Pioneer Natural Resources is a Campus Forward Award Winner

Pioneer Natural Resources is a large independent exploration and production company with operations in the United States Permian Basin in West Texas. Focused on delivering competitive and sustainable results, Pioneer responsibly produces oil and natural gas resources to help meet the world's energy demands. The company provides many of its own services by owning and operating drilling rigs and coil tubing units. The enthusiasm, commitment and talent of employees are at the heart of Pioneer's success. Communicating openly at all levels of the organization, personal accountability and working as a team are all hallmarks of the company culture of respect. Pioneer fosters an entrepreneur's mindset, driving innovation and striving for excellence in all areas. Company commitment to the health and safety of employees and the environment is strong.

Visit Pioneer Natural Resources' Career page here.

Building an Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruiting

The team at Pioneer Natural Resources believes in keeping it "fresh" and "fun." 2020 and 2021 were unprecedented times, and the team worked hard to ensure they didn't lose any of the momenta they had worked so hard to create. While the virtual environment may have made some challenges, the team used it as an opportunity to connect students with a broader employee base. The team hosted virtual coffee chats with senior leaders, a virtual field rig experience (to include sending all their students hard hats to make them feel as though they were there), and more information sessions to introduce potential early career talent to the organization and industry.

Crafting a Standout Candidate Experience

At the heart of Pioneer Natural Resource's campus program success is an enthusiasm and commitment to the talent of the students that the team recruits. The campus relations team, ambassadors, and managers have a strong culture that relies on openly and honestly interacting with students. The team believes that sets the program apart and empowers students to feel comfortable making their early career decisions. To ensure that the program remains successful, the management team takes an active role and personal commitment to engage students by attending campus events, recruiting, and even mentoring interns and early career talent. The team knows that great careers begin at PNR, and everyone is all in to support them in their journey.

Moving the Needle on Diversity & Inclusion

Pioneer believes that inclusion is the heart of what makes the organization successful. At Pioneer, the team works with various minority student groups to engage and educate students about the industry. They also actively recruit students from HBCUs and provide scholarships and career coaching workshops. Pioneer has started to measure the D&I efforts that help them to communicate better and review goals. The organization is also committed to making sure that DEI is at the core of the business strategy. They strive to ensure that they provide diverse early career talent with the resources and mentorship needed to excel in a path of top talent.

Investing in Impactful Internship Programs

Pioneer's goal is to offer an enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding work experience. Pioneer's intern program aims to provide a mutually beneficial experience in which interns learn about their area of specialty in the oil and gas industry while contributing to the company in a meaningful way. They relish the opportunity to welcome talented individuals into Pioneer's unique company culture. Pioneer selects interns and places them on challenging, problem-solving projects that complement ongoing exploration and development efforts. Interns are assigned mentors to maximize both learning and team contributions. After the internship, interns present the results of their work to company senior leaders.

Congratulations to the team at Pioneer Natural Resources for being selected as one of the winners of RippleMatch's 2022 Campus Forward Awards!

RippleMatch's Campus Forward Awards recognizes the top early career teams and programs in the nation. Through a detailed application process, early career teams shared their approach to recruitment, candidate experience, D&I, and internship & entry-level programming. The programs picked for this award represent the best of the best, selected from applications submitted by campus recruiting teams across industries.

See all Award Winners for the category of Small Early Career Programs below