Next Oil and Gas Job? Smart Strategies for a Shrinking Market

The oil and gas sector is under pressure in 2025. Downsizing, the shift toward renewables, and global competition mean fewer roles and tougher hiring conditions. For anyone searching for their next oil and gas job, this creates real challenges, but there are still opportunities for those who take a clear, strategic approach.

Whether you’re finishing a contract, recently made redundant, or planning your next move, the right approach to oil and gas recruitment can open new doors. From targeting offshore jobs and HSE roles to looking at opportunities abroad, this guide shows how to increase your chances of landing your next role, even in a shrinking market.

How do you get an oil and gas job in 2025? Which countries are still hiring? Are offshore jobs worth it? How can you stand out to recruiters when vacancies are limited? This blog answers those questions with practical steps to keep your career on track.

Stay Focused in Your Oil and Gas Job Search

If you’re reaching the end of a contract with nothing lined up, have recently been made redundant, or keep hearing about cuts in the sector, it’s natural to feel anxious. But the first step to finding your next oil and gas job is staying calm and avoiding panic decisions.

• Avoid desperation: Resist the urge to email every recruiter or apply to every vacancy the moment your job ends. Targeted applications are far more effective than scattergun approaches.
• Take time to reset: Even a short break can help you clear your head, process recent events, and plan your job search more effectively.
• Show confidence: Employers and recruitment consultants pay attention to mindset. Staying resilient and professional makes a stronger impression than appearing rushed or unsettled.

Strategic Planning: Preparation Is Key

Before you apply for a single role, stop and plan. In 2025 the market is tighter, so a scattergun approach won’t work. Candidates who take time to prepare their CV, refresh their profiles, and define what they want stand out more to employers and oil and gas recruitment agencies.

Audit Your Professional Materials

• CV / résumé: Keep it updated with your most recent projects, certifications, and measurable results. Employers want to know what you’ve delivered in the past 5–10 years, whether that’s leading offshore teams, completing LNG projects, or maintaining strict safety standards.
• Certifications: Current qualifications are non-negotiable. Renew your HSE, NEBOSH, BOSIET, OPITO or any role-specific tickets before you start applying. Candidates who can start immediately are always prioritised.
• LinkedIn and job boards: Recruiters search by keyword, so make sure your profile includes terms like offshore jobs, HSE roles, oil and gas engineer, or petrochemical jobs. This increases your visibility in searches.
  
  

Highlight Your Transferable Skills

The skills developed in oil and gas jobs are highly valuable, even beyond the sector. Employers in both traditional oil and gas and related fields want people who can:

• Deliver projects safely and on time
• Maintain strict HSE compliance in high-pressure environments
• Lead multicultural and offshore teams
• Manage budgets, logistics, and risk effectively

If you’re considering oil and gas jobs abroad, highlight any international project experience or exposure to different regulatory systems. This is in demand across LNG, petrochemicals, and renewables.

Clarify Your Career Direction

Decide what you actually want before you start applying:

• Location: local roles, offshore jobs, or overseas projects in hubs like Qatar, Kuwait, or Oman
• Type: contract or permanent
• Sector focus: traditional oil and gas, LNG, petrochemicals, or renewable energy

Targeted applications show commitment and professionalism. Applying for roles you don’t want just to “get something” often backfires.

Plan Your Finances

Be realistic about how long you can wait for the right role. Build a budget, cut non-essential costs, and know your financial runway. Candidates under pressure sometimes accept jobs they leave quickly, which doesn’t look good on a CV. Planning gives you space to make better decisions.

CV Tips: Make It Work for You

Your CV is often the first filter in the oil and gas recruitment process. In a shrinking market, employers and recruiters want clarity, recent results, and proof that you’re ready to step into a role. Here’s how to stand out.

Keep It Relevant and Structured

In oil and gas, long careers are common, so don’t be afraid to go beyond two pages if needed. Focus on the last 5–10 years and make it easy to scan. Use clear headings such as Offshore Projects, HSE Achievements, or Engineering Experience so hiring managers can quickly see what matters most.

Show What Employers Value

• Technical achievements: completed drilling campaigns, subsea installations, LNG project phases.
• Certifications: NEBOSH, HSE, BOSIET, OPITO, offshore survival training — current tickets are essential.
• Leadership and international experience: if you’ve worked in Qatar, Oman, or Kuwait, highlight it. Employers hiring for oil and gas jobs abroad want proof you can adapt to local standards.
  
  

Tailor for the Job You Want

Generic CVs get overlooked. For offshore jobs, highlight safety records, shift rotations, and emergency response training. For HSE jobs, lead with compliance, audits, and training delivery. For petrochemical roles, show refinery or downstream exposure. Adjusting your CV to each role shows employers you’ve read the job description and match what they’re asking for.

Keep Training Up to Date

Out-of-date certifications can hold you back. Employers want candidates who can mobilise quickly, so make sure your safety cards and mandatory training are valid. Short courses in LNG, digital oilfield technology, or renewables can also help, showing adaptability and keeping you future-ready.

Make Your CV Easy to Find

Recruiters often search CV databases and job boards by job title and skill. If your CV clearly lists the roles you’ve held — such as HSE Manager, Offshore Supervisor, Drilling Engineer, or Oil and Gas Consultant — you’re more likely to appear in their searches. Keep the language consistent with the titles employers use in job ads.

Look Beyond Oil & Gas

The skills you’ve built in oil and gas are highly transferable. Many professionals successfully move into related sectors when the market slows, and in 2025 there are plenty of options worth exploring.

Renewable Energy Jobs

The shift toward wind, solar, and geothermal energy is creating demand for project managers, engineers, and HSE specialists from oil and gas backgrounds. If you’ve worked offshore, your experience with complex operations, logistics, and safety systems is directly relevant to renewables. Short training courses can help bridge the gap, but the core skills are the same.

LNG and Petrochemical Jobs

Growth in LNG and petrochemicals means continued hiring for process engineers, plant operators, and maintenance teams. Many of the skills developed in upstream and downstream oil and gas projects — from pipeline management to refining — carry straight across.

Construction and Manufacturing

Your operational know-how, logistics planning, and people management skills are highly valued in large-scale construction and manufacturing projects. This is especially true for jobs abroad, where expats are often needed for technical leadership roles.

Consultancy and Advisory Roles

If you have senior-level experience, consultancy can be a natural next step. Advisory firms in finance, supply chain, and risk management look for candidates who understand large, high-risk projects. International consultancy opportunities are common, especially in regions where local talent pools are still developing.

Leadership Skills Travel Well

If you’ve managed teams, budgets, or safety-critical projects in oil and gas, those skills are in demand everywhere. Whether it’s renewables, petrochemicals, or international construction, employers look for proven leaders who can deliver results in challenging environments.

Leverage Specialist Recruitment Agencies

Generic job boards have their place, but they rarely deliver the best opportunities. Specialist oil and gas recruitment agencies understand the industry inside out and connect professionals with the roles that matter most. With over three decades of experience in global oil and gas recruitment, Orion Group has helped thousands of candidates secure jobs across upstream, midstream, LNG, and downstream projects.

Industry Knowledge

We know which regions are hiring, what skills are in demand, and how projects are changing. From offshore jobs in the North Sea to oil and gas jobs abroad in Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman, our teams can guide you on where to focus your search.

Access to Exclusive Roles

Many companies don’t advertise their most senior or sensitive jobs online. Instead, they rely on trusted recruiters. Orion can connect you to opportunities in HSE management, LNG projects, petrochemicals, and specialist engineering roles that you won’t find on public job boards.

Candidate Support

How do you make your CV stand out in oil and gas recruitment? What questions should you expect in an offshore interview? How do you move from oil and gas into renewables? These are the kinds of practical questions we help candidates answer every day. Our consultants give feedback on CVs, prepare you for interviews, and advise on the best way to position your experience.

Global Reach, Local Understanding

With offices in key energy hubs worldwide, we can support your next move whether you’re looking at contract work in Aberdeen, LNG projects in the Middle East, or petrochemical jobs in Asia. We also help with visas, compliance, and mobilisation so you can focus on starting your new role.

Network Actively: Open Doors

• Industry Events: Attend conferences, workshops, and webinars. These are goldmines for ‘hidden’ job opportunities and future contacts.
• Professional Organisations: Join groups like the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), IP Week, or local networks. These bodies offer career resources, training, and mentorship.
• Peer Networks: Reach out to former colleagues to learn about openings or new projects. Use LinkedIn to keep track of where your peers land as many hires happen via referrals. Remember, asking about job opportunities from friends and colleagues won’t make you a nuisance; it’s a common and accepted practice.

Stay Resilient and Positive

Job searching can test even the most even-tempered professional, especially in a shrinking or slow market. Persistence and self-care are essential:

• Set daily or weekly goals for applications or networking.
• Celebrate small wins. Every response, interaction, or interview moves you forward which you can learn from.
• Prioritise physical and mental health: regular exercise, hobbies, and downtime reduce stress and improve your outlook.

Final Thoughts: Finding Your Next Oil and Gas Job in 2025

The oil and gas job market is tougher in 2025, but there are still opportunities for professionals who prepare well and approach the search strategically. Redundancy or the end of a contract can feel like a setback, but for many people it becomes the push that leads to new opportunities — sometimes in oil and gas, sometimes in renewables, LNG, or petrochemicals.

The key is to stay calm, update your CV and certifications, and be clear about your direction. Ask yourself: Do I want offshore jobs or oil and gas jobs abroad? Am I open to HSE roles or consultancy? Which regions are still hiring? These questions help focus your search and make every application count.

Working with trusted oil and gas recruitment agencies like Orion Group can also give you access to roles and guidance that aren’t always visible on public job boards. With decades of experience in global energy staffing, we connect candidates to the right projects and support them every step of the way.

Your next opportunity is out there — and with the right planning, you can find it.