Rebecca Shafter

Rebecca Shafter serves as Senior Staffing Coordinator at a non-destructive testing company in the oil and gas industry. With about 8 years in the field, she manages full-cycle recruiting for clients such as Chevron and Valero, sourcing candidates through applicant tracking systems, social media, referrals, and word of mouth. Her responsibilities include scheduling interviews, verifying certifications, guiding new hires through onboarding and safety classes, arranging travel, handling payroll, and dispatching staff for large-scale turnarounds that can require up to 140 personnel. Shafter began her professional journey after moving to Houston following high school, initially working in food service as a waitress and bartender while attending college part-time. She later committed to full-time studies at the University of Houston, earning a degree in communication with aspirations in broadcast journalism. During this period, she reported for the university newspaper and briefly for the Houston Chronicle before realizing print journalism was not her path. After a period of bartending, a referral led her to her first recruiting role at an NDT company, where she advanced from covering a small Gulf Coast region to the entire United States. She later transitioned to her current company, where she continues to staff operations across the Gulf Coast and nationwide turnarounds. Shafter emphasizes persistence, a strong work ethic, transparency, and knowing one's worth as essential in this male-dominated industry.