Schlumberger, Recruitment Process

Salam w.b.t and hello everyone,

How are you doing? I am doing great. Actually, I just got back from Labuan last Saturday. It was a fantastic experience in Labuan and I pray with all my heart that I will successfully be part of Schlumberger. In this entry, I would like to share my experience throughout SLB recruitment process. Just in case anyone does not know, SLB is a short name of Schlumberger. Okay, cool? Alright, let me proceed. The recruitment process was lengthy and the competition was so tough. Just a reminder, what I went through may be different for a different positions, segments, and interviewers. This is based on my experience and opinion, thus do not rely solely on this.

Throughout the process, I always bear in my mind what recruiter said when I visited the company early of this year. He said (approximately), "They are not looking for reasons to reject a person from joining the company. Instead, they are looking for a right person to join the company as the lifestyle is not for everyone". Since then, I always keep the saying in my mind and evaluate the type of lifestyle I really want. Yes, it is always my passion to become an engineer who is working in the field, specifically in oil and gas industry. Thus, I am well aware of the challenges that I will face and the hectic lifestyle when I decide to have a career as a field engineer. So, the first thing you will need to be honest with yourself is, "Am I up to the challenges and ready to have an absolutely different lifestyle compared to ordinary people?". Okay, lets start with the process and I will try my best to give detail explanation for each stage of the process.

1. Online Application

• I sent my application on 17 January 2014 via the SLB website. The online application process was quite simple because you just need to upload your resume and fill up all the required fields as accurate as you can. There is no essay or questions that require you to elaborate anything in details.

• Although you have submitted the application, you can still edit and add any documents online.

2. Group Interview

• I prayed and waited everyday with hope the company will call me soon for the next stage of recruitment process.

• The waiting time was not short. I received a call from the recruiter on July 4 and he asked several questions. (Can you see the long wait I experienced?) After the chat, he invited me to come for the group interview which will take place on July 8 at Menara Rohas Perkasa, Kuala Lumpur.

• I was so excited because this may lead to my dream job, field engineer. In preparing of the upcoming interview, I read tips on the internet shared by people who had gone through this stage.
• On the interview day, the registration started at 8.15 am. I was not surprise to see many candidates at the lobby. Then, we were brought to a meeting room and I could see there was 14 of us.
• The process started with the introduction of the company as not everyone knows what SLB is dealing with. The introduction was presented by the HR Manager and it lasted about 1 hour. Do ask questions if you do not understand anything, they will not kill you if you ask questions.
• The next thing was, everyone of us will have to present ourselves. Actually, we already given what we need to talk during this session. Each candidate will have three minutes to introduce themselves, give three strengths and three weaknesses, and explain the reason why you want to work with SLB. Please mind your time as you will be stopped by the recruiter if you exceed the allocated time.
• Then, we were divided into three groups and we have to design a bridge that will allow a car to move on it safely. There are criterion and requirements that need to be fulfilled for a bridge to be considered successful. The team has 10 minutes to discuss and design the bridge, 20 minutes to construct the bridge by using given materials.
• In this session, I believe they want to see how you communicate with the members, task distribution, practicality, and teamwork. The bridge constructed by my team worked perfectly and my we were the only winner in this challenge. The main thing is, I do not think the recruiter is looking for the winner. Instead, they focus on the teamwork.
• Then, each group will need to do a simple presentation on their bridge as well as their team. The group will be called into the room one by one. The recruiter will bombard you with a lot of questions, such as do you appoint a group leader, who are they, what is the change that you will make to your design if you have the opportunity, and others. In this session, be a good speaker and also excellent listener. Listen to what others want to say and give your opinion to make a good presentation.
• Once all groups have presented, the recruiters will go out and discuss among themselves to select the suitable candidates for the next round. It was a nerve wrecking moment when the recruiter started to call out the names. The names they called are the people who made it to the next stage, while others will have to leave the room. During my time, only 7 out of 14 made it and I was one of them and I am really grateful for being selected to the next round.

3. Interview with HR Manager

• The next round was the one-to-one interview with the HR Manager which was 20 minutes. This interview held the same day and my turn was at 2.30 pm.

• In this session, the HR Manager asked questions about myself. I believe in this session, he wants to see whether the candidate is suitable to work in the field or not.

• Again, the suitable candidate will be called for the next round, the interview with the Segment Manager.

4. Segment Manager Interview

• Exactly after 14 days, in the Monday's evening I received a call from the HR recruiter informing me that they would like to invite me to the next stage of the recruitment process. Actually, I was not with my phone then I saw about 4/5 miscalls and an email of them trying to contact me.
• I did not expect I made it to the next round as the competition was so tough, plus there was many candidates who were so good. Alhamdulillah, I managed to go to the next round which will happen on Wednesday in the same week.

• From the invitation email I received, the interviewer will be a Project Manager, not a Segment Manager. The lady name was Miss Mazatul Akma. In the email also, they acknowledged me which segment I located and the role's description. I will be in the Artificial Lift Segment as a field engineer.

• I started to read a little about artificial lift as a preparation for the upcoming interview. I was so thrilled and nervous at the same time.

• The interview will start at 12.00 pm and I arrived around 11.30 am. Since I arrived early, the interview started about 10 minutes after that. The interviewer, Miss Mazatul was so warm and friendly. It turned out to be that she is also an alumni of MRSM Terendak, the boarding school I went to during my lower secondary school. She graduated in late 1996, while I completed my study there in 2006 before move to other boarding schools. We were surprised and excited at the same time.

• In this interview session, it went well. Instead of calling it as an interview, I would prefer to call it a chat. Because, we talked about family, school, career, lifestyle, and many more. The Project Manager made the chat so interesting because she shared her experience with SLB and she already with the company for 12 years which is so inspiring.

• The interview lasted for about 40 minutes, and she escorted me to the elevator. She is so nice and laidback person. I like her and it will be my absolute pleasure if I could work together with her.

• Anyway, this is not a final stage. There is more to come if I am selected.

5. Field Exposure Program (17 Aug - 23 Aug)

• On the 15th day after the last stage, I received a call notifying me that the company would like to send me to Labuan for the Field Exposure Program (FEP) and asked me if I am available at that time. I did not wait long to answer, "YES, I am in".

• Then, they emailed me all the related information that is required for my travel to Labuan. I departed to Labuan on August 17 and return back to KL on August 23.  During this time, I stayed in Tiara Labuan Hotel. Oh, did I mention that all the costs were covered by the company? Yes, the flight tickets, accommodation, and transportation were all arranged by the company. It was so luxurious for one person, anyhow I am really grateful for it.

• On August 18, I reported to the engineer in my segment. I will tag along with them throughout the program. The engineers and the specialists I met in the segment will be the team that I will be working with once I successfully join SLB. I forgot to mention, the objective of the exposure is to give the candidate the chance to see the lifestyle of SLB field engineer, the working environment, and others before you make a decision whether you ready for it or not. In the meantime, it is also a way for the company to evaluate whether you are really the right person to join the company or not. 
• The exposure was really a fantastic experience for me, I met a lot of amazing people, and learn a lot of things. I would not trade it for anything else.
• Frankly, it will be very long entry if I describe what I did in the exposure since there were a lot of things happened. If you have questions, do not hesitant to ask me.
• Once I got back from Labuan, I wrote a summary and feedback on FEP then email them to all related parties. I hope and pray that I will successful joining Schlumberger and they will recruit me. There are a lot of stakes and I have sacrificed many things for this golden opportunity. I hope they will contact me soon with a good news.

Other tip I would like to share is, throughout the recruitment process regardless which company you want to join, just be yourself. Do not pretend of being someone else, because the company will know it. Plus, they are looking for an engineer, not an actor/actress. 

Surprisingly, two days after I got back from Labuan, which is today, I received the most awaiting call from HR Manager, Mr Sharizal. At that time, I just finished bathing my two hamsters. Hahaha...He asked and checked several things before letting me know the most awaiting news. Alhamdullilah, I am accepted to join SLB, and guess what? I will be located in Queensland, Australia. The funny thing was, he did mentioned the specific name of the place but I can't remember the exact location. It is either toowong, toowomba, tooway. I forgot the name, anyway, it does not matter as long as I am accepted to be part of SLB. Again, Alhamdulillah. Well, it does not stop here. I will have to wait for the formal offer letter, medical check up, passport, visa, and many more before going to placement there.

Alhamdulillah. Finally, my dream comes true.

I am sure this is life changing moment. I am excited, and also nervous at the same time as I am not sure what lies ahead. However, I know Allah will always be with me and I have the supports from my mother as well as my family. With all of these, I hope will be doing great. 

Ok, folks. I guess this is it. I hope this entry would give some insights for those who are seeking for the opportunity to join SLB. I would remind you again, the procedure may be different to different segment, position, location, interviewer, and others. If you have any queries, do not feel shy to contact me. I will try my best to assist you. Alright, see you guys in the next entry and take care.

Salam w.b.t


P/S - There is an epic twist in this process. I will share it in the next entry, and I look forward to share it with everyone. :)