GeoJob Bank Questions - Submitting an Ad

(1) What is the HGS GeoJob Bank?

The Houston Geological Society GeoJob Bank provides employment opportunities, a place for members to post resumes, and a variety of employment information to interested members of the Houston Geological Society and the geological / geophysical community at large.. With over 2900 positions posted since September 1996 and increasing almost daily, it is one of the leading sources of oil industry opportunities based on the fact that our "Current GeoJob Listings" page listed 516 positions and received nearly 145,000 "hits" last year!!!

(2) What information is available in the HGS GeoJob Bank?

1. About the GeoJob Bank - (links to GeoJob Bank pages)
2. Current GeoJob Listings - (current job ad submissions)
3. Add a New Job Listing - (** post an ad for new job openings)
4. Current GeoJob+ Listings - (additional jobs not submitted to the website)
5. GeoJob Bank News - (significant events of the GeoJob Bank)
6. GeoJob Bank Questions - (answers to frequently asked questions)
7. GeoJob & Energy Statistics - (graphs of energy-related statistics)
8. GeoJob Articles - (articles which may be useful in a job search)
9. GeoJob Archives - (links to recently expired GeoJob Bank ads)
10. User Resumes - (** resumes of available HGS members)
11. View Forum Topics - (** discussions concerning geoscience employment)
12. Other GeoJob Links - (other geoscience employment links)

** Website visitors must be logged in to view content

(3) What kind of job ads are accepted on the HGS GeoJob Bank?

The jobs must be professional, geoscience-related positions only, such as our "core group" of Geologists, Geophysicists, Geotechnical Support, Petrophysicists, etc. We do not post engineering, accounting, or other non-geoscience ads. The HGS Personnel Placement Committee reserves the right to exclude any ad that does not fit its criteria for publication.

These are a few of the basic considerations necessary to "pass the test", when deciding whether a position is appropriate to be posted on our site:

1) Does this position require a geoscience, or geoscience-related degree, and/or geoscience experience, or knowledge?

2) Is this position within the geoscience-related "core group" of position types (eg. geologist, geophysicist, geotech, petrophysicist, etc.)?

3) Would someone responding to this ad be an HGS member, qualified for membership, and/or likely ever become a member?

4) Would someone in this position spend a significant amount of their time involved in geoscience-related activities?

5) Is it likely that any/many geoscience-oriented website visitors would feel qualified for, and/or interested in responding to this ad?

(4) How much does it cost to place a new job ad on the HGS GeoJob Bank?

There are no charges, or fees, to place an ad on our website.

(5) How do I submit a new job ad to the HGS GeoJob Bank?

There are now two ways in which to place an ad on the GeoJob Bank: (a) employers can self-submit an ad, or (b) we can post them for you, as we have done in the past.

(a) Registered users can now input their own ads into the website by using the "Add a New Job Listing" feature. It's a very simple process:

If you have not already registered on the website, you will need to self-register before you can add a new job ad. Remember, HGS members are already registered, so please don't register again. If you don't know your password, please contact Dave Crane, the Webmaster, at webmaster@hgs.org.

If you are already registered on the website, you just need to login in first, fill out the form provided in the "Add a New Job Listing" page, then click on the "Submit" button, at the bottom of the new ad. New postings are not visible to the submitter, or public, immediately. When you submit it, an email is immediately sent to the Personnel Placement Committee and someone will usually "activate" your ad, or contact you if there are questions, the same day you submit the form. Please note: You will not be able to see or edit the new ad, after it is submitted, until it is activated by the Committee Chair. After you have submitted the ad initially, you become the "owner" of the ad and can edit and change it whenever you want.

(b) Or, we can enter the info for you, if you don't wish to type in your own ad. Employers wishing to place a job listing should e-mail their ad, complete with call-back name and phone number, to W. Michael "Mike" Cline, of T/X Resources, Chairman of the HGS Personnel Placement Committee. The Committee reserves the right to exclude any ad that does not fit our publication criteria, as described below.

(6) What kind of info will you need if I submit an ad to you for posting?

With efficiency and accuracy in mind, we ask that ad submitters take on most of the editing responsibilities for their own ads. Since the submitters are also probably more familiar with their info, there will be less chance for errors. Your advertisement should include:

• Position title.
• A description of the available opening, including a brief introductory statement, main duties, and any addtional responsibilities. Package info, if included, would inlude salary, bonus, stock options, etc.
• Required experience (minimum number of years, etc.).
• Required skills, such as areas of expertise, or computer abilities.
• Required education (minimum, or preferred level of education).
• Location of position, duration (full-time, part-time, contract, etc.) and a start date.
• Company website address, if you'd like us to include a link.
• Contact information for applicants (for the preferred method for responses), including: names, phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses, etc.

Please note: Since the job ads now reside in a database, the info fields for the ads have a limitation as to how much text can be included. For example, the "Description" field is limited to 1600 characters (20 lines, at 80 characters per line), while both the "Required Experience" and "Required Skills" fields are limited to 800 characters (10 lines, at 80 characters per line). Any text that exceeds the maximum field size will be truncated, after the ad is submitted. Remember to count blank spaces--they are characters too!!

(7) How long are the ads posted on the GeoJob Bank website?

Initially, the GeoJob listings will generally remain active for two weeks (14 days) from the posted date, unless we are advised that the position has been filled. However, if you find that you are having difficulty filling the position, you may extend the ad for an additional month (30 days) after the inital listing expires.

Please note: Job ads can only be posted three times--once on the original posting, followed by two resubmissions, for a total of two and a half months. We have found that continued posting beyond that time period isn't very productive, for either the submitters, or the website viewers.

(8) How many viewers, or responses can I expect from my ad?

That's difficult to say for sure--it depends on the individual ad. Typically, each ad may be viewed anywhere from 100-600 times, and can receive anywhere from 10-100 qualified resumes, from those viewings. Our website has an average of over 12,000 "hits" per month, which originate from visitors from over 60 countries, located on six continents, from around the globe--truely, a worldwide website!!

(9) What is the duplicate / similar ad policy?

When we receive duplicate / similar ads that cannot be resolved otherwise, we may require that your company or agency divulge the name of the prospective employer / client to the Chairman of the HGS Personnel Placement Committee, prior to posting positions on the site.. This is required for internal, record-keeping purposes only, and the name of the prospective employer / client is always kept strictly confidential. When a duplicate ad conflict arises, the job listing first received, will take precedence. The HGS Personnel Placement Committee reserves the right to exclude any ad that does not fit its criteria for publication.

(10) How often are the ads on the GeoJob Bank updated?

GeoJob Bank ads can change daily. Be sure to check the "Current GeoJob Listings" page frequently. The "Current GeoJob+ Listings" page, is generally updated about every two weeks, or so.

(11) What is the "Current GeoJob+ Listings", and what makes it so different?

The "Current GeoJob+ Listings" page was initiated after I noticed that many of the geoscience-related job ads in professional journals, newspapers, and on the internet were not being sent to the HGS GeoJob Bank website. In an effort to capture this additional resource, for the benefit of our visitors, I decided to start posting the website links for any organization that posted a geoscience job ad, as soon as I discovered it. Fairly often, new websites are also discovered by "cruising" new geoscience-related websites, "word-of-mouth", and just plain "serendipity"!

(12) Who do I contact if I have a question about the GeoJob Bank?

For questions or comments, contact W. Michael "Mike" Cline, of T/X Resources and Chair of the HGS Personnel Placement Committee.

HGS and T/X Resources make no warranties about the accuracy of the information presented in this page. Copyright 1996-2005, Houston Geological Society.