Case study
- and loaded it with people, financial, operational and technical problems. On the assessment day, we took the candidates on an imaginary journey. They were given the scenario and time to reflect, before coming to a group meeting with their questions prepared. It was important to allow the reflectors to engage their best skills, and to focus on questioning and listening, not just discussion. The graduates then had time to prepare for a discussion about the key issues being faced at the facility. Finally, the group was then asked to produce a presentation and a report based on their final views.
(for 10 places) and 500 in Mexico (for six places). We found that university links and relationships are a particularly influential factor, and we are focusing on these for our future campaigns in order to make our presence on campus even more visible with next intakes.
Simple key attributes Subsurface degrees were a given for most of our candidates. Our priority was to quickly understand what additional qualities we were seeking. We sought input from the business, and selected final four attributes which we thought are key to succeeding at Petrofac: to be able to get on with other people and collaborate - without necessarily needing to be expert relationship builders; to look for new ways of doing things; to look at problems and start solving them; being focused on getting results and outcomes. Much of this learning came from best practice observed elsewhere in the Group, where successful programmes have been delivered before.
Assessing talent In line with many organisations and building on the Group’s experience in other divisions, we very quickly set up online assessment, verbal, numerical
and logical reasoning tests. A telephone interview was also conducted. Simplicity and friendliness were our guides here too – best practice transferred from elsewhere in the Group.
With candidates starting to apply, the key was to decide how to assess them. We wanted one standard assessment process that was easy to understand and fun for applicants, but also measured our four points. We knew that we needed to adapt for local language as well as cultural differences in behaviours, as we were recruiting in two completely different cultural environments of Mexico and Malaysia.
Very early on we decided to develop a Petrofac-specific case study. To allow it to transcend cultural boundaries, we needed to achieve a level of technical accuracy and to make it very specific to the four attributes. Many assessment centres play to the extroverts, whereas in our pool on candidates we expected a fair proportion of quiet reflectors.
We designed a number of challenging scenarios for a fictitious offshore facility – not dissimilar to our actual floating production vessel operating in Malaysia
This process combined reflection, listening, discussion and persuasion, and allowed us to see the whole range of their relationship-building and problem- solving skills. The group had quiet time to think and also the need to interact. By the final report stage, they were able to give their personal analysis based on taking everyone’s thinking into account. The feedback from assessors indicated that the experience was enjoyable. Instead of being nervous as they usually are, the group felt confident and comfortable – the best circumstances for us to conduct an evaluation.
The journey continues… We ended up filling all the places with quality candidates and in some disciplines we even hired extra people. They have now started their rotations and will be completing placements at our various locations, getting exposure to the different aspects of oilfield services.
We found the process to be challenging, but our approach of mixing the old with the new worked well. This evolution ensured a transfer of experience from more mature divisions into an emerging business line in a way that continues to build our global graduate offering. We are now looking forward to our next intake in 2015. n
www.agr.org.uk | Graduate Recruiter 27
www.petrofac.com
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