How to write an offshore CV

How offshore recruiters read CVs

An offshore recruiter handling 50 applications for a roustabout role is not reading your CV. They're scanning it. In under 30 seconds they're checking for three things: does this person have the right certificates, are they medically cleared, and do they have relevant experience?

If those answers aren't obvious in the first half-page, the CV goes to the bottom of the pile. The structure of your CV is as important as its content.

The right CV structure for offshore roles

Follow this order. Don't deviate from it — recruiters expect to find information in this sequence.

• 1. Name and contact details — name, phone, email, location (country/city level). No photo, no date of birth.
• 2. Professional summary — 2–3 sentences. Role you're targeting, years of experience (or 'seeking first offshore role'), and key strengths. Not a generic objective statement.
• 3. Offshore certifications — this is the critical block. List every relevant certificate with its full name, issuing body, and expiry date.
• 4. Medical status — 'OGUK Offshore Medical: valid to [Month Year]'. One line. Recruiters need to see this immediately.
• 5. Work experience — reverse chronological. Focus on offshore or industrial roles. Use bullet points, not paragraphs.
• 6. Education and additional training — brief. Relevant courses only.
• 7. References — 'Available on request'. No need to list names.

How to present your certificates

This section is where most offshore CVs fail. Listing just the certificate name is not enough. Show the full detail:

• BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training) — OPITO, [Provider Name] — Valid to: [Month Year]
• MIST (Minimum Industry Safety Training) — OPITO — Valid to: [Month Year]
• OGUK Offshore Medical — [Clinic Name] — Valid to: [Month Year]
• STCW Basic Safety Training (if applicable) — [Issuing Authority] — Valid to: [Month Year]

Writing work experience when you have none offshore

If you're applying for your first offshore role, your work history is still relevant — it just needs to be framed correctly. Recruiters for roustabout and general crew roles are looking for evidence of:

• Physical, manual, or industrial work — construction, maintenance, warehousing, agriculture, military
• Safety awareness — mention any safety training, near-miss reporting, or site inductions you've completed
• Reliability and consistency — long tenure at previous employers signals you don't walk off jobs
• Team working in demanding environments

Keywords that get your CV past screening

Many companies use automated screening or agency databases. Using the right keywords ensures your CV appears in relevant searches.

• Use the full certificate names: 'Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training' alongside 'BOSIET'
• Include sector-specific terms: 'oil and gas', 'offshore', 'North Sea', 'platform', 'FPSO', 'installation'
• List specific skills: 'permit to work', 'toolbox talk', 'manual handling', 'crane signalling', 'housekeeping'
• Use 'available for immediate mobilisation' if true — this is a searchable phrase in many agency databases

What to leave out

• Date of birth — not required and can introduce unconscious bias
• Photo — not standard in UK/European offshore CVs
• Long paragraphs — use bullets throughout. Paragraphs don't get read.
• Unrelated personal interests unless they demonstrate physical fitness or teamwork
• References by name — just write 'available on request'
• Excessive formatting, graphics, or colours — plain, clean layout scans better and is ATS-compatible

Final checks before you send

• Does the word 'BOSIET' appear in the top half of the first page?
• Is your medical expiry date visible without scrolling?
• Is the CV one or two pages maximum? (Two pages is acceptable; three is not.)
• Have you tailored the summary for the specific role?
• Is every date and expiry accurate and current?
• Is the filename professional? Use: Firstname_Lastname_CV.pdf