Having been in the industry since 1995 it’s easy to forget that the Australian Hardrock mining industry is very different to other Australian industries. Recently I was prepping a student on interview skills when the topic of resumes came up. He had his original resume done professionally, as part of a retraining program, there was nothing wrong with it, it was what I have come to expect of professionally done resumes. It would be effective as long as you were going for a sales, civil government, construction or driving role. This type of resume is made to go through a typical HR, to be reviewed, interviewed and hired by the HR department. The problem is that’s not what happens in Hardrock underground mining.
After he got his new mining friendly resume (that I did for him as part of my Workready program), he put it side by side with the professional one and the penny dropped. You see in the online training courses he did, he learnt the hiring process for a large hardrock underground mines. “No wonder, I never got a response” from his first resume that he sent to many mining jobs. “You have to go looking for the information, it was all there, but you have to spend time finding it,” he said, “a Foreman doesn’t have time for that, no wonder I didn’t get a response”. That’s why a mining friendly resume has all the relevant information is on the front page.
“What do you mean the Foreman hires? HR does that, doesn’t it? They do it in every other industry, why should mining be any different”. Well, No. HR will place the ads, collect the resumes (sending them to the Foreman), arrange the interviews (over the phone, HR, the Foreman and you), arrange any courses required (first aid, working at heights) and arrange the medical which the company should pay for. It’s the Foreman that tells HR who the company is going to hire.
As if to prove the point, my student sent his new resume to a number of the same jobs that he had applied to before. Completely different response, within days a couple of large employers have been in contact and started pre-employment testing. The same employers that had not responded to the original resume. It just goes to show you that if you know how the mine works and the roles you are going to have to do as a Nipper, Service Crew, Offsider and Truck driver. Then you have something to offer the employers. This is why my “Workready” package is so effective. Like I tell everyone, I can help you get to the front of the line but I can’t do the interview for you, nor can I be looking over your shoulder for the first 6 months. To make it, you have to learn the information contained in the 4 online courses. Get the information right in the interview then they hire, if you don’t or not sure then they will be nice but they won’t hire.
I hope you can put this information to good use, Until next time
Mining Coach
