Trevor - Professional Profile

SAP Project Systems Application Consultant

"If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere" - So says Trevor A. Richard, a SAP Project Systems Application Consultant at Shell who joined the organization in 2006 after graduating from Staffordshire University.

This BSc. (Hons) graduate in computing did his share of background checking on the Internet as well as talking to friends to find out more about Shell although he had always perceived Shell as a world-class, professional organization. He was pleased to find, "a company that provided the perfect platform and opportunity to develop my talents and yet not tie me down to a one-dimensional job."

He recalls the lengthy but exciting interview at Shell, which demonstrated that the company knows what it is doing, even as it went about the process to recruit the pick of the crop.

"The interview process made it very clear that Shell was interested only to hire top talent - and that's not only from the academic point of view. I knew that if I could get hired by Shell, that itself would have been a great achievement."

That his expectations have been well met can be seen in how quickly he has learnt to work in a cross-border environment and to adapt to the consensus-driven environment that operates in Shell.

"One of the things I learned is to understand how different cultures, different people, different mindsets operate and how they impact the way you work. You have to listen and understand the needs of your audience.

"In my line of work, for example, when initiating a process change, we need to inform everyone first, gather their feedback and when everyone has come on board, the big change can happen. When everyone agrees, there's less resistance and the transition is smoother."
 
Trevor is clearly happy to stay with the organisation for the foreseeable future, and attributes this to, firstly, how Shell provides him with the opportunities to try his hand at different things and, secondly, how once in a certain position, it is not for keeps.

"At Shell, you start at a job and you do it for say, 3-4 years. After that, you develop the competence you need to move on to the next job you want. This gives me the opportunity to plan the direction I want my career to head. And best of all, Shell provides me with the tools I need to reach those objective."

"It's very inspirational when you see individuals who have been with the company for many years start as an engineer and today becoming the country chairman. They're real stories and you meet them everywhere in Shell.

"For someone like me who enjoys new challenges, this is perfect. Shell supports my learning and development via the Shell Open University which offers a host of courses you can sign up for, while the mandatory Learning and Development Plan is part of our yearly goals and performance appraisal."

For Trevor, as with many new graduates who've joined Shell recently, the experience gained is 'priceless' and if he had to start all over again, Shell would still be his preferred employer.