One of our Student Ambassadors attended Schlumberger's women in technology event - here is what happened
Schlumberger held an event at the University of Bath Campus on the 29th of October, 2019, which focused on Schlumberger as a company, what they do and the schemes they offer, with a significant emphasis on ‘Women in Technology’.
Schlumberger’s offer a variety of internship roles in Software, Data Science, Electronics, Mechanics, Physics and Chemistry. Schlumberger is an oilfield servicing company that mainly operate ‘upstream’ - searching and recovering hydrocarbons to the surface. Having started in 1926, they have around 110,000 employees in over 140 nationalities globally.
Schlumberger representatives mentioned that they mainly recruit engineers because of the technical aspect of the oil-servicing industry. Most of their Senior Executives at Schlumberger have been working there since their graduate scheme. Even most business functions such as management and Human Resources are performed by individuals with an engineering background, much like the recruiter himself, who had studied Mechanical Engineering and had recently shifted departments. Throughout the talk, there were mentions of the company’s flexibility with their employees. Employees can usually rotate among departments and branches, as they have the option to work internationally as well.
Schlumberger’s Internship and other job openings are online at http://careers.slb.com/job-listing.
Women in Technology Scholarship
The main focus of the event was on the ‘Women in Technology Scholarship’. Students in their second-year of university are invited to apply for this scheme, wherein they are given a guaranteed industrial placement position along with financial assistance of £2,000 for Year 2, Year 4 and Year 5 of their of studies.
This scheme is eligible for female engineers studying towards the following degrees at the University of Bath:
- Mechanical Engineering (MEng)
- Electronic and Electrical Engineering (MEng)
- Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (MEng)
- Computer Science (MComp and BSc)
- Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence (MComp and BSc)
- Integrated Computer Science and Mathematics (MComp and BSc)
In order to apply for this scheme, a CV and Cover Letter must be sent to UKNOTCareers@sib.com. Students shortlisted will be notified by November 22nd, and campus interviews will commence on November 26th at the University of Bath.
Life at Schlumberger
Schlumberger also brought in two of their employees, to provide an in-depth perspective of life at Schlumberger.
Caitlin Young, is a University of Bath MEng student, who won the ‘Women in Technology’ Scholarship and is currently pursuing her Masters. Before she won the scholarship, she had completed an internship at Schlumberger, and also was their Student Brand Ambassador. She performed her 12-month placement in her 3rd year at Schlumberger’s Gloucestershire location, wherein she was part of the PowerDrive sustaining team.
After her Placement, in her 4th year, instead of doing the group design project, she chose to do a 4.5 month internship at Schlumberger. She will be applying for the Schlumberger Graduate Scheme soon.
Caitlin’s pros regarding Schlumberger were the responsibilities given, hands-on-learning experience, flexible and comfortable working environment and the opportunity to rotate among different departments. The one con she did mention were the remote locations that the internships were placed at, which were mostly accessible by car. The locations of most internships are either in Gloucestershire, Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire or West Sussex.
There was also a mention of essential qualities of a Schlumberger employee which include an outgoing personality, innate problem solving ability and a passion for engineering.
Schlumberger also brought on an employee from Iraq, Zainab Orooq who had completed her education in Oman, Germany and United Kingdom. As an Embedded Software Engineer, Zainab claimed that she was given plenty of opportunity to travel whenever she wanted to. She loves the working environment and the diversity of the employees working there. From different backgrounds to different age groups, she claims there is always something to learn from everyone.
Zainab stressed that along with the technical skills required for working at Schlumberger, soft skills are also highly desirable. Her tips included:
- Involve yourself in projects outside of your comfort zone
- Have a drive for learning and be passionate about engineering
- Develop your soft skills along with your technical skills, always take on opportunities that can augment your skillset, be it an internship or a part-time job.
Overall the talk was insightful, informative and held true to its purpose. Attendees left the venue highly motivated to take on the challenge that Schlumberger had set in front of them.
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