How to stand out and do well in Aramco

pipedlines
Newbie

Posts: 1

How to stand out and do well in Aramco May 26, 2014 23:13:04 GMT

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Post by pipedlines on May 26, 2014 23:13:04 GMT

o all,

I'll be joining Aramco soon as a new entry-level hire (I am Saudi), but couldn't come across any online communities that are focused on Aramco matters. This forum seemed quite lively and active and I am impressed by the level of activity here, I hope you do not mind me joining you.

From your experience, what does it take to become highly successful at Aramco? I have worked in a variety of industries from a young age (15), so I understand that every industry is a bit different, but with a lot of shared values between them all (time management, team work, etc.). From my understanding, Aramco is almost like another planet, so your insight is valuable.

My goal, ultimately, is to contribute as much as possible to the company, more than anyone else in my level. I was quite disheartened when I heard that Aramco restricts the movement of employee promotions by years of service instead of contribution and merit (there's a difference between 10 years of service and 1 year of service repeated 10 times-I could be wrong though), but that could just be typical pessimism in Saudi youth.

What does it take to consistently be in the top 1%, the super stars, of employees?

vpainter
ExPats Administrators

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Posts: 3,701
Job Status: None of the Above

How to stand out and do well in Aramco May 27, 2014 4:42:13 GMT

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Post by vpainter on May 27, 2014 4:42:13 GMT

Sounds like you have a good work ethic. Aramco needs people who will do their jobs and do them well. Initiative and results. Keep educating yourself, even in your own time if you have to, work to be the best at what you do. Learn what others do around you, so you can be a valuable asset to the company. Work well with others. As you know in your culture, make your boss look good with your good work and don't cause anyone to lose face is very important. You can be an instrument of change when needed, but it takes time and energy to educate those who don't understand the need to change. Once the need is understood, support is usually given to make the change. But it takes time, patience and education to help those (expats or Saudi) who are used to doing things a certain way for many years to see the need to change or update. It is worth the effort and helps the company.

When presenting an idea, think it completely through. Think of all the possible consequences if that decision is made, seek advise from experts who would know. Don't think just about the present, learn from the past, apply it to the present and look to the future and the long term result that needs to be accomplished and how it effects all departments in the company, not just the one department.

Best wishes for a successful career at Aramco!

UmmRiyam
Senior Member

Posts: 338

How to stand out and do well in Aramco May 27, 2014 6:24:21 GMT

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Post by UmmRiyam on May 27, 2014 6:24:21 GMT

I think to stand out, you have to be respectful, take your job seriously, get your work done on time, put extra effort into the safety campaigns, practice public speaking in English, learn how to network with the other employees and have good relationships with everyone. Keep a positive atude.

As far as the promotions, you are right that it's more based on years of service than how great you are, but that's only for the grade promotions. Your job le can change without you changing grade code. For example, my husband (saudi) was recently made a supervisor, but he hasn't had an increase in grade code for a few years. He's hoping it will be his turn next year. He supervises guys who are at the same grade code and higher than him. So, don't worry too much about looking at promotions from a grade code standpoint because you can be assigned to a higher position without an increase in grade code. Also, Aramco gives good raises every year. I don't know what other Saudi companies give, but I know that it's becoming more difficult to find jobs that guarantee the kind of raises that Aramco gives.

As an entry level employee (PDP), you will have to be patient for a few years, getting to know the job very well, to get your chance to move up into a supervisory position, but if you're good and work hard, then it will happen.