I'll post a few things here real quick, as I've been hit with a deadline that will have me working pretty much nonstop. It's not going to be the most "organized" outline of what I do and how to do it, but I'm low on time and still have to travel back to West Texas after the Cowboys game.
The short version of what a Landman is, in my terms.
Workers that negotiate oil and gas leases with mineral owners.
Workers who use public records online or in courthouses, such as; Warranty Deeds, Mineral Deeds, Probates, District Court Cases, Deeds of Trust, OG Leases, Partitions, etc. We find anything that has to do with the land and minerals to find out if there are active leases/wells, and who the current mineral owners are. Depending on the specific project you are on, you may not go into much depth on the land rights, and just concentrate on minerals. I've been on various types of projects(Mineral title/Abstracting[full title]/Due Dilligence/HBP[held by production]). I've done otheres, but mostly these types.
Projects can last weeks to years, it just depends on the type of project and the BUDGET! Many jobs don't last because the budget was not high enough.
If you are serious about getting a job as a landman and want to go ahead to take the steps pretty much required these days to get a job, the first thing I'd do is become a member of the AAPL(American Association of Professional Landman). http://www.landman.org/
If you have a 4 year degree I believe you can go ahead and apply to become an RL(Registered Landman). It's 4 years exp or a 4 year degree. I'm still an Associate member because I don't have a 4 year degree and only have around 3.5 years of experience.
A few good places to look for jobs:
Landmen.net-This is a GREAT website and the most widely used by companies looking for workers. Most on there require some experience, but sometimes you'll see some entry level positions. Entry level guys usually start out around $175-$200 a day, plus per diem/mileage/hotel.
http://www.landmancommunity.com/-I have not personally used this site for jobs, but looking at it seems to have a fairly good amount of jobs posted. You can also sign up on the forums and look for jobs that way.
http://www.landmanjobs.net/-Check this one out as well.
Every once in a while you'll see some good jobs on sites such as monster and other similar sites, but most companies post their jobs on landman specific sites.
Also join some of the groups on linkedin. (title research groups, oil and gas jobs and recruiting network, professional landman jobs)
Another huge way to find jobs is to get to the courthouses and ask around. Every once in a while you'll find a douche that thinks you're trying to get info about the specific project they are on, but others will gladly tell you whether they are hiring guys with/without experience and give you some contact info, or take yours.
A backdoor way to get into this business is to look for "courthouse imagers" jobs. They don't pay much, but can give you some good courthouse experience to throw on your resume.
There are tons of classes out there for Landmen. First thing I would google something like "landman classes (Dallas/Midland/Houston/etc.)" I know that Landman101 has a lot of classes, but have not personally known anyone that has taken classes from this site, but it's something to look into.
If you have the time, search how to run land/mineral title. Get the basics on how to do it and print them out.
After that go to the county appraisal website and select a tract of land to do research on. Start running that title so you can get some hands on experience. Train yourself.
If you're young and just going to college, look into degree programs such as Petroleum Engineering, Energy Commerce, Land Management, etc. On the AAPL website there's a list of degree programs that are accredited by this Association.
I know I haven't covered a ton of things about this career, but if any of you have any questions, just post them and I will do my best to give an answer. Others here I'm sure have plenty of knowledge about landmen specific careers, so hopefully they can do what they can do help as well.
The short version of what a Landman is, in my terms.
Workers that negotiate oil and gas leases with mineral owners.
Workers who use public records online or in courthouses, such as; Warranty Deeds, Mineral Deeds, Probates, District Court Cases, Deeds of Trust, OG Leases, Partitions, etc. We find anything that has to do with the land and minerals to find out if there are active leases/wells, and who the current mineral owners are. Depending on the specific project you are on, you may not go into much depth on the land rights, and just concentrate on minerals. I've been on various types of projects(Mineral title/Abstracting[full title]/Due Dilligence/HBP[held by production]). I've done otheres, but mostly these types.
Projects can last weeks to years, it just depends on the type of project and the BUDGET! Many jobs don't last because the budget was not high enough.
If you are serious about getting a job as a landman and want to go ahead to take the steps pretty much required these days to get a job, the first thing I'd do is become a member of the AAPL(American Association of Professional Landman). http://www.landman.org/
If you have a 4 year degree I believe you can go ahead and apply to become an RL(Registered Landman). It's 4 years exp or a 4 year degree. I'm still an Associate member because I don't have a 4 year degree and only have around 3.5 years of experience.
A few good places to look for jobs:
Landmen.net-This is a GREAT website and the most widely used by companies looking for workers. Most on there require some experience, but sometimes you'll see some entry level positions. Entry level guys usually start out around $175-$200 a day, plus per diem/mileage/hotel.
http://www.landmancommunity.com/-I have not personally used this site for jobs, but looking at it seems to have a fairly good amount of jobs posted. You can also sign up on the forums and look for jobs that way.
http://www.landmanjobs.net/-Check this one out as well.
Every once in a while you'll see some good jobs on sites such as monster and other similar sites, but most companies post their jobs on landman specific sites.
Also join some of the groups on linkedin. (title research groups, oil and gas jobs and recruiting network, professional landman jobs)
Another huge way to find jobs is to get to the courthouses and ask around. Every once in a while you'll find a douche that thinks you're trying to get info about the specific project they are on, but others will gladly tell you whether they are hiring guys with/without experience and give you some contact info, or take yours.
A backdoor way to get into this business is to look for "courthouse imagers" jobs. They don't pay much, but can give you some good courthouse experience to throw on your resume.
There are tons of classes out there for Landmen. First thing I would google something like "landman classes (Dallas/Midland/Houston/etc.)" I know that Landman101 has a lot of classes, but have not personally known anyone that has taken classes from this site, but it's something to look into.
If you have the time, search how to run land/mineral title. Get the basics on how to do it and print them out.
After that go to the county appraisal website and select a tract of land to do research on. Start running that title so you can get some hands on experience. Train yourself.
If you're young and just going to college, look into degree programs such as Petroleum Engineering, Energy Commerce, Land Management, etc. On the AAPL website there's a list of degree programs that are accredited by this Association.
I know I haven't covered a ton of things about this career, but if any of you have any questions, just post them and I will do my best to give an answer. Others here I'm sure have plenty of knowledge about landmen specific careers, so hopefully they can do what they can do help as well.