May 2013′s Graduate Profile of the Month is Colin Coxhill
Colin graduated, in 2012, with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering. He is now a Flow Assurance Engineer with Xodus.
Where are you now?
I now work for an oil and gas contractor in Aberdeen called Xodus as a Flow Assurance Engineer. We provide independent integrated total engineering solutions for operators like BP and Maersk from conceptual design through to decommissioning. My role in Production Assurance can involve analysing entire pipeline networks to advise operating boundaries and procedure guidelines. I’ll run simulations to match the clients’ data and analyse the resultant behaviour to advise the best options.
How did you get there?
My family has a history in the industry, so it has always appealed to me! Applying directly to companies is usually the only way in this industry, rigorous selection procedures for graduate schemes taking on a select few candidates are the norm, so persistence is rewarded. The Careers and Employability Centre is very useful at providing hints, tips and student feedback on relevant selection processes for the oil and gas industry, from interview technique to assessment centre guidelines.
What advice would you give to a student studying your subject at university now?
If you want to get into oil and gas, apply early for jobs. Check when applications become open (usually mid-September) and get them in! Processing applications takes time and you don’t want to be filling them in when coursework and exams kick in, when places are mostly filled. Don’t be disheartened at rejection, the best students don’t get offered everything, you’re at Loughborough so you’re already an excellent candidate! Every form you fill in and every interview is valuable experience.Don’t forgot to enjoy your years here, there is no such thing as a ‘Boring Finalist’!
Additional information:
My time at Loughborough University was the best of my life, and owed largely to the exemplary teaching resources and standards throughout the course. I’m very grateful for all the support I received, both personal and academic, which facilitated a great personal development and learning environment. I was sad to leave but you can’t stay on the springboard forever!
For more profiles click here
