudest achievements is our track record. To date we have delivered on every assignment that we have been given and this has translated itself into repeat business from every single client. A few comments we received from our clients include:
"It was very clear to see that Six Recruitment have worked in the industry. Their candidates were excellent and were exactly what we were looking for."
"Six Recruitment's approach is refreshing. They are always looking to add value beyond the hire."
"There is no risk when you use Six Recruitment, they will work until the job is done and keep you informed all along the way."
"Six Recruitment were able to give me the advice and direction I needed. Their open and honest evaluation of the role I was offered (both good and bad) was excellent"
We would like to thank everyone who has supported Six Recruitment through their first year. We have now established ourselves as a real force in the Oil and Gas Resourcing sector.
If you would like to speak to us about any of our services, please don't hesitate to contact James Beazley or James Usher on +44 161 408 3766/3764 or email at information@sixrecruitment.com
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Recruiter Magazine: 13/09/06
Six Recruitment Ltd was recently featured in the Recruiter Magazine - the leading magazine for the recruitment and employment industry.
It highlighted the news that James Usher and James Beazley, two oil industry professionals have started Six Recruitment Ltd a Recruitment and Consulting firm for the Oil & Gas and Energy sector.
If you are interested in any of the services that Six provide, please call James Usher on 0044 161 870 6241 or email: jamesusher@sixrecruitment.com
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Press Release: 20/07/06
Six Recruitment recently finalised a global consulting project on behalf of one of the world's largest Oil Majors.
Based on Six's experience of working both in-house and for agencies they were tasked with linking the organisation's Global Leadership framework with the organisation's Recruitment Assessment Methodology. They developed a Leadership Ranking tool to identify the top 7 Leadership Competencies. This tool has now been rolled out Globally for experienced recruitment.
"This tool has given our client the focus they need to become a leader in Experienced Recruitment for the Oil and Gas sector. It ensures all parties are aligned to what is important for each vacancy and ensures the critical Leadership competencies are assessed from the start of the recruitment cycle right through to offer" said James Beazley, Director of Six Recruitment.
A senior member of the client's HR Leadership team said "Six have developed a tool that we can use across cultures and disciplines. It gives focus to our line management and ensures our Assessment Methodology is consistent from identification of the vacancy right through the entire recruitment cycle".
If you would like to talk to us about how we can work with your in-house function, please contact James Beazley or James Usher +44 0161 408 3766/3764
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Press Release: 01/04/06
Six Recruitment are pleased to announce that we have moved into our new suite of offices. Located in Altrincham Cheshire you can contact Six at Carlton Place, 22 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1RZ, England. Telephone: +44 (0)161 941 1336
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Press Release: 01/04/06
We are delighted to announce the launch of the brand new Six Recruitment website. Based in Altrincham, Cheshire, Six Recruitment is bringing together years of specialist knowledge in the recruitment and energy sectors.
The new website provides candidates and clients with complete details of the services and skills that we offer. Also included in the website is an up to date list of vacancies available within our partner companies. These vacancies are continually updated so please be sure to visit the site on a regular basis.
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Six Recruitment Has A New Home
Press Release: 30/06/08
Six Recruitment are very pleased to announce that we have now moved into our new office suite. We are still located in Altrincham, Cheshire but you can now contact us at 20 Market Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1PF, England. Telephone: +44 (0)161 927 3166.
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Office Manager for Six Recruitment
Press Release: 26/06/08
Six Recruitment Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of Kerry-Jane Shenton as Office Manager.
Kerry-Jane became a member of the Six Recruitment team at the end of May 2008. Prior to joining Six, she had been an administrator for four years. More recently she was promoted to being the office manager for ITIS Ltd supporting approximately 60 employees and was instrumental in the day to day running of that office.
Kerry-Jane has recently obtained a Certificate of Humanities and is currently working towards achieving a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature through home study with The Open University.
Kerry will be taking a leading role in all administrative duties at Six Recruitment ltd and will be the focal point for any Contracting issues for the company.
Please join us in welcoming Kerry-Jane to Six Recruitment Ltd.
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Six Appoints New Consultant
Press Release: 26/06/08
Six Recruitment Limited is very pleased to announce the appointment of Adam Jones as Consultant.
Adam was previously retained with a specialist supply chain and procurement recruitment consultancy looking after key accounts within international FMCG and engineering companies. Prior to this Adam had completed a BA in Human Resource Management and Organisational Psychology, and in this capacity he has built a strong understanding of how best to identify, select and retain talented candidates throughout the recruitment cycle. A key area of focus for Adam at Six will be within the contracts, procurement and supply chain management discipline.
We would like to take the opportunity to welcome Adam to Six Recruitment Ltd. Should you want to make contact with Adam to talk about opportunities in Contracts & Procurement, Supply Chain or any other opportunities, please feel free to contact him directly on +44 161 927 3166.
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THE SKILL SEEKERS
The Daily Telegraph: 19/02/08
Six Recruitment were recently asked to comment on issues around Recruitment and skills shortages in the oil and gas and energy sectors. The Daily Telegraph recently ran their annual 'Careers In Energy' supplement and Six Recruitment featured as one of their experts.
"The Skill Seekers" by David Adams.
These are challenging times for the energy industry, as companies battle against the effects of climate change, search the palnet for untapped sources of raw materials, and invest in new technolgoies.
So it comes as no surprise that the sector is hungry for new recruits. And while energy companies need more people, the number of graduates in engineering is falling, and the average age of the existing workforce continues to rise.
The result is a serious skills shortage and the industry is investing in recruitment programmes, training schemes, aprrenticeships and campaigns to highlight the attractions of careers in the sector.
The most obvious skills gaps are in the oil and gas buisness. James Beazley, a Director at energy recruitment specialist Six Recruitment, highlights an urgent need for mechanical and chemical engineers in subsurface gas and oil exploration and extraction, and in areas including pipeline development.
"Operators like Shell and BP are crying out for staff, particularly in drilling and well completions" he says. " And all oil comapnies are hunting for engineers skilled in conceptual engineering and planning."
Unless oil and gas companies find the people they need, by 2010 production projects could lack 10-15 per cent of their required workforce, according to a report published by Cambridge Energy Research Associates.
The shortfall has already affected the sector, boosting the contracting market as skilled staff sell their expertise to the highest bidders.
Oil and gas companies are spreading the net, catching career changers from technical positions in other sectors and running roadshows in China and India to exploit the pool of skilled graduates in those countries.
In-house recruitment processes have become more sophistocated, with HR professionals joining from other sectors, such as finance.
"Companies are working to create enticing packages for potential recruits, based on a challenging career, international opportunities, consideration for family, and benefits like private healthcare." says Beazley.
To see the whole article please visit The Telegraph website and read the 'Careers in Energy' liftout in the Jobs section.
If you would like to talk more about this or how Six Recruitment could be of help to you or your organisation, please feel free to contact Mr Beazley at jamesbeazley@sixrecruitment.com or call on +44 161 941 1336.
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Six Recruitment Limited in Recruiter Magazine
Recruiter Magazine: 01/10/07
Six Recruitment Limited were again asked for their expert opinion on the latest debate around Data Protection.
Custodial Threat For Data Theft, written by Ben Jones for Recruiter Magazine.
Recruiters who commit serious data theft offences could find themselves in prison if new proposals by an independent body are taken up.
Information Commissioner Richard Thomas's office, which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of data protection poslicies in the UK, wants tougher penalites for those found guilty of serious breaches of the Data Protection Act, with a prison sentence looking over repeat offenders.
Any proposals made by the commissioner would still have to be ratified by MPs, but they offer the clearest indication yet that data thieves will face hard sanctions.
Sally Macauley, solicitor at law firm Blake Lapthorn Tarlo Lyons told Recruiter: " This is really targeted at serious or repeat offenders, or people who steal a database and then sell he information on."
Itis thought that a custodial sentence would only be applicable for contraventions of section 55 of the Act - disclosing or obtaining information without the data controller's knowledge. Misdemeanours of a lesser nature would still be punishable by a fine.
But one recruiter for the oil and gas sector said he thought a prison sentence would be "a little extreme" for such offences. James Usher; a Director at Altrincham-based Six Recruitment, claimed more effective policing of data protection policies would be a better solution.
"I don't think a custodial sentence is the right way to do it," he said. " More strict policing of data protection is more appropriate."
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Six Recruitment in European Oil and Gas
European Oil & Gas Magazine
Date: 11th June 2007
Taking a slicker approach to recruitment
Despite developing some of the world’s most advanced and efficient working practices, oil and gas companies are seriously lagging behind other sectors in promoting effective recruitment policies. James Beazley, director of specialist oil, gas and energy recruitment consultancy Six Recruitment, explains why this is putting billion dollar investments and the future of the industry at risk.
The good old days
Up until about 30 years ago, the wealth of the oil and gas markets presented companies in this industry with a significant advantage during recruitment. Companies had the financial resources to attract high calibre employees and retain them for long periods by offering substantial salaries, bonuses, pensions and share schemes. Similarly, attractive relocation packages could be offered to employees and their families to help encourage the transfer of expertise to different continents.
In addition to financial pulling power, oil and gas companies were among the first businesses to become truly global entities. This brought with it new opportunities for employees to travel the world working in different countries and job roles, but for the same employer. Employees were faced with an exciting new prospect of long term job security without the risk of becoming stuck in a rut.
Globalisation strengthened public awareness of the industry’s leading companies and perpetuated a positive reputation positioning them as world class employers. Jobs with companies such as Shell and BP became synonymous with terms such as ‘well paid’, ‘plenty of prospects’ and ‘a job for life’.
These factors promoted oil and gas companies to number one in the employment stakes. People wanted to work for the big companies and proudly boasted who their employers were. Essentially, oil and gas companies did not have to invest much in recruitment as talent found them instead of having to be spotted.
Holding on to the past
The oil and gas markets still rank among the most profitable and lucrative in the world, and its leading players are still highly respected as world class employers. However, other sectors have boomed during the last three decades and the number of multinational corporations has soared.
Leading companies from sectors such as engineering, manufacturing, transportation, finance, retail and marketing now have the resources to attract and retain the best recruits too. As companies in these sectors emerged, they did not have the luxury of monopolising the recruitment market.
In complete contrast to the rise of oil and gas multinationals, these new corporations were not just competing with rivals from their industry during recruitment. They had to contend with a whole host of companies from a diverse range of sectors. This intense competition encouraged the new multinationals to hone their recruitment practices to successfully attract the right applicants.
Major companies from outside the oil and gas sectors have continued to invest vast sums in developing recruitment practices. This includes marketing and communication as well as search and selection methods.
The vast majority of graduates have non-vocational degrees and can apply their knowledge to roles in a variety of sectors. Oil and gas companies are now competing with multinationals from other sectors for the best graduates and are losing out.
Companies throughout the oil and gas industry have failed to address recruitment as a key operational matter as it has never been a concern. As a result, companies have become complacent and are getting left behind.
An age-old story
As oil and gas companies are such good employers, it is only now that poor recruitment threatens to cause any real issues. Many young employees who joined oil and gas companies 20 or 30 years ago will have grown with the industry. There is also a generation of highly skilled, senior management level workers aged around 45+ willing to move into the industry from services companies. They appreciate the financial benefits that are offered, relish the chance to take on new challenges and still feel a sense of satisfaction to work for globally renowned companies such as Shell.
This has and is creating an ageing work force and an ageist approach towards recruitment where young people are discriminated against. The industry is reaching a dangerous point where much of its workforce could retire within a relatively short period of time, even despite an extension of retirement ages. This will create a void of specialist skills and expertise, and in turn, could cause billion dollar projects to be put on hold while new people complete training programmes. In an industry where uptime is pivotal to the bottom line, this is not a viable option and could lead to financial ruin.
Oil and gas employers are too fixed on the significance of age during recruitment. Many companies, although they may not be aware of it, are actually violating age discrimination laws and risk facing costly cases of litigation. Some employers wrongly perceive age as the only measure of experience and capabilities. Although oil and gas industry work has potential for near or fatal occupational hazards and years of experience is a definitely an advantage, younger players from service companies who relish the opportunity to work for an operator and already have a solid grounding in the industry, are just as viable. As it stands, applicants younger than 35 years old will either struggle to get an interview or be seriously disadvantaged before they even meet interviewers.
Companies are missing out on the fresh, new thinking that does not always come with age and experience. Just because a younger applicant has not spent 30 years in the field conducting pipe stress calculations or drilling in the harshest of climates, it does not mean that they can not offer solutions for improving working practices.
Oil and gas companies need to be careful that they do not dismiss applicants because of gender. Like many heavy industries, oil and gas is predominantly male dominated, but this should not cloud employer judgement during recruitment. Similar to the perception of age, it can be easy for female applicants to be overlooked as employers do not feel they are capable. Change is starting to take place and some of the larger operators like Shell and BP have very targeted initiatives to attract and retain female recruits.
Company appeal
Oil and gas employers are making a fundamental mistake during recruitment – they still believe that it is purely a ‘buying’ process. In an increasingly competitive market where the best applicants are demanding more, companies can not just rely on brand power alone. They must sell their company to potential employees from the very start of the recruitment programme. Applicants will consider how they are treated by a prospective employer from the moment they make the first phone call and take every aspect of the job application into account.
In the vast majority of cases, it is taking oil and gas companies too long to respond to applicants. To make matters worse, proactive applicants who make the effort to follow-up with prospective employers will be sent on wild goose chases, lured with empty promises or met with walls of silence.
Companies can not afford to be this lapse when it comes to recruitment. They are damaging their own reputations as employers and diminishing the appeal of working in the industry. Word-of-mouth is extremely effective in rapidly communicating bad recruitment experiences. As a result, oil and gas companies are quickly becoming tarnished as arrogant time wasters.
Highly skilled and talented individuals are more interested in pursuing employment opportunities in sectors that take a professional approach towards recruitment. They have confidence that they will be treated with respect and that their time and effort will be rewarded. Even if they are unsuccessful during a job application, they know that they can benefit from constructive appraisal of their overall performance.
Making changes
Oil and gas companies need to take a consistent, structured and defined approach to recruitment. They should have systems in place to handle every job application, whether the applicant is successful or unsuccessful. Companies need to invest the time and resource in making sure that every applicant has a positive experience when interacting with their company.
The industry’s service companies realised the importance of good recruitment practices in the early nineties. This can be seen in the average age of the workforce which is around 29 - 32 years old, compared to 51 years in the operations part of the sector. Service companies have recognised the need to sell the benefits of remuneration packages to prospective employees, listen to employee requirements and take a less insular approach towards individual skills, experience and attributes. They are viewing how applicants could fit within the whole company rather than just one particular role.
Service companies still have a long way to go to streamline their recruitment practices, but are showing a willingness to achieve this. Operators need to act now to ensure that they do not get left any further behind in the recruitment stakes. If they do not, they may have to face outsourcing even more to service companies, who will undoubtedly capitalise on their shortcomings.
Shell were the first of the Super Majors to recognise this trend and now have in place a structured approach to both graduate and experienced hire recruitment. The other Super Majors and some of the larger Independents are quickly closing the gap, even to the point of one Super Major having a HR director represented on the Board.
There is no reason why oil and gas companies can not replicate their excellence in employment during recruitment. This will only be achieved by making recruitment a core part of their business strategies and will help protect company performance in the long-term.
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Six Recruitment Featured in The Sunday Times
From The Sunday Times
June 17, 2007
A world of opportunity
The expanding oil and gas industries have gone global in the 21st century
Wendy Sloane
Time was when almost any fresh-faced oil or gas engineer could find a lucrative job straight out of university, working in the oilfields around Dubai or Kuala Lumpur.
“The days of the cushy expat number in areas such as Singapore, America or Kuala Lumpur are numbered,” says James Beazley, director of specialist oil, gas and energy for the Six Recruitment consultancy, based in Cheshire. “If you want to go abroad, usually that means new-frontier locations such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Angola.”
The global energy business has shifted from the developed world to include less-developed regions. As a result, the competition for people with the right skills is increasing in countries outside the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
While industry leaders want the best people for the job, they are also recognising the need to attract, train and keep local talent. These days, hiring a specific percentage of staff locally is often part of the contract. BP, which does 60% of its current business in OECD countries but predicts that will drop to 20% within a decade, believes a global company should have leaders reflecting the community in which it operates as a “business imperative as well as a social responsibility”.
“Multinationals will have localisation targets they must meet as part of their contracts in developing countries, which means there will be fewer opportunities for foreigners to come in,” says Beazley. “You’ll have opportunities in the initial period of new projects, which may last three to five years, and after that you’ll see a drastic decrease in the number of expats there as locals come to take over their roles. But there will still be opportunities out there.”
What type of skills are employers looking for at home and abroad? Anybody degree-qualified in engineering or a related technical discipline will score well with the recruiters. Candidates with sub-surface disciplines – geologists, petroleum and well engineers – as well as mechanical and project engineers are especially in demand.
“Technical and engineering skills travel very well, and they always will,” says Martin Grant, managing director of the oil and gas division at engineering consultancy Atkins. “Once an individual of that type has a few years’ experience, they can move around the globe.” Going green doesn’t mean putting a kibosh on international travel. In fact, environmentally-conscious engineers are finding more opportunities than ever before.
“Where you go would depend on the type of role you’re taking: environmental impact assessments, feasibility studies for renewable technologies, people looking to build in Dubai using solar panels,” says James Owen, senior consultant for sustainability at Cyril Sweett, the global construction consultant.
Engineers who are skilled from a renewables perspective are in demand, he says, as well as those with degrees in environmental decision-making or policy. “There is stacks of work in the Middle East. And loads in the Far East, northern Europe, Scandinavia and the western United States – California, for example, thanks to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s green footprint. There is a lot of stuff going on in China and the Far East that requires renewable technology know-how, which we Brits are supplying.”
David McSherry, director at BMT Renewables, a design, engineering and risk management consultancy, says his team is working hard to support business development in China. “The Chinese want to get knowledge transfers, specialist skills supplied from knowledge bases in the UK or Europe,” he says. “They will take anything and develop it as they have so many high-quality engineering graduates of their own.”
Many of the big manufacturers of wind turbines, for example, are establishing manufacturing capabilities in China – and India – to get a share of the market, McSherry says. “By and large they are populated by Chinese technicians with senior management roles, who are learning from expats. Eventually they won’t need the expats anymore.”
“The energy industry is going through a period of rapid change, especially with the development of Brazil, Russia, India and China,” says Nimai Swaroop, head of recruitment marketing for Europe and Africa at Shell. “The last two in particular are accounting for an increasing demand for oil production. They alone will be responsible for 45% of the increase of oil use by 2015.
“There is a lot more global mobility of talent right across the energy sector. But as the number of students studying technical disciplines has declined, the demand for technical energy skills has increased.”
Shell recruits worldwide. Like BP, it has an “action plan” to ensure more locals take on leadership positions. Last year Shell hired 3,000 technical professionals from more than 70 countries, compared with 1,000 professionals in 2004, Swaroop says. A quarter of the graduates hired came from outside the country in which they were working. “Some countries are hot spots for a particular talent,” he says.
“It’s a fairly wide net we have got out there,” Swaroop explains. “Increasingly, engineers and other professionals in the sector are mobile, and we are following that trend. Candidates are like consumers – they have choice, and the top talent often has more than one offer.” The plethora of exciting job opportunities abroad could, however, have an impact on the energy industry in Britain.
Only a small number of engineers have the skills to build power stations, for example, which is a “genuine worry for the economy and could even eventually lead to blackouts”, according to Tobias Read, chief executive of EPCglobal, an engineering staffing company.
“There are some skills around but to a large degree these people have many other opportunities,” Read says. “There are very attractive jobs for them outside the UK. They can go to Abu Dhabi and work tax-free with a 50% salary increase.”
Baby-boomers coming to retirement age are creating vacancies – though not necessarily simply through leaving the job market. “The high oil price has given the kick for senior people looking to retire not to do that but to set up their own companies instead. They are going to have a lot of projects coming up around the world themselves,” says Beazley.
He still believes, however, that the numbers of experienced people coming up for retirement, encouraged by their healthy final salary pensions, could soon create a greater recruitment crisis.
“Five years from now there will be an even shorter supply of technical candidates, and we’ll be relying on India, China and other developing countries that hold the bulk of engineers at that age group the rest of the world needs,” he says
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Six Recruitment Grows its Team Further
Press Release: 02/05/07
Six Recruitment Limited are pleased to announce the appointment of two more staff to the Group. Sam Massingham and Richard Sutton.
Sam Massingham started his career as a Recruitment Consultant in London where he placed both contract and permanent staff across a diverse range of industry sectors including construction, education and I.T.
After undertaking a CIPD accredited MA in Human Resource Management, Sam moved into in-house Recruitment. Since then he has worked on a consulting basis with and for several multinational companies, including BOC Gases and ExxonMobil, improving their recruitment processes and building effective global resourcing methodologies.
After graduating with a BA Honours in Business Studies, Richard Sutton began his career in Construction Recruitment. Following 2 years within Construction Recruitment he progressed to a career within Executive Recruitment focusing
on a wide range of industries.
Delivering assignments for global clients such as Dupont and Chemtura Richard has
built an excellent reputation of successful delivery. On joining Six Richard will look to add further value to the client partnerships and develop innovative Recruitment solutions to the Energy sector.
Six Recruitment Limited welcome both Sam and Richard. Their experience, coupled with Six Recruitment's current human capital only serves to strengthen their position in the Oil and Gas and Energy recruitment sector.
The inclusion of Sam and Richard to the Six Recruitment team now makes Six Recruitment one of the largest dedicated permanent recruitment teams for the Global Oil and Gas Sector.
If you would like to speak to Sam, Richard or any of the team at Six Recruitment Limited, please call +44 161 941 1336
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Six Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary
Press Release: 15/01/07
Six Recruitment is proud to celebrate its first full year of trading. Over the course of 2006 we helped our clients to fulfil a number of challenging recruitment and talent management assignments.
We used our extensive In-House experience to consult Oil Majors on recruitment methodology, we have been involved in developing models for outsourced recruitment and we have been successful in our core offering of Executive Resourcing for the Oil and Gas industry.
One of our proudest achievements is our track record. To date we have delivered on every assignment that we have been given and this has translated itself into repeat business from every single client. A few comments we received from our clients include:
"It was very clear to see that Six Recruitment have worked in the industry. Their candidates were excellent and were exactly what we were looking for."
"Six Recruitment's approach is refreshing. They are always looking to add value beyond the hire."
"There is no risk when you use Six Recruitment, they will work until the job is done and keep you informed all along the way."
"Six Recruitment were able to give me the advice and direction I needed. Their open and honest evaluation of the role I was offered (both good and bad) was excellent"
We would like to thank everyone who has supported Six Recruitment through their first year. We have now established ourselves as a real force in the Oil and Gas Resourcing sector.
If you would like to speak to us about any of our services, please don't hesitate to contact James Beazley or James Usher on +44 161 408 3766/3764 or email at information@sixrecruitment.com
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Six Recruitment in Recruiter Magazine
Recruiter Magazine: 13/09/06
Six Recruitment Ltd was recently featured in the Recruiter Magazine - the leading magazine for the recruitment and employment industry.
It highlighted the news that James Usher and James Beazley, two oil industry professionals have started Six Recruitment Ltd a Recruitment and Consulting firm for the Oil & Gas and Energy sector.
If you are interested in any of the services that Six provide, please call James Usher on 0044 161 870 6241 or email: jamesusher@sixrecruitment.com
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Six Consultancy Delivers Global Project
Press Release: 20/07/06
Six Recruitment recently finalised a global consulting project on behalf of one of the world's largest Oil Majors.
Based on Six's experience of working both in-house and for agencies they were tasked with linking the organisation's Global Leadership framework with the organisation's Recruitment Assessment Methodology. They developed a Leadership Ranking tool to identify the top 7 Leadership Competencies. This tool has now been rolled out Globally for experienced recruitment.
"This tool has given our client the focus they need to become a leader in Experienced Recruitment for the Oil and Gas sector. It ensures all parties are aligned to what is important for each vacancy and ensures the critical Leadership competencies are assessed from the start of the recruitment cycle right through to offer" said James Beazley, Director of Six Recruitment.
A senior member of the client's HR Leadership team said "Six have developed a tool that we can use across cultures and disciplines. It gives focus to our line management and ensures our Assessment Methodology is consistent from identification of the vacancy right through the entire recruitment cycle".
If you would like to talk to us about how we can work with your in-house function, please contact James Beazley or James Usher +44 0161 408 3766/3764
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Six Recruitment Has A New Home
Press Release: 01/04/06
Six Recruitment are pleased to announce that we have moved into our new suite of offices. Located in Altrincham Cheshire you can contact Six at Carlton Place, 22 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1RZ, England. Telephone: +44 (0)161 941 1336
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Welcome to Our New Website
Press Release: 01/04/06
We are delighted to announce the launch of the brand new Six Recruitment website. Based in Altrincham, Cheshire, Six Recruitment is bringing together years of specialist knowledge in the recruitment and energy sectors.
The new website provides candidates and clients with complete details of the services and skills that we offer. Also included in the website is an up to date list of vacancies available within our partner companies. These vacancies are continually updated so please be sure to visit the site on a regular basis.
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