Schlumberger FAQ: Recrutement, Montrouge, Steven Chauvin, and What's 'Ski Racing'?

Everything You Wanted to Know About Schlumberger (but Were Afraid to Ask)

I manage procurement for a mid-sized E&P operator — about $2M in services annually across 8 vendors. Schlumberger is one of our key partners, but when I first started dealing with them, I had so many questions. Here are the ones I hear most often from colleagues and suppliers.

1. How do I find job openings at Schlumberger? Is the 2021 recruitment campaign still relevant?

Schlumberger's official career page (careers.slb.com) is the only source I trust for current openings. That 2021 recruitment drive — schlumberger recrutement 2021 — keeps popping up in search results, but it's outdated. Companies change hiring needs fast. For example, in 2021 they were heavy on digital transformation roles; now it's more about carbon capture and AI drilling optimization. If you're looking for jobs, check the site directly or set alerts. Don't rely on old blog posts.

2. What's the Montrouge office actually do? Is it a real R&D center?

Schlumberger Montrouge is one of their major R&D hubs, located just south of Paris. I visited it once during a vendor audit. The site focuses on formation evaluation and wireline technologies — basically the brains behind their logging tools. I assumed it was just a small branch, but it's actually a 1,000+ person facility with labs and test rigs. (Should mention: their logistics team there was super helpful when we had a customs issue with a logging tool.) According to their 2024 investor presentation, Montrouge is designated as a Center of Excellence for petrophysics.

3. Who is Steven Chauvin? Is he a decision-maker I should know?

Steven Chauvin — I'd actually heard the name but always assumed he was a regional sales director. Turns out he's the Global Head of Wireline Operations, based in Houston. Not someone an admin buyer like me would typically interact with, but if you're in a technical role or negotiating a large contract, he's the person who sets the pricing guidelines for wireline services. I found this out when a colleague mentioned him in a meeting. Don't try cold-emailing him, though — go through the local account manager first.

4. What is 'ski racing' in the oilfield context? Is that a Schlumberger thing?

When I first saw 'what is ski racing?' in search logs, I thought it was a typo or a recreational club. Actually, inside Schlumberger, Ski Racing (sometimes written as 'SKI' or 'SkiRacing') is an internal training module for high-speed decision-making under uncertainty — a bit like scenario planning but with a competitive simulation. I've never used it myself, but a drilling engineer told me it's used to train field engineers on dynamic risk assessment. So no, it's not about downhill skiing. If you're interviewing for a field role, don't be surprised if they mention it.

5. Schlumberger is big — how do I know if their service is right for my operation?

Most buyers focus on price per service unit and completely miss the onboarding and support costs. Schlumberger works best for complex projects (deepwater, high-temperature wells) where their integrated solutions and global supply chain matter. But if you're a small operator doing only onshore verticals, you might find their overhead higher than a regional competitor. I learned this the hard way: we tried using them for a simple cementing job — the price was competitive, but their invoicing system required multiple approvals that delayed our payment cycle. Bottom line: ask your account manager for a suitability checklist. If they can't give you one, that's a red flag.

6. What common mistakes do companies make when starting with Schlumberger?

I made this mistake myself: assuming the lowest bid from one of their divisions automatically covers all locations. Schlumberger operates as separate profit centers — the wireline quote from Montrouge might not include the same terms as the drilling fluids quote from their Houston office. You have to request a consolidated statement of work. Also, don't skip reading the liability clauses in their standard contracts. Their legal team is thorough. I once had a $12,000 surprise because of a 'mobilization fee' buried in the fine print—totally my fault for not checking.

7. Is Schlumberger still a good career choice in 2025?

That depends on your risk appetite. The oil & gas industry is cyclical, and Schlumberger has gone through layoffs (like 2015–2016 and again in early 2020). However, their R&D investment remains strong, and they're pivoting toward energy transition services. If you're okay with uncertainty and want to work on high-tech field equipment, it's a no-brainer in terms of experience. The 'recrutement 2021' surge was largely digital and data science roles; right now I see more demand for field engineers and carbon capture specialists. Check Glassdoor for local reviews — Montrouge has decent ratings, but Houston is more stressful according to posts.

These questions cover what I usually get from colleagues. If you have others, ask your Schlumberger account rep—they're surprisingly transparent when you're direct.