Insight Visitor Review

The insight was very enjoyable as it was organised effectively and allowed me to witness different professional sectors of the company. Although there seemed to be no fixed guide on how to carry out the insight day, my supervisor was very proactive in ensuring that I gained as big an insight as possible when viewing the company and managed to interact with as many employees as possible.

I felt quite valued during my stay at the company, despite it being very limited. During the day I was never either left alone or forced to idly observe others as they carried out their work: all those involved in my insight scheme strived to ensure it was as interactive as possible - this was often achieved by engaging with employees in conversation and helping me navigate the company's physical spaces.

The guidance received was very valid and relevant: I was always allowed to ask questions and interact actively with employees while they worked, but also (and more importantly) those involved in the insight scheme would often prepare and present full decks to aid my understanding and give me a deeper insight into what each role actually entailed.

The insight day has been most valuable in helping me understand and start shaping my career aspirations, especially with regard to the oil and gas industry. Not only has the insight day proven useful to deepen my knowledge of the company (its culture, values, people, etc.), but it has also allowed me to see how a job in this industry (in any company) might appeal to me.

The insight, despite not seemingly following a strict guide, was very well structured. During the day I was promptly welcomed by my supervisor and had a set timetable, but extra time was allowed for me to also take part in activities that had not been previously scheduled (e.g. discuss with employees in other departments). Sometimes activities took more than initially planned, but enough leeway was allowed in the schedule so as to not cause any interferences with other events.

The atmosphere was very welcoming and friendly, an aspect that is reflective of the culture and atmosphere within the company rather than that characteristic of insight days and related events. It was this ease of approaching others and willingness by employees to take time off their schedules and share their experiences that allowed for the addition of unscheduled talks and activities to the agenda for the day.

Very little effort was made in the way of ensuring my personal development, mostly due to the nature of the insight day itself (the day is supposed to provide an insight into the company and places no emphasis on the training of its participants). However, efforts were made by those who interacted with me to help me navigate the application process, which was a recurring theme in all of my interactions.

The insight day greatly helped in better understanding what each role in the company would entail. What helped most was the effort made to ensure a wide array of different roles would be presented during the day. Most role presentations were well organised and covered all aspects of the role, from daily duties to wider background knowledge on why the role exists and its importance within various operations.

The activities and interactions during the day did not directly focus on explaining the company culture, although values were often cited (mostly as advice for a potential future application to the company). Nonetheless, spending the day in such an interactive way allowed me to gain an initial understanding of the culture on my own, both in terms of employee interactions and in terms of guiding values and attitudes.

The day has had a very significant impact on shaping my future career choices. I went into the day knowing very little of both the company and the industry more in general and came out with a reasonably strong knowledge of what a job within this industry entails and even whether it fits with my career aspirations and interests. The pace of learning during the insight day was optimal: information was passed on at a very quick rate, yet slow enough to allow for the absorption of all this information.

I was told prior to the day that I would be reimbursed for a portion of the travel expenses (not the full amount, due to the costs being significant), but after sending the required forms I was neither contacted back with any information regarding my reimbursement request nor received the reimbursement itself.

The insight day focused primarily on interacting with other employees and engaging in discussion with them, often in an informal fashion. There were no formal networking events, but a very significant portion of the day was spent with other employees rather than with my supervisor. While this allowed for more meaningful interactions, it also meant that the number of people I interacted with was limited.

There were networking events on the day.

During lunch and informal talks with my supervisor between activities I was given a brief insight into some of the activities and amenities available to employees, although I did not directly witness any of these.

I would definitely recommend the insight day to friends considering a career in the oil and gas industry, even if they have significant doubts. The amount of information passed on during the day will undoubtedly help answer most questions on career opportunities within both the company and the industry, while the friendly atmosphere is bound to create a very pleasant setting.