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Do you want to write the perfect cover letter for offshore drilling employment? Truthfully, the actual format doesn’t matter – there is no such thing as a universally best format. What does matter is gaining the attention and interest of the human resources staff who is looking over your job application. To that end, here are the three main principles which will get him or her to open up and read your resume.

1. Relevant Job Experience

The first half page of your cover letter is vital (especially when you apply for jobs by e-mail). You need to immediately show that you are qualified for the oil rig job for which you are applying. That means you need to quickly summarize any relevant experience and tie them to the job scope and qualifications listed in the job advertisement.

If you don’t have qualified practical job experience, then at least get some relevant training. In the US, technical and community colleges are working hand-in-hand with the oil industry to offer relevant courses. If you meet some special requirements, you might even qualify for some subsidies from the Department of Labor’s JobCorps program for disadvantaged youths.

The UK also has a subsidized program for their ex-servicemen. Or you could pay your own way for your certifications from CITB (City and Guilds).

Training isn’t cheap, but when you rely on normal job applications, it is your only chance to compete against your rivals who have real job experience. At the very least, relevant training will put you ahead of those rivals without any relevant experience AND training.

2. Your Outstanding Points

So you’ve persuaded the HR staffer that you have relevant experience (in the first half of your cover letter). Why should he or she continue reading the remaining page of your cover letter? Why should he/she open up your resume to look at the details?

To do this, you need to show greater depth or breadth than your rivals – enough to decisively persuade the HR staff to move your job application from the “To Be Considered” pile over to the “To Call For Interview” pile. For example, let’s say you are applying for an offshore roustabout position. If the job called for two years of experience, do you have FIVE years of experience?

Or if you are applying for a rig welding job. Do you have a higher certification than what was specified? Do you have “6 GR” certification from CITB if you are in the UK? Are you accredited by AWS in the US? Do you have experience welding some particularly difficult joints that would be found on oil rigs?

3. Can You Start Work Immediately?

Depending on the situation, being able to start work immediately can sometimes help you to stand out from the crowd. Unlike a regular office job, offshore drilling employment involves a lot of red tape. Many offshore oil rigs are subject to government regulations requiring various certifications. For example, some places need you to have these pieces of paper before you can start work:

* Firefighting
* First aid
* Helicopter underwater escape training
* Offshore survival
* Vaccinations
* Passport
* Visa

You don’t necessarily need all these certifications for all oil rig employment, but do you have the certs ready for the job you want? Can you really start work immediately, or does the oil services company need to get the wheels moving on your behalf?

When looking for offshore drilling employment, your cover letter must persuade the human resource officer to keep on reading as well as open up your resume. This is vital, unless you have an inside track to the job vacancy.

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