Chase Barnes, University Affairs Recruiter for Halliburton, explains the ins and outs of life as a field engineer to students at the West Ballroom in the Union Monday.
Halliburton, the oil-giant that just donated $3 million to UW’s energy program, sent recruiters to campus to hold an informational meeting for students who applied to work for the company.
Those who attended already had interviews scheduled with Halliburton. Information about different product service lines and careers with Halliburton were the main focus of the meeting.
“We’re going to interview everyone, and give everyone an equal chance for employment,” said Dusty Reed, a Halliburton regional recruiter, “from there we’re going to select the best qualified candidates for employment,” said Reed.
Pat Gardener, a technical professional of production enhancement said, “The training is pretty intense – the first six months to a year you are not getting much value to the company.”
Gardener also said Halliburton spends a lot of time, money and effort on training so they try to make sure to get the right people.
After introductions, a video was played outlining the possible career paths, policies and benefits offered by Halliburton.
“A technical degree, engineering side preferred, with a good grade point average would be the ideal candidate for employment,” said Reed.
“We do make exceptions for geology, mathematics and physics degrees,” said Gardener.
He also said you do not necessarily need to be a petroleum engineer to be considered.
There were two jobs posted by Halliburton students had to apply for through the university website. Students were then encouraged to go talk with Halliburton recruiters at a job fair.
“From the applicant list we had, we selected the qualified applicants to come in for an interview for these positions,” said Reed.
The $3 million donation from Halliburton is part of a $15 million goal set by the university to go toward a new energy program. The $15 million mark, when reached, will be matched by the state to achieve the goal of transforming university into a tier one school.
Each company that has contributed to the goal is focused on oil production. University and state officials have emphasized the importance of studying unconventional energy resources, like shale gas and coal, while the role renewable energy will play in the university’s future is, at this point, uncertain.
Reed said Halliburton does not deal with alternative energies such as turbines or solar power, but they do have some equipment that is powered by solar panels or natural gas.
Reed said every employee on the site has been trained on safety and environmental protection during the 18-month training.
“Safety and the environment are top priorities,” said Reed. “We’re not an oil company, we’re an oil service company.”
