An Australian mining job – thousands of people want one! The money is great, the lifestyle (if you can handle it) is pretty good and you get to make some pretty good mates along the way.
Of course, there’s a few hurdles to getting that perfect mining job… like having the right training, skills and experience.
At iMINCO we get hundreds of people contacting us saying they’ve applied for loads of jobs, but never even heard back from the mining company or recruiter who advertised the job.
Why does this keeps happening to a lot of people, even after some of the lucky ones got through round one and got to the interview stage?
In a recent recruitment drive for the new Blair Athol coal mine in Queensland, Australian mining company New Emerald Coal said they had 1100 people apply for 120 coal jobs. Ninety per cent of people who applied for the job failed to get a look-in.
That's a lot of people who were disappointed.
Interestingly, 80 per cent of applicants for the Blair Athol project were from the local community of Clermont, where the mine is situated. The mining company preferred to employ people who lived locally and went on to say it was a great result and exactly what they were after.
number 1 of mining jobs: Live close to where the mining action is.
How to make a lasting impression at a mining job interview
Most of us tend to adopt a play-it-safe strategy during the job interview, especially mining jobs, because we know there is a lot riding on it, not just financially - your family is counting on it too.
When faced with difficult interview questions we may offer up conservative answers and try to avoid saying anything out of the ordinary that may risk blowing the whole interview.
We tend to sit back and let our job experience, qualifications and credentials do the talking.. hoping it's going to get us over the line.
However, in the ultra-competitive mining job market, new evidence shows a risk-averse approach to interviews may not be the way to go. In other words, being yourself can be your biggest asset.
In a recent review by some of the top recruitment companies the question was asked, "what was the most memorable thing about a job candidate"?.
They said experience and qualifications are of course important, but the main point of difference was "the lasting impression, something original about the candidate that stood out over the rest?".
Making that lasting impression
- The way you walked into the room, smiled and greeted the interviewer
- The way you presented yourself in terms of hygiene and dress
- How you started the conversation
- Your enthusiasm and how you engaged with the interviewer
- Eye contact
- The way you spoke clearly and confidently
- Your body language
- Your subject knowledge
- The questions you brought to the interview
- How well you researched the job and the mining company
- The way you left the interview - were you gracious or not
When it comes down to it, your personality and ability to make a lasting impression during the interview reflects how you will fit into their existing culture.
Recruiters and mining company HR departments follow a strict set of criteria in their selection process - it's their job to do so after all.
Your personality type will b evaluated and this will be scored in so far as how you will 'fit' the organisation. Many employment agencies will ask you to take a psychometric test or even take part in interactive workshops in order to really see how you work in a team situation - which is what mining is all about.
Winning interview tips you may never have heard of
A sample of what you'll find in the Interview Tips eBook...
- Always arrive an hour or so before the interview. Take the time to familiarise yourself with the location of the interview. Do a practice run and know exactly where the interview is to take place - you don't want to be fumbling in the lift 1 minute before your interview!
- When you first enter the interview room, look around and focus on something that will be an ice-breaker between you and the interviewer. This may be a family photo, a book, a painting on the wall - whatever it is. This is a proven way to make the conversation more natural and less like a combat mission. You will know when to mention this 'observation' as the interview moves along.
- Compliment the interviewer on something they said, or even what they are wearing. It takes great skill to do this correctly - but if you can pull it off, it's worth a few extra points on your interview scorecard. Everyone likes to be complimented after all.
- Sit up straight and always on the edge of your seat, as this shows you are keen and really interested in what the interviewer has to say.
- Use you hands to demonstrate a point - don't go waving them in the air like a lunatic, just be aware that this can show you are passionate and a good communicator.
- Explain why you want the job and how it fits into your career goals.
- If there's a whiteboard in the room - use it to explain your knowledge and overview what improvements you can bring to the job role.
- We can't emphasise this one enough: DO YOUR RESEARCH ON THE MINING COMPANY & THE FIND OUT ALL YOU CAN ABOUT THE JOB BEING ADVERTISED. This knowledge will really make a lasting impression with your interviewer.
Stop worrying about trying to be normal and playing it safe, take some of the points we've mentioned on board and keep trying to find new an innovative ways to make a lasting impression.
Good luck with your future mining job interviews.
One of the biggest mistakes job-hunters make is they continually send in resumes that end up in the bin...
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