Traditional Recruitment Starts With a Vacancy
Traditional recruitment often starts with a vacancy. A requirement is approved. A job description is written. The advert goes live. Applications arrive. Recruiters begin screening.
For many positions, that process works. But major technical projects don’t always have the luxury of waiting until the vacancy exists.
When dozens — sometimes hundreds — of skilled people are required across construction, completions, commissioning, operations and project leadership, recruitment increasingly needs to begin much earlier.
By the time everyone is recruiting, the strongest candidates may already have somewhere else to go.
Projects Create Predictable Workforce Demand
Major projects move through recognisable phases: engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction, mechanical completion, completions, commissioning, start-up and operations. The workforce changes throughout that journey.
If a project is approaching commissioning, it shouldn’t be surprising that demand for commissioning engineers, technicians, completions specialists and system leads will increase. The exact headcount may still change, but the direction of travel can often be anticipated.
Advertising Only Reaches Part of the Market
A job advert primarily reaches people who see it and decide to respond. But experienced technical professionals aren’t necessarily checking job boards every day.
- Already working on another project
- Approaching the end of a rotation
- Open to the right opportunity but not actively applying
- Planning their next move months ahead
- Considering a different sector
- Waiting for a particular project phase to begin
These people may be excellent candidates. They simply aren’t applicants yet. That is why candidate search and talent mapping should complement traditional job advertising.
What Is Talent Mapping?
Talent mapping doesn’t necessarily mean trying to recruit somebody immediately. It means developing a clearer picture of the people who could potentially meet future requirements.
Where are experienced commissioning professionals currently working? Which candidates have relevant LNG experience? Who has recently completed a major offshore project? Where is the available HV expertise? Which oil and gas professionals have skills transferable into data centres? Who is likely to become available during the mobilisation period?
That information can help a recruitment team understand whether the planned requirement is realistic before it becomes urgent.
Separate Essential Requirements From Preferences
Early recruitment planning also forces organisations to answer an important question: What do we genuinely need?
If every preference becomes mandatory, the available talent pool can shrink dramatically. Early market testing gives recruiters and hiring managers time to distinguish between must-have requirements — factors genuinely necessary to perform the role safely and effectively — and desirable requirements that strengthen a candidate but could potentially be developed or substituted by equivalent experience.
Search Before the Mobilisation Rush
Major project recruitment often creates waves of demand. One project starts recruiting commissioning personnel, then another begins, then another. Suddenly several employers are competing for people with the same experience.
Starting earlier doesn’t mean making premature job offers. It means knowing where the talent is.
Instead of beginning with “Where can we find these people?”, the conversation becomes “Which of the people we’ve already identified are available and interested?”
Candidate Relationships Matter Before Vacancies
Recruitment becomes less transactional when relationships begin before an urgent requirement. Understanding a professional’s experience, preferred rotation, location, career ambitions and likely availability can lead to a much more relevant conversation when the right opportunity appears.
Better Information Improves Matching
Early recruitment planning works best when candidate information is structured and current.
- Discipline
- Technical skills
- Equipment and systems
- Sector experience
- Project phase
- Certifications
- Location
- Mobility
- Availability
- Preferred working arrangements
- Career direction
The more clearly those factors are understood, the easier it becomes to identify people whose experience genuinely aligns with a requirement.
Recruitment Should Follow the Project — Not Chase It
The biggest workforce pressures on major projects are rarely completely unexpected. Projects have schedules. Project phases create predictable skill requirements. People complete assignments and become available. New sectors compete for established technical skills.
The goal isn’t to hire everybody early. It’s to prepare early enough that hiring doesn’t become an emergency.
Build the Talent Pipeline Before You Need It
Energy Recruitment HUB is developing a searchable network connecting experienced energy professionals, recruiters and future opportunities. Candidates can create profiles and make their experience visible, while recruiters can build a clearer understanding of the skills available across the market.
Because the best time to start looking for critical talent isn’t necessarily when the vacancy goes live. It may be months before.