Schlumberger is among world leaders in supplying technology-related and customer solutions for the global oil and gas industry. The company has grown leaps and bounds over the last century and offers exciting entry-level careers.
Tawnee Buckingham has been with Schlumberger for seven years. I myself studied aerospace engineering in college and therefore was hired by Schlumberger to work as a field engineer which I thoroughly enjoyed, she says.
Buckingham started out as a field engineer and has been field specialist and maintenance technician recruiter for Schlumberger for the past three years.
I was promoted into this recruiter position where I moved to Houston and halfway through, about a year-and-a-half ago, I was moved up to Canada, and I've been here ever since.
According to Buckingham, the job of a maintenance technician is both exciting and taxing. Maintenance technicians are the backbone of field work. Schlumberger's niche market is within the oil and gas services industry, and equipment used on the field is returned to workshops beaten down, dirtied, and sometimes even broken up.
The folks in the workshops'day in, day out'maintain, rebuild, and fix the equipment to make it ready to go back into service.
Challenges in work environments for technicians are often work hours; our shops average 50ÔÇô60 hours a week. And there's times especially during the winter season in Canada when we drill excessively compared to summer. We might work 70ÔÇô80 hours a week so that can be tough.
At times, technicians may be required to stay out in the field and work in an environment that is fast-paced and non-stop. For instance, Buckingham explains that a technician has to go out into the field to fix trucks that cannot be brought back to the shop. For some mechanics, being so hands-on is probably an upside, but getting past the daily grind is also a perk.
Another asset of working with Schlumberger is their accelerated progression path: over five years, they'll go through four promotions and, at the end of that time, they can be in some kind of managerial or training-development role for the maintenance group.
Entry-level jobs are benefitted from a military background'both Canadian and US are acceptable'specifically experience with heavy machinery maintenance, but a tech school degree works just as well. Buckingham mentions that the two schools in Canada from which the company gets the most profiles are the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
My advice is always review the company as much as the company is reviewing you, says Buckingham. Company is all about a cultural fit, and we are a career-oriented company, we love our people to stay with us, we love long-term employment and development because we love the diversity of experience.
Buckingham looks forward to where the diversification model of the company will take her next.