7 Key Attributes Earth Drillers Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Jacob Brown

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Earth drillers operate a variety of drills such as rotary, churn, and pneumatic to tap sub-surface water and salt deposits, to remove core samples during mineral exploration or soil testing, and to facilitate the use of explosives in mining or construction. They may also use explosives. Includes horizontal and earth boring machine operators.

The core tasks that earth drillers, except oil and gas are likely to carry out include:

Regulate air pressure, rotary speed, and downward pressure, according to the type of rock or concrete being drilled.
Verify depths and alignments of boring positions.
Monitor drilling operations, checking gauges and listening to equipment to assess drilling conditions and to determine the need to adjust drilling or alter equipment.
Start, stop, and control drilling speed of machines and insertion of casings into holes.
Select the appropriate drill for the job, using knowledge of rock or soil conditions.
Operate controls to stabilize machines and to position and align drills.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that earth drillers, except oil and gas would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for realistic work environments. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85.4%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.6%

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 80.6%

Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

The ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%