tanimola22:

Very trivial input:

A former colleague was interviewed in 2009 for a position in the same finance. Amongst many others, she was asked the following basic questions:

--Explain return on asset, ROA
--Explain return on equity, ROE
--Explain return on investment, ROI
--Explain the concept of project finance in relation to the oil and gas industry
--Walk us through your CV
--Present value of a project, future value
--Idea of discounting
--Exponential discounting, should the discount factor vary with time? Why? Explain
--Best financial ratios for oil and gas analysis
--Corporate finance
--Behavioural and competency questions. I am sure you know these ones very well. They have been exhaustively discussed on naijahotjobs forum where you are an active forum member. Don't forget to let them know how your UK education has made you globally fluent. You must be able to articulate why they should pick you over other applicants that have your same exposure. Compose a good and convincing story.

All the best.

T22

pls T22, does this also apply to accountants or should we expect different set of questions cos am kind of curious as to the type of questions accountants will be asked

I did a course in 500 level "Operational Research"...it has answers to most of these questions...I was particularly interested in discounting techniques used to det present and future value...it has a very practical application in daily activities...unlike some other engineering elective courses...

tanimola22:

Very trivial input:

A former colleague was interviewed in 2009 for a position in the same finance. Amongst many others, she was asked the following basic questions:

--Explain return on asset, ROA
--Explain return on equity, ROE
--Explain return on investment, ROI
--Explain the concept of project finance in relation to the oil and gas industry
--Walk us through your CV
--Present value of a project, future value
--Idea of discounting
--Exponential discounting, should the discount factor vary with time? Why? Explain
--Best financial ratios for oil and gas analysis
--Corporate finance
--Behavioural and competency questions. I am sure you know these ones very well. They have been exhaustively discussed on naijahotjobs forum where you are an active forum member. Don't forget to let them know how your UK education has made you globally fluent. You must be able to articulate why they should pick you over other applicants that have your same exposure. Compose a good and convincing story.

All the best.

T22

^
don't really have probs with the technical financial question. My probes is always the the behavioural question, it gets me nervy I just don't know why, anyway good luck to me and u all.

ahsan783:
First of all thanks a lot for the reply T22, because i was a bit unsure weather I am allowed to post on this forum or not , so thanks again. Actually as far as uni of aberdeen is concerned, they are best in producing engineers in oil and gas sector, its an ancient uni founded in 1495, but the course content is less attractive, means in one year masters programme they offer 8 courses and out of which one is accounting and other is corporate finance, and I learnt both these courses very well in my MBA. Secondly uni of aberdeen offer this course under its business school while uni of dundee has a separate school which is CEPMLP ( centre for energy,petroleum and mineral law and policy) ,CEPMLP course has depth in oil and gas programme and course content looks competitive and impressive. As far as job opportunities are concerned i researched a lot but got mixture of view, some said dundee has more job opportunities an some said aberdeen is capital of oil so it has more. the thing which attract me towards uni of dundee is CEPMLP and its association with different oil companies, plus dundee is small city as compared to uni of aberdeen and cheap with respect of living cost.
These are few thing which I know, if you have any idea kindly suggest me.

Hi assan783,

Sorry for the late reply. I was preparing for a seminar. We have a visiting researcher from Boston.

Now, I would like to ask, is it possible for you to know in advance if you can intern with one of the CEPMLP's partner oil companies? As I understand from your post, your goal is to enter the oil industry. You need to give the most weight to this particular goal in all of your doings. Is it possible for you to communicate with the director of studies at CEPMLP or Aberdeen? You need to speak with someone at one of these schools before you make a choice, before you commit your hard earned pounds. The good thing is that all these professors are very accessible to students, no matter how big they are.

What I would do:

I would schedule an interview with the directors of studies of my intending program both schools. I would either call them with my money and have an extensive conversation with them, or I would contact them through Skype. In the US and maybe elsewhere, professors give their Skype addresses to students. In fact, the addresses are readily available on the professors' CVs, which are in fact accessible to any student who is willing to feel intimated by the professors' achievements. Please do explore this option.

While conversing with the professors, I would force them to realistically let me know my chances of getting into the oil industry through their programs. We have all heard of cases in which students were recommended for top oil jobs by their professors. Some of these professors are very well connected, and their connections sometimes help students secure exceptional offers. You need to speak to these directors so that you can hear their views. You also need to know the placement records of both programs. You need to ask direct questions. You need to also ask why some of their students who did not place successfully failed to be placed. I know someone who asked the director of studies at IFP this same question. The director was helpful enough to state a couple of reasons why some graduates don't place successfully in major oil and gas companies. Essentially, you need to prepare revealing questions and ask these questions. This is your pound we are talking about here...POUNDS

After having extensively spoken to each director of studies, I would choose the school where my prospects of landing an oil job after graduation is much, much higher. I must warn that this is a risk as well, but it is not a completely ignorant risk that may cause you to regret in the future. At least, you did your due diligence before making a choice.

Having said the above, I would like to wish you good luck in selecting the better program that will help optimize your chances of landing a lucrative oil job. Indeed, a job in oil and gas is worth any stress you can think about. In our country, Nigeria, many people accord respect to oil workers. This is a fact that I believe has not changed, even though some of us don't live in the country at the moment.

All the best, and welcome to our forum

T22

BIGER BOY: ^
don't really have probs with the technical financial question. My probes is always the the behavioural question, it gets me nervy I just don't know why, anyway good luck to me and u all.

Yeah, I hated behavioral questions. But, over the years, the following seemed to have helped calm my nerves during tough interviews.

--Prepare answers to likely behavioral questions and rehearse the answers crazily. By crazily, I mean rehearsing each question and answer 15-20 times at the minimum. So, if you have about 100 prepared answers, you will rehearse everything about 100*(15-20) times. This usually takes around 4 days to achieve. There are many things that this rigorous activity can help you achieve. First, it increases your spoken agility. Your tongue is more loosened and so you easily know what to say next in an interview even though you encounter an unfamiliar behavioral question. Second, it boosts your confidence so that your voice will be less shaky and much clearer during the main interview itself. Third, it makes your spoken English more refined and very well-polished and helps reinforce the right choice of words to employ during the main interview. It also helps minimize spoken errors. Fourth, it makes your head very alert so that you won't have to think too much before you make a solid and ground breaking point that will receive several nods from your interviewers.

----Rehearse your gestures. This should also help you remember what to say next because each gesture is mapped to an idea of what to say. This sounds weird, but it has very well worked for some of us over the years. I remember giving a presentation in which my gestures made me know just the right things to say. I had heavily practiced earlier. I practiced to the point that I knew all what my gestures meant. Need I reveal that I awed my audience because I made fewer mistakes and resoundingly got my points across in the clearest of ways.

---Jog with your dogs a day before the interview. Make sure you jog to the extent of panting profusely. But no kill yourself O. This should help release tension and make you breathe well during the interview. Overall, you will feel confident and relaxed. This will in turn transfer to your interviewers who will feel relaxed because you are relaxed.

I should add that there is no rule that seems to work for everybody, every time. These are the things that worked for me. Hopefully, they should work for you too. Till tomorrow, I still rehearse heavily because it helps minimize my spoken slips while concurrently heightening my fluently in oyinbo's language. Even if I am to give an extemporaneous talk, I cannot do without rehearsing!

T22.

[

hobat4cash: pls T22, does this also apply to accountants or should we expect different set of questions cos am kind of curious as to the type of questions accountants will be asked

Hi,

I regret that I know no accountant who previously interviewed with Total. The accounting guys I know, two work for Shell and one works for Chevron. They all got in through the companies' graduate programs.

T22.

tanimola22:

Hi,

I regret that I know no accountant who previously interviewed with Total. The accounting guys I know, two work for Shell and one works for Chevron. They all got in through the companies' graduate programs.

T22.

Tanks bro. Pls anybody who can be of help as to what is required of accountants should share. Thanks.

tanimola22:

Thanks.


But isn't it sad that MNCs tend to honour qualifications more than work experience? I thought work experience was key, This is new and revealing to me. Does it mean that, two people, with different qualifications, employed to do the same job, at the same level, would earn differently at these MNCs?



Wow.

tanimola22:

Very trivial input:

A former colleague was interviewed in 2009 for a position in the same finance. Amongst many others, she was asked the following basic questions:

--Explain return on asset, ROA
--Explain return on equity, ROE
--Explain return on investment, ROI
--Explain the concept of project finance in relation to the oil and gas industry
--Walk us through your CV
--Present value of a project, future value
--Idea of discounting
--Exponential discounting, should the discount factor vary with time? Why? Explain
--Best financial ratios for oil and gas analysis
--Corporate finance
--Behavioural and competency questions. I am sure you know these ones very well. They have been exhaustively discussed on naijahotjobs forum where you are an active forum member. Don't forget to let them know how your UK education has made you globally fluent. You must be able to articulate why they should pick you over other applicants that have your same exposure. Compose a good and convincing story.

All the best.

T22

I wish I found this thread a month ago...I had an interview with Total in which I performed horribly because I prepared wrongly...I expected behavioural questions but got technical questions. Bigger Boy, I wish you success in your interview.

maryini:

I wish I found this thread a month ago...I had an interview with Total in which I performed horribly because I prepared wrongly...I expected behavioural questions but got technical questions. Bigger Boy, I wish you success in your interview.

Hey baby, sorry to hear about your horrible interview with Total.

What questions were you asked? You may want to detail them here for posterity. Visitors to this thread will surely appreciate.

Thanks,
T22.

tanimola22:

Hi,

I regret that I know no accountant who previously interviewed with Total. The accounting guys I know, two work for Shell and one works for Chevron. They all got in through the companies' graduate programs.

T22.

pls my guy T22, what do u mean by graduate programs?

hobat4cash: pls my guy T22, what do u mean by graduate programs?

Entry level programs for young graduates with little or zero professional experience.


T22.

tanimola22:

Hey baby, sorry to hear about your horrible interview with Total.

What questions were you asked? You may want to detail them here for posterity. Visitors to this thread will surely appreciate.

Thanks,
T22.

I was interviewed by a panel comprising of a few departmental heads. The questions asked were technical. What happens to hydrocarbons when they escape into the atmosphere. What is fire point and flash point? What is the second law of thermodynamics? Alternative sources of energy? What is NDT (non destructive test)? I was handed a diagram showing different tanks and pump configurations then asked to choose which is the best position for placing the pump to move fluid from one tank to another. FInally, I was asked what safety meant to me.

Hopefully someone learns from my mistakes.

I was not taking the thing too serious (my mind was still in london/i was still jet-lagged, i don't know )...i now realise what an opportunity I threw away....i also did not know Total engineers have the highest salary...it was Total Downstream and I heard they pay less than the upstream...I am not into downstream stuff so I wrote them off (so foolish of me)...I hope I get another chance at other MNCs.

Cheers!

P.S: I am a Chemical Engineer.

maryini:

I was interviewed by a panel comprising of a few departmental heads. The questions asked were technical. What happens to hydrocarbons when they escape into the atmosphere. What is fire point and flash point? What is the second law of thermodynamics? Alternative sources of energy? What is NDT (non destructive test)? I was handed a diagram showing different tanks and pump configurations then asked to choose which is the best position for placing the pump to move fluid from one tank to another. FInally, I was asked what safety meant to me.

Hopefully someone learns from my mistakes.

Wow, see attack from every angle. Left, right, centre, back and front! They even brought out a diagram for you to tell them something. This thing was serious O. 11 Million Naira will never be easy.

Anyway, you can try next time. At least, you will be better prepared.

T22.

maryini: I was not taking the thing too serious (my mind was still in london/i was still jet-lagged, i don't know )...i now realise what an opportunity I threw away....i also did not know Total engineers have the highest salary...it was Total Downstream and I heard they pay less than the upstream...I am not into downstream stuff so I wrote them off (so foolish of me)...I hope I get another chance at other MNCs.

Cheers!

P.S: I am a Chemical Engineer.

Let us hope and pray you get another chance, and very soon too.

T22

I don't hope too soon...I am currently doing an Msc program...so any recruitment process would not get my full attention...you seem very knowledgeable about Oil and Gas Companies...could i get your email for further contact?

maryini: I don't hope too soon...I am currently doing an Msc program...so any recruitment process would not get my full attention...you seem very knowledgeable about Oil and Gas Companies...could i get your email for further contact?

Yeah, you can. Just befriend me on nairaland and then you will see the email.

T22.

Thanks for sharing...was it for graduate recruitment or professional?

Thanks.

maryini:

I was interviewed by a panel comprising of a few departmental heads. The questions asked were technical. What happens to hydrocarbons when they escape into the atmosphere. What is fire point and flash point? What is the second law of thermodynamics? Alternative sources of energy? What is NDT (non destructive test)? I was handed a diagram showing different tanks and pump configurations then asked to choose which is the best position for placing the pump to move fluid from one tank to another. FInally, I was asked what safety meant to me.

Hopefully someone learns from my mistakes.

Odunet Lbs: Thanks for sharing...was it for graduate recruitment or professional?

Thanks.

It was for an undisclosed position but I think I was the only one with no experience there. The others where guys dat were working...so I dont know if it was graduate or professional.

hello @T22! so ive been off for a bit. finally decided to go for reservoir engineering OR process and polymer engineering. IFP offers both. but i havent seen any american or european school that offers msc reservoir engineering on its own, all ive found is pet engr and oil and gas engineering. but what do you guys think about the courses?
thank you in advance

olu16: hello @T22! so ive been off for a bit. finally decided to go for reservoir engineering OR process and polymer engineering. IFP offers both. but i havent seen any american or european school that offers msc reservoir engineering on its own, all ive found is pet engr and oil and gas engineering. but what do you guys think about the courses?
thank you in advance

As someone with zero experience, I would advice you go for Petroleum Engineering to get a general overview of the oil and gas business before you specialize. Petroleum Engineering gives you better knowledge of Production, Drilling and Reservoir Engineering. You can apply for job in any of those three categories with you Petroleum Engineering degree but with Reservoir Engineering, you are already restricting yourself because you will not do much in Drilling and Production when you study Reservoir Engineering making it difficult for you to compete for non Reservoir Engineering jobs. Specializing at the early stage of your career is dangerous because it limits your options. Petroleum Engineering as a degree is already restrictive, so going further into Reservoir Engineering will further limit your options after graduation.
All the best with your final decision.

2good:

As someone with zero experience, I would advice you go for Petroleum Engineering to get a general overview of the oil and gas business before you specialize. Petroleum Engineering gives you better knowledge of Production, Drilling and Reservoir Engineering. You can apply for job in any of those three categories with you Petroleum Engineering degree but with Reservoir Engineering, you are already restricting yourself because you will not do much in Drilling and Production when you study Reservoir Engineering making it difficult for you to compete for non Reservoir Engineering jobs. Specializing at the early stage of your career is dangerous because it limits your options. Petroleum Engineering as a degree is already restrictive, so going further into Reservoir Engineering will further limit your options after graduation.
All the best with your final decision.

Well said, might be tough getting a place in good school without a 2:1 though, in fact Imperial will only accept a first these days. Consider an advanced degree in process if your background is chemical or eletrical/instruments if elect.elect.

Uni of Manchester is a very good school and will accept a 2.2

naijababe:
Well said, might be tough getting a place in good school without a 2:1 though, in fact Imperial will only accept a first these days. Consider an advanced degree in process if your background is chemical or eletrical/instruments if elect.elect.

Uni of Manchester is a very good school and will accept a 2.2

A word of caution - make sure the process and elect/instrument course content is suitable for someone seeking work in oil and gas (if that is your intent).

Many people simply do a Masters in the same course that they did a B.Sc. in, and that does not necessarily put you in a better position for an oil and gas job.

The process and polymer course at IFP for example appears to be directed at people seeking to work in petrochemicals and refining, or those who design chemical processes (e.g. equipment vendors, project engineers), not necessarily those who work in upstream. So bear this in mind.

This thread has been my most admired on this site. The comments av been very insightful and modestly presented. Tanimola22 et al, u guys r d bomb (not boko haram o)...lol. I'm in love-did I say in love!- deep in love with Total and let me correct d impression dat downstream doesnt pay much. Agreed, they dont pay as much as upstream, but the 2011 report of Total Nig Plc, on page 42 states that out of d 472 workers, 428 earned above 4M in emolument-and dats 90% of their strenght o. I'll try to upload d stuff if it goes thru. I pray we all get to d top of our aspirations.
@maryini Im so sorry for that loss of chance. More comments to come

D stuff

When I first posted here, I didn't quite read the previous pages but now I did, and it has put my brain on overdrive (God help me get this total job).

Just one thing what is the pay difference in total upstream and downstream for entry level non engineer position.?

TENDON: This thread has been my most admired on this site. The comments av been very insightful and modestly presented. Tanimola22 et al, u guys r d bomb (not boko haram o)...lol. I'm in love-did I say in love!- deep in love with Total and let me correct d impression dat downstream doesnt pay much. Agreed, they dont pay as much as upstream, but the 2011 report of Total Nig Plc, on page 42 states that out of d 472 workers, 428 earned above 4M in emolument-and dats 90% of their strenght o. I'll try to upload d stuff if it goes thru. I pray we all get to d top of our aspirations.
@maryini Im so sorry for that loss of chance. More comments to come

BIGER BOY: When I first posted here, I didn't quite read the previous pages but now I did, and it has put my brain on overdrive (God help me get this total job).

Just one thing what is the pay difference in total upstream and downstream for entry level non engineer position.?

Total on everyone's mind. O ga o