Experience matters in underground construction, but experience alone does not make someone a strong fit for a directional drilling crew.
The best directional drilling job skills include mechanical awareness, judgment, communication, versatility, and a willingness to learn. Atlas Group looks for people who can bring those qualities together while working safely around expensive equipment and challenging jobsite conditions.
That combination matters because directional drilling is rarely a one-person job. Every person on the crew affects someone else's work.
A Good Directional Drilling Employee Is Teachable
One of the biggest qualities Atlas Group looks for is teachability.
An experienced applicant may know how another company handled a project. That experience can be valuable. However, the first step is understanding how the current crew works and why.
Coming into a new team and immediately trying to rewrite every process can create problems.
Atlas Group encourages experienced people to learn the crew's process first. Once trust develops, employees are encouraged to share ideas and suggest better approaches.
That creates room for improvement without assuming that one person's previous method is automatically the best method.
Directional drilling has many variables. Ground conditions, equipment, pipe size, drilling fluid, and client requirements can all change the best approach.
A good employee stays open to learning even after years in the trade.
Confidence Is Helpful, but Know Your Limits
Confidence is important around heavy equipment.
False confidence is different.
Atlas Group sees “I know everything” as a warning sign because directional drilling leaves very little room for reckless decisions.
Someone who steps beyond their ability can damage equipment, affect a client's project, or put other employees at risk.
The goal is not to be afraid of the work. It is to understand when you know the answer and when you need to ask someone else.
Strong operators often become valuable because they know what they do not know.
Mechanical Awareness Gives You a Head Start
People who grew up around equipment often have an advantage.
Atlas Group sometimes describes this as the “farm boy” background. The phrase is less about where someone grew up and more about what they have been exposed to.
Someone who has operated tractors, pulled trailers, worked around hydraulics, or repaired equipment often understands that machines demand attention.
They know that forgetting one small step can create a large problem.
That mechanical awareness translates well into directional drilling.
Hydraulics still behave like hydraulics. Heavy equipment still has limits. Safety rules become easier to understand when you already respect what machinery can do.
Good Operators Can Visualize What They Cannot See
Directional drilling requires a particular type of problem-solving ability.
The drill head is underground. Operators cannot see exactly what it is touching.
Experienced drillers learn to interpret resistance and machine feedback. They begin forming a mental picture of what may be happening below the surface.
Atlas Group compares this ability to a strong excavator operator who can picture how a site will finish before moving the first bucket of dirt.
The operator sees several steps ahead.
That ability takes time to develop, but people who naturally think that way may find directional drilling especially interesting.
Listening Is a Job Skill
Listening sounds simple. On a jobsite, it can be one of the most important directional drilling job skills.
A new employee may be eager to prove they work hard. That is generally positive.
Problems develop when eagerness turns into acting before instructions are finished.
If a foreman asks for three tools and the employee runs off after hearing the first one, they have not saved time. They have created another trip and more work for the crew.
Atlas Group encourages new employees to listen to the entire instruction before moving.
That same principle applies to technical work.
A driller, locator, mud person, operator, or foreman may need to communicate several connected steps. Missing one can affect the entire process.
Take Initiative Without Getting Ahead of the Crew
Listening does not mean standing around waiting for someone to assign every movement.
Atlas Group wants employees who jump in.
If someone is working with pipe, tools, equipment, or drilling fluid, a new employee can ask how to help. The important part is following the direction they receive.
This creates a balance between initiative and teachability.
You want to be the person who says, “Show me what the next step is,” rather than someone who disappears until they are called.
At the same time, there will be situations where the experienced operator needs to take over.
Some moments are not training opportunities. A complicated problem may need to be solved quickly by the person with the most experience.
Being a strong teammate also means recognizing those moments.
Take Care of the Crew's Equipment and Space
Directional drilling crews spend a great deal of time together.
They travel together, work together, and often share trucks, equipment, and lodging for long stretches.
Small habits matter.
Atlas Group looks for people who respect the truck, tools, and shared work areas. If the crew stops for fuel, grabbing trash from the truck before going inside may seem minor.
However, it shows that you understand you are part of the team.
The same applies to returning tools, keeping equipment organized, and helping with basic housekeeping.
Those habits make daily work easier for everyone.
Personality Fit Matters on a Traveling Crew
Atlas Group describes its crews as a family because employees spend significant time together.
That makes personality fit important.
A technically excellent employee can still hurt a crew if nobody can work with them.
This does not mean everyone needs the same personality. It means people need mutual respect, communication, and enough shared values to work together under pressure.
Atlas Group's hiring process includes time with the crew for exactly that reason.
Management can evaluate a resume and conduct an interview. The people working beside the new employee every day also need to know the relationship works.
Experience Should Come With Humility
Experienced employees can bring valuable ideas into a crew.
Atlas Group wants that knowledge.
The difference is approach.
Instead of walking onto a project and announcing that everyone has been doing something wrong, learn why the existing process works. Then suggest another method based on your experience.
That approach creates a conversation instead of a conflict.
Directional drilling crews are constantly learning. A good idea can come from a foreman, driller, locator, operator, or someone new to the company.
The best employees know how to share those ideas while respecting the people around them.
The Directional Drilling Job Skills That Matter Most
Technical skills can be taught and improved. The harder qualities to develop are often the ones that determine whether someone succeeds long term.
Atlas Group looks for people who are:
- Willing to learn
- Mechanically aware
- Good listeners
- Safety conscious
- Comfortable asking questions
- Ready to help
- Respectful of equipment and coworkers
- Able to accept feedback
- Interested in becoming well-rounded
- Confident without pretending to know everything
Atlas Group is always willing to talk with people interested in field careers, including directional drill operators, operators, gas distribution techs, and foremen.
The strongest directional drilling job skills are not limited to running a machine. They include learning how the entire job works and becoming someone the rest of the crew can trust.
Interested in a career with Atlas Group? View Open Positions or Contact Atlas Group to learn more about opportunities in directional drilling, gas distribution, equipment operation, and field leadership