The biggest challenge for a new starter today is standing out to the employer. The best way to do this is to gain as much mining knowledge as you can, like in the online courses (Do it yourself & Workready) I use for Hardrock underground mining. This mining knowledge allows you to redo your resume to make it mining friendly, you get the employers attention by showing them the training you have done (employers respond to these courses). Once your mining knowledge is up to speed and you have your new resume, then where do you start? Well with the number of large Hardrock underground mines increasing there are jobs available all over the country, it depends on where you are?
If you are in Sydney or Melbourne, then I would be looking at the mines in western NSW, that run all the way down to the northern goldfields of Victoria. Most of these large mines work a week on/off or a 2 & 1 roster. This would allow you to drive in and out of most of these jobs in 12hours or less. There are also a number of live in jobs located in regional towns like Orange, Parks and Ballarat.
If you are in SA then you have a number of large mines to apply to. Olympic Dam being the largest which looks like it’s both a live in (Roxbury Downs) and FIFO. There are a number of large mines that are FIFO that regularly advertise for Truck, Nipper and Offsiders positions.
If you are in WA or QLD there are no end of jobs being advertised for FIFO, again these are jobs for Nippers, Truck drivers, service crew and Offsiders. If you are in these states you also have a number of live in options. Kalgoorlie in WA being the most desperate for people. If you do decide that heading off to one of these large mining towns is the best way forward, then make sure you have a plan. Instead of quitting your current job and going, a better option is to take some leave, a week or 2 (if you have the time owing). This gives you enough time to see everyone in town and if for some reason you don’t get a start you haven’t put all your eggs into one basket. If you do get a start, then you can resign from your current job and fly home in one of your breaks to sort the rest out.
As a new starter, it is the contractors and owner operators that you need to be applying to. Unless a labour hire or recruitment company is asking for new starters, sending your resume to them is a waste of time. Recruitment companies are in the business of finding experienced staff, even if that means poaching staff from other companies. They do not recruit new starters. You need to be applying to all the contracting companies that hire full time staff, like Byrnecut, Barmico, Theiss, Pybar, GBF, ACM, Redpath and Ruc.
The other option is to apply to the owner operators like Newmont, BHP, Rio, Western Metals, Northern Star and KCGM to name a few. Owner operators normally pay less than contractors but are a good place to get experience in the next level of jobs up from the Truck, Nipper and Offsider. These large mines often end up with a high turnover as experienced staff leave for better paying jobs, forcing them to hire new starters. Sending your resume to HR by email is good but if you are in a position to hand it in personally you should. This can be an effective way of getting the employers attention. The most important thing is not to give up. As long as your mining knowledge is up to speed, then it will happen for you, it’s only a matter of time.
If you are not sure what I am talking about in regards to mining knowledge, then there is a video below that shows you exactly what an employer wants. If you have any questions, then leave me a message and I will get in touch.
Until next time, I hope everyone finds the job that they are looking for.
#getaminingjob
Regards
The Mining Coach
