Oil and Gas Outplacement for Professionals and Technicians
Oil and gas outplacement from PRL International teaches your people to run their own search and then puts them in front of the companies that hire them, on a written marketing plan, every week of the program. We do not hand anyone a login and a job board. We rebuild how each person presents themselves, coach them through every step, and market each one by name to operators, service companies, midstream, utilities, manufacturers, and power and data center builders in the markets they choose, from Appalachia to Houston, the Permian, the DJ Basin, and the Bakken.
PRL International specializes in oil and gas outplacement. We have recruited in this industry for decades, and for years we have quietly helped people in it find their next role at no charge. That is why oil and gas is the industry we serve: no outplacement firm understands it better, and we know what gets oil and gas people hired fast.
PRL International is a retained executive search firm serving Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, specializing in senior-level placements in energy and oil and gas, and our outplacement practice serves oil and gas professionals and technicians nationwide.
What is included in oil and gas outplacement from PRL International?
Every PRL International outplacement program includes eight components, delivered by people who recruit for the oil and gas industry for a living.
- 01
A rebuilt resume
For field and technical staff, it leads with skills, equipment, and a certifications section: CDL class and endorsements, safety tickets such as H2S, SafeLand, and OSHA, and trade qualifications. For professionals, it leads with results: projects, wells, dollars, and licenses such as PE, CPA, and CSP.
- 02
A LinkedIn profile that works
For professionals, a true critique and then a rebuilt profile. For technicians, a profile built or rebuilt so recruiters and hiring managers can find them.
- 03
A marketing profile
A one-page summary of each person that we use when we present them to companies.
- 04
A SWOT analysis
An honest look at strengths, gaps, opportunities, and risks, so the search aims at roles the person can win.
- 05
Gallup CliftonStrengths, with coaching
Each person completes the full 34-theme assessment, and we coach them through the results so they can describe how they work in an interview.
- 06
One-on-one coaching
Scheduled sessions on Microsoft Teams with a coach who knows the industry, including interview coaching as real interviews approach.
- 07
A written marketing plan
A target list of companies across oil and gas and related industries, in every market the person is willing to live in.
- 08
Consistent marketing by PRL International
We present each person to the companies on their plan for the full length of the program and report back on every outreach.
What do oil and gas professionals get, and what does HR get?
Oil and gas professionals get a coach who knows their work, a search they control, and a firm that markets them by name. HR gets a program it can stand behind and a clear record of what it paid for.
For oil and gas professionals
A rebuilt resume and profile, a marketing plan built around where they want to live, a fixed coaching schedule, homework that keeps the search moving between sessions, interview coaching, and help reading the offer when it comes.
For HR
Notification-day support for employees and managers, onboarding timed to each person's release date, a monthly progress report on activation, sessions, interviews, and landings, and billing only for people who activate their program.
How does the program work, week by week?
The program follows the same sequence HR teams know from the major outplacement firms, with one difference: every person meets with us on a fixed schedule, so they always know when the next session is and what is due before it.
- 1
Before notification
We help plan the notification and prepare managers with talking points, and we confirm which tier each person receives.
- 2
Notification day
We are on site or on a same-day call, so each person leaves knowing what the program is and how to start.
- 3
First contact within two business days
Each person hears from us within two business days of their release date. When a reduction rolls out over several weeks, starts follow the release dates.
- 4
Weeks 1 and 2: launch and branding
Two sessions a week: intake and goals, the LinkedIn review, the CliftonStrengths debrief and SWOT review, and approval of the marketing plan, while the resume is rebuilt.
- 5
From week 3: search and marketing
Coaching continues every other week on a consistent day, with homework between sessions. We market each person to the companies on their plan every week and coach them through interviews as they come.
- 6
Offer and landing
We help each person read and negotiate the offer.
- 7
After landing
Professionals and Leaders get a 30-day check-in, and Executives get 90 days of onboarding coaching.
How does PRL International market each person?
PRL International markets each person by presenting them, by name, to the companies on a written marketing plan, on a set schedule, for the full length of the program. The plan is built with the person in the first two weeks and covers three things.
Where they will work. Each person chooses the markets they are willing to live in. For one that is close to home only. For another it includes Houston and the Gulf Coast, the Permian, the DJ Basin in Colorado, or the Bakken. The plan covers every market they name, anywhere in the country.
Who they will work for. Operators, service companies, midstream, and utilities first, then the industries that need the same skills.
| Oil and gas role | Common adjacent path |
|---|---|
| Lease operator or production tech | Utility, water, and plant operations |
| Instrumentation and electrical tech | Power generation, data center, and manufacturing maintenance |
| Compressor and facilities tech | Power plant and industrial mechanical maintenance |
| Drilling and completions field hand | Heavy construction, pipeline, and geothermal projects |
| Facilities or pipeline engineer | Power, utility, and data center construction |
| HSE, regulatory, supply chain, or accounting professional | Utilities, manufacturing, and construction firms |
| Foreman, superintendent, or manager | Field and project leadership at power, utility, and construction firms |
How they will be presented. Each person is introduced with their marketing profile and resume, in the language of the company receiving it. A compressor tech who has kept a station running through winter is presented to a power plant as someone who keeps rotating equipment online under pressure, because that is what the plant needs to hear.
We do not promise jobs. The person wins the job. We make sure the right companies see them, consistently, until the program ends.
What does oil and gas outplacement cost?
PRL International's oil and gas outplacement costs $3,200 to $12,000 per person, depending on the role and the length of the program, and every price includes the CliftonStrengths assessment.
These are the prices of a specialist service. Every program is run by a senior search professional who works in oil and gas, every person is marketed by name to hiring companies across the country, and every tier states exactly how many coaching sessions it includes.
Technician
Lease operators, production, well, measurement, instrumentation, electrical, compressor, and facilities techs, and drilling and completions field hands.
8 coaching sessions.
Request a programProfessional
Engineers, geologists, landmen, accounting, supply chain, HSE, regulatory, and project and operations professionals, and foremen.
10 coaching sessions.
Request a programLeader
Superintendents, supervisors, and managers who lead teams.
16 coaching sessions.
Request a programExecutive
Directors and vice presidents.
20 or 30 coaching sessions, including panel interview coaching, and 90 days of onboarding coaching after landing.
Request a program| Included | Technician | Professional | Leader | Executive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program length | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months | 6 or 12 months |
| One-on-one coaching sessions, including interview coaching | 8 | 10 | 16 | 20 or 30 |
| Resume rebuild | Skills resume with certifications, CDL, and safety tickets | Results resume with licenses and skills | Results resume with team and budget results | Executive resume and leadership bio |
| Profile built or rebuilt | Critique and rebuilt profile | Critique and rebuilt profile | Critique, rebuild, and visibility plan | |
| Marketing profile and SWOT analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gallup CliftonStrengths with coaching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Companies on the marketing plan | 20 | 25 | 40 | 50 |
| Weekly marketing by PRL International | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes, to hiring executives |
| Offer support | Offer review | Offer review and compensation benchmark | Negotiation coaching | Full package negotiation |
| After landing | 30-day check-in | 30-day check-in | 90-day onboarding coaching |
Groups of ten or more receive a 10% group rate, notification-day support, two group workshops, and a monthly progress report, and are billed only for people who activate their program within 60 days.
Frequently asked questions
- Do you find our people jobs?
- No. We teach each person how to run a disciplined search, and we market each one to the companies on their plan every week of the program. The person earns the offer.
- Who is the program for?
- Oil and gas professionals and technicians anywhere in the United States: field and technical staff, engineers and other professionals, and the supervisors and leaders over them. Our outplacement practice serves the oil and gas industry only.
- Do field technicians really need a resume and a LinkedIn profile?
- Yes. Utilities, power plants, manufacturers, and data center builders hire through applicant systems and recruiters who search for certifications, equipment experience, and safety tickets. A technician without a current resume and profile is invisible to those employers.
- Do you market people outside Appalachia?
- Yes. We market people nationally. Each person chooses the markets they are willing to relocate to, such as Houston and the Gulf Coast, the Permian, the DJ Basin, or the Bakken, and the plan covers every one of them.
- How long does the program last?
- Technician and Professional programs run three months, and Leader and Executive programs run six to twelve months. Senior roles take longer to fill because there are fewer of them and each hiring process has more steps.
- How quickly can a group start?
- Each person hears from us within two business days of their release date. When a reduction is rolling, we schedule starts around the client's release dates so everyone gets a full launch in their first two weeks.
- Is the program virtual or in person?
- Coaching runs on Microsoft Teams, so people can meet from anywhere in the country, including from the field. In-person sessions are available in Western Pennsylvania, our home base.
- Do we pay for people who never use the program?
- No. On group engagements we bill only for people who activate their program within 60 days of notification.
- What is the difference between outplacement and severance?
- Severance is money paid to a departing employee, and outplacement is a service that helps that employee find the next job. Many companies offer both, and outplacement often shortens the time a person depends on the severance.
Planning a reduction? Talk to us before the notification date.
The best outplacement starts before anyone is told. Tell us how many people are affected and when it goes active, pick a time, and we will call you.