subject: 4 Ways To Prepare Yourself For An Offshore Oil Rig Job [print this page] You might be thinking three large, capital letters: G-Y-M. Of course it helps to work out a bit before you apply for any job which requires physical aptitude. But just as the army/police/fire service recruitment officer will tell you with bated breath, that's just the beginning. The only job that asks the potential candidate to hit the gym and nothing else is being a personal trainer, but even that is going fast as the profession begins to focus on little things like communications skills, and actually knowing how to train another human being.
*We Aren't In Kansas Anymore, Are We? Almost every teenager has contemplated the thought of leaving everything behind, and for many, it will linger on for years if not decades to come. Take this from someone who's been through it all: you'll need to make some life-changing decisions while being completely uninformed. No matter what you decide, make sure you make one, because working hundreds of miles away from everyone and everything you've ever known just for the sake of it is not a good reason at all. We will tackle the issue of working away from home in another article.
*Bless the DIY-ers, For They Will Be Useful for a Change: In the olden days, men would repair home appliances and wire the house in a feeble attempt to keep up the masculine front. You would be surprised how difficult it is, for men and women alike, to handle a hammer without grievous bodily harm unless they've done it for a while. Many of us can't even tell a Phillips from a slotted hex washer head now that Ikea has colonised the furniture world.
*Where Am I Again? You might have noticed the vastly disparate sex ratio on oil rig platforms by now. Without trying to get sucked into the whole debate on gender relations, it suffices to say that manual dexterity, spatial awareness and 20/20 vision are all essential on the deck. It is quite possible that women and men are equally capable of this - second-wave feminism and all that - and it's merely male chauvinism that led to the present situation. In any case, be prepared to live and work with many, many men, whether you're male or female, gay or straight.
*Or Just Forget About Preparing Altogether: Perhaps the X-factor isn't something you can prepare for after all. The nerves, the ability to get along with people no matter what, and the levels of physical and mental endurance can't be wrought within a month or two. Provided that you're already sending off applications day and night, hitting the gym would help insofar as it helps you being comfortable in your own skin.
That, above all else, is the secret element in a good crew that is capable of withstanding every hardship. And one last thing: be honest at the interview. It's always better for you to come clean with your weaknesses than get hit by vertigo on a crane, for instance.
