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I just want a Mining Job, putting all your eggs in one basket
I just want a mining Job
One of the biggest mistakes we see people consistently make in trying to get a mining job. Is to go in with the attitude of “I just want a mining job”. Without understanding which area of the industry and job they are trying get into. They take a scattergun approach, which often leads to months or years of failing to get a start.
Saying “I just want a mining job” is a lot like saying, “I just want a job in healthcare”. The next obvious question is doing what? Are you going to be a Nurse, Orderly, Physiotherapist, Chef, Electrician, Ward Clerk, Patient Services Attendant, Assistant in Nursing or the person that works in the flower shop at the hospital? All are jobs working within the Healthcare industry and obviously all of them have a very different set of requirements to get the job, as do most industries.
It’s the same in mining. Many say they just want a foot in the door. But it isn’t just one door to get through. You have to ask yourself. What mining job am I going after? What area of the industry is that job in? Do you want a job in Shutdown, Construction, Oil & Gas, Maintenance, Exploration, Coal or Hardrock? All have a very different set of requirements to get the job. Instead of spending some time doing the research to understand what the employers really want in each area. People seem to throw all their eggs into one basket, on the first thing they come across and end up buying tickets for areas of the mining industry that are irrelevant. Like a Confined Space Ticket when they want to drive a dump truck, or even spending 1000’s on an RII Dump Truck Ticket, which in the hardrock side of mining, both surface and underground, employers simply can’t use.
Normally it’s the 3 day RII truck ticket and the S11 induction that they flog on the east coast. These are the things you need to do if you are trying to get a surface coal mining job in QLD. The S11 is only required for coal mining in QLD. Neither are required for any of the Hardrock mining jobs (in the actual mine) around the country. You would be surprised how many people commit to this path without even looking at a job ad. Just type “underground’” or “dump truck mining” into seek to see what the Hardrock employers do and don’t want.
The typical mistake being, people use a resume full of RII equipment tickets thinking that’s what all mining employers want. In a hardrock mine (in the actual mine), employers are required to issue their own onsite equipment tickets. These tickets must be kept onsite for inspection by the mine inspectors, these tickets are non-transferable. This means when you send in your resume full of RII tickets and S11 to the Hardrock employers. All you are saying to them is, you don’t know how their mine works and the resume gets culled. Taking this scattergun approach costs people years in trying to get a start. You are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.
If you want a Hardrock mining job (in the actual mine), then it takes a targeted approach. You need to give the employers what they want. Someone that knows how their mine works and what is going to be expected of them on site. When you can talk to the employers about jobs like scaling, watering down, hanging vent bag, extending services, nippering and how their haulage system (truck driving) works. Then you have something to offer the employers and they hire. They would be mad not to. Check out our Wall of Fame page for proven results.
It doesn’t cost much or take long to teach yourself these things. There is 50 hours of important information you need to learn. You can use this DIY Introduction to Underground Mining package to do it. It will not only make it much easier to get a start but it will ensure you have all the information and tools you need to make a career out of it. Giving yourself a head start climbing the crew ladder into the $700 to $2000 a day jobs like charge up, long hole, bogger and jumbo.
If you want some help getting your start checkout the W1N-W1N and Workready packages. They both offer a full resume and interview prep service, with Workready offering extra support learning the mining information and making a plan. If you want to talk to one of the Underground Training shift bosses about how to get into the industry then leave your details in the link.
I hope that info helps.