Technical vs Commercial Picking your career path in lubricants and chemicals
Ahead of the publication of Oil Recruitment’s 2017 lubricants and chemicals salary survey, Keeley Robinson and Victoria Cornwell talk about factors affecting the attractiveness of candidates in the world of lubricants and speciality chemicals.
What’s the biggest influencing factor on salary? KR: The golden egg is to find someone with both technical and commercial experience. Employers are keen to have the technical background of someone who has, for example, qualified as a chemical engineer or a chemist, but they also want the business know-how and communication skills that come with commercial experience.
VC: We find that candidates who have started out on the technical path then moved into areas like commercial account management or product management command the best packages from employers. There is sometimes a reluctance from employers to look at candidates for commercial roles who have purely technical experience in case their ability to communicate in layman’s terms lets them down.
How can those planning for a future in a commercial role find the right balance of experience? VC: It depends on the role they are aspiring to but for someone set on a career path in the commercial space, I’d recommend qualifying with a technical degree in the sciences and working for two to three years in this area. The usual first step away from technical roles might be into product management and from there the move into more commercial roles will be easier.
What other factors influence the attractiveness of candidates? KR: Language skills are also important. No matter where you are, employers are looking for proficient business level English. If you have other language skills as well that’s a bonus but English is a must. And this brings us on to another important factor which is international experience. VC: We continue to have a good number of roles in Europe and increasingly companies are looking for candidates who have had previous experience in Asia – the hubs being in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Knowledge and experience of any of those markets, especially in business development, is very attractive.
What about the pedigree associated with the big players? KR: It depends on the length of service within a big organisation. A shorter spell of time with a big company is beneficial; candidates are likely to have had a wider range of exposure to different areas of the business plus training and development of a high standard. However, if someone has been in one large organisation for say, 20 years, then smaller, innovative, more dynamic companies may think the candidate too ‘institutionalised’ for such a big move in terms of culture.
VC: It comes down to remuneration too. If someone has been with a global organisation for a good length of time, other companies will find it hard to compete especially in terms of benefits. They may be able to come close on basic salary but taking into consideration pension for example, it can be difficult to create a proposition that will be attractive to someone senior. KR: An added advantage of working for a big organisation, especially early career, is the range of experience. Within one business you can gain experience in manufacturing, refining, distributing. You can gain a lot of valuable skills in a relatively short space of time.
Are there any specific job roles that command a premium? VC: Candidates for roles in metalworking fluids and process oils are more difficult to find and therefore command a premium. KR: While international experience is attractive, and can command a premium, this has to be balanced with the cost of relocating expatriates back to their home markets. We find expatriates often have high salary expectations and sometimes struggle to make the move back. Also individuals who have experience in a more niche/specialist sector such as Rail for instance are highly sought after.
How do you see salaries and benefits in lubricants and chemicals changing in the next 12 months? KR: There remains a theme that people are open to leave the UK and I think that will continue. We find that those who want to move are more likely to move out of the UK rather than within the UK despite that fact that there are fewer and fewer expatriate packages available now. VC: The biggest change is around benefits. The industry is increasingly offering flexible benefits as companies realise they need to take a different approach to recruitment to remain attractive. This relates to both employee benefits as well as how and where people work. We see more focus on intangible elements of reward such as home-working and flexibility on location, which are taking precedence over basic salary when it comes to negotiation.
Keeley Robinson and Victoria Cornwell will be available to talk about careers and roles at the FPS Expo on 10 & 11th May 2017 at The Liverpool Exhibition Centre
www.fpsshow.co.uk
Keeley Robinson +44 (0)1565 626754 +44 (0)7854 576318
keeley@oilrecruitment.co.uk
Victoria Cornwell +44 (0)1565 676754 +44 (0)7947 871471
victoria@oilrecruitment.co.uk
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LUBE MAGAZINE NO.138 APRIL 2017
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