Employers

Landmen work for oil and gas companies, helping them to explore and secure the rights to drill and extract oil and gas from properties. This is a highly competitive field and landmen with a proven track record of success in right-of-way negotiations have the advantage in the job market. There is no data currently available for total U.S. employment of professional landmen. The American Association of Professional Landmen has nearly 12,000 members, which sheds some light on the size of the field.

Starting Out

Many landmen get their start in the field by working as an assistant or associate landman in an oil or gas company. Some landmen start out in real estate or law, gaining knowledge of property rights and government regulations, before moving into the landman profession. A good way to get started is by taking professional land management classes at school and a landman course through the American Association of Professional Landmen.

Landmen with five or more years of experience may advance to senior level and managerial roles. A company landman may be responsible for supervising a larger team of field representatives or an entire department within the company. They may also leave oil and gas companies to start their own land management consultancies. Some landman teach courses that are offered by professional associations and colleges and universities.

Take a landman class offered by the American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) to learn more about what the job entails.

Visit the Web sites of the oil and natural gas companies that interest you to learn more about their current and future exploration and drilling projects.

Read the latest news affecting the landman profession by visiting the AAPLs Web site, https://www.landman.org/news-and-blog. The association also offers a podcast.

Get involved in the AAPLs mentorship program (https://www.landman.org/get-involved/mentorship) to build your network and receive career advice.