Roughneck Jobs: Getting Hired

Roughneck jobs are in high demand and for good reason. The pay is good, the jobs aren't going anywhere and if you're a good worker landing the right job with the right company can set you up for life.

While you can get hired for roughneck jobs by sending out your resume on your own, it can take a long time to get noticed and get hired.  Reputable services like Rigworker simplify the application process and allow you to take advantage of their longstanding relationship with over 1200 oil companies.

Oil companies send their new job postings immediately to Rigworker and for a small fee you can send your uploaded resume to hundreds of roughneck jobs listed on their website.

One click to upload your resume, one more click to send it out.  Add to that the fact that Rigworker emails you updates of new jobs and their service is INVALUABLE to jobseekers.

While you don't need much experience for entry level roughneck jobs it can be a challenge to have your resume noticed when it's buried in a pile of others.  Rigworker allows you to be notified of new positions before they are posted on major job search sites ... a huge advantage over other applicants.  The first resumes to come in are the first resumes that get read.  Often these are the people who get hired for coveted roughneck jobs.

Good luck with your job search - I hope this site has helped you with the process!

Writing a Resume for Roughneck Jobs

Roughneck jobs are competitive so you'll want your resume to get in front of as many people as possible and you'll want it to stand out in a crowd.  To save yourself a lot of headaches I recommend using a service like Rigworker to get your resume seen by as many oil companies as possible, as quickly as possible.

But first you have to write it.  Here are my tips for what to include in a successful resume:

• Highlight Your Strengths - the experience you have that you feel makes you qualified for the position should always be at the top of the page, right under your name, address, phone number and email.  Make sure that the man or woman doing the hiring can't miss the skills or experience that would make you a great addition to a rig.

• Think Outside the Box - if you're a young guy and don't have a ton of work experience think about what you HAVE done that will allow you to succeed and would make you a valuable employee.  If you were on a sports team list that and reference the leadership and teamwork skills you developed.  If you grew up on a farm and love long days and rise to meet the challenge of tough physical labor say so.  Even if you've never worked on an oil rig you have SOMETHING to offer.

• Keep it Short - your resume should be no more than a page.  Hiring staff receive hundreds and sometimes thousands of resumes.  you want yours to be clean, easy to read (try to keep a balance of text and white page space) but don't overdo it with EVERYTHING you've ever done.  They might only spend a few seconds skimming your resume ... make those seconds count!

• Be Professional - even if you had a bad experience with a previous employer, leave that out of your search for employment and especially off your resume.  If you are asked why you left a previous position during an interview tell the truth but frame it in a positive light ("I decided it wasn't the right fit and wanted to find something that matched my personality and skillset" is better than "My boss was a jerk and made every day miserable"). 

Once you have your resume polished, start sending it out.  Don't be shy and apply to only one or two positions -- send it to as many as you possibly can.  This can be a tedious process which is why I recommend a reputable service like Rigworker to manage your applications and to get your resume seen.

Rigworker has a relationship with over 1200 oil companies and are often aware of new openings before they get posted on popular job websites.  For a small fee you can send out your new resume to all the oil companies in the area - a huge advantage over other applicants.  With a big salary in the balance you can think of what you're paying for this service as an investment in your future.

What is a Roughneck?

While the term roughneck is sometimes used for anyone in a position demanding hard labor (often in dangerous conditions) most often it refers to the brave souls who work on an oil drilling rig.

This job is as tough as the men who do the work, but there are several advantages to employment in this industry.

1. Job Security - The world relies on oil.  In spite of all the talk about global warming and green energy oil remains the only viable option to run our cars, heat our homes, power our laptops and run the factories that build everything we use.  If you are a good worker and are lucky enough to land a job as a roughneck you will never have to look for work again.
2. Payday - Because of the dangerous nature of this work starting pay for many roughnecks can be close to $60,000 a year plus benefits.  There aren't a lot of jobs where people with no experience can earn this much money right out of the gate.  This is why applying for jobs as a roughneck is so competitive and frustrating.
3. Friendships - On the oil rigs you look out for one another and the guys you work alongside will quickly become some of your best friends in the world.  The bonds you form with these men will last a lifetime.