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A bit of the past Founded in 1890 by Lyman Stewart and Wallace Hardison , Union Oil of Califiornia would produce a geyser of firsts in the oil industry, establishing the West's first petroleum laboratory and building the world's first oil tanker in 1903. Union service stations multiplied in the 1930s, featuring "76" gasoline to conjure the spirit of America. Union acquired Pure Oil of New Jersey in 1965, doubling its size. Officially adopting its Unocal name in 1983, the company struggled with debt in the following years. Hartley's successor Richard Stegemeier tried to dig the firm out of debt through sales of property including its network of 140 auto/truckstops which sold for $180 million in 1993. Moving on up Under the leadership of Roger Beach, crowned CEO in 1995, Unocal sold its oil and gas fields in California in 1996 and restructured its partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela, leaving Unocal with ownership of Midwest Carbon Company. An eventful year for Unocal, 1996 brought the sale of Unocal's 3 California refineries, its 1,350 West Coast gas stations, rights to the 76 brand, a distribution system, and other assets all to Tosco for $2 billion. Also in 1996, Unocal payed $80 million to settle a lawsuit over a 1994 chemical leak in California. No longer active in the refining and marketing businesses, Unocal is now the largest independent oil exploration and production company in the world. Geothermal king The El-Segundo California based-firm is the #1 producer of geothermal energy and a maker of chemicals for agricultural and industrial use, developing crude oil and natural gas properties around the globe. Unocal plans to use oil and gas revenues operations in the Gulf of Mexico as well as from its $101 million sale of a geothermal steam venture in Northern California in 1999 to pay for its global expansion, including projects in Southeast and Central Asia. International expansion, domestic contraction The company began its expansion with the 1999 stock acquisition of Occidental of Bangladesh Ltd. and Occidental Exploration of Bangladesh Ltd. Unocal also acquired part of Tom Brown, a natural gas company that operates in the Rocky Mountains, and Northrock Resources, a Canadian gas producer. Unocal's acquisitions will aid in its growth significantly, especially after the declining prices of oil and natural gas earlier in 1999 resulted in a job cut of 6 percent and management reorganization for the company. Further consolidating American oil production, in 1999 Unocal spun off its West Texas and New Mexico production into a separate company that bought Titan Exploration. Drilling in Asia has been very successful for Unocal, as the company has been drilling more wells than planned in Thailand to fully exploit their acreage there.
To find out about current job opportunities at Unocal, consult the company web site at www.unocal.com/careers/index.htm. Applicants can e-mail resumes to employment@www.unocal.com, or mail to University Relations and Recruitment of Unocal Corporation. Insiders warn that "a couple hundred resumes are typically received for an advertised position" and because of this applicants typically have at least two interviews before a position is offered. Interviews are based on resumes and candidates are "rank ordered" during the interviewing process insiders note.
Taking a step inside Employees describe a "friendly," if somewhat "stuffy" and "conservative" business environment with a "strong good ole boy network" still in existence. One contact claims that "the company is run by engineers" which contributes to its business oriented environment. Corporate employees must wear typical business dress but other divisions within the company "have pretty much conformed to business casual" claim insiders. The work week is typically 50 hours a week, with high wages and comparable benefits. One contact praised the pay for performance concept at Unocal that "rewards employees for the success of their division as well as personal performance." Changing its look Employee reactions to the recent changes at Unocal are diverse. One employee with Unocal for more than 30 years says "Unocal is a mere shadow of its former self." Pointing to the recent downsizing and selling of assets to Tosco Corporation, the respondent criticized the careless firing of non-contractual employees, saying that office workers were forced "to double and triple up on their responsibilities without being offered raises." In contrast, another employee views the new "leaner" Unocal as an excellent opportunity, offering new employees a lot of responsibility, saying "It's a great time to work for Unocal." Most insiders agree, however, that "Unocal's days in the USA seem to be numbered." One contact even claimed that "domestic operations take second place to overseas ventures."
Human Resources
Exploration & production;Agricultural Products;Carbon & minerals;Pipelines;Geothermal;Corporate;Crude oil;Natural gas
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