Here is an e-mail I received over the weekend. A typical mother concerned about her son, a mining engineer, who cannot find a job in mining either in Canada or Australia:
My son graduated from the University of Toronto in 2007 as a Mining Engineer. It took about 8 months to get his graduate-visa in order while still in Toronto and went to work for Patterson Mines in Kalgoorlie, Australia in May 2008. He was layed off the end of September 2008. He tried to get another job in Australia, but needless to say did not succeed and returned to Canada in May 2009, as his visa was about to expire, which could not be extended as he had no job. I just don’t know what to suggest to him. We hope things will get better. He is still trying to find a job in mining. Do you have any suggestions to keep him motivated.
I replied to her as follows:
May I suggest that your son take a look at the InfoMine, Careers section where he will find listed all the jobs available in mining. Also I would recommend to him that he post his resume on the InfoMine Careers section. It is easy and cheap to do. I am sure that as a Canadian mining engineer there are opportunities in Canada. In particular, the oil sands industry in Alberta is perennially short of mining engineers. I would recommend he seek to contact their personnel departments. Remind him that mining is an up and down business. All of us who have been in the mining industry for some time, have had to change jobs as the mining industry went up and down. He is not the first and certainly is not the last to have to face job losses in the mining industry. Probably the only way to avoid such job ups and downs is to get a job with one of the regulators. And I know they too are always looking.
A few hours later, the son sent me this e-mail: (I have his permission to post it.)
I check Infomine and MiscoJobs on a daily basis, but I haven’t posted my resume. I made contacts with over 20 companies at the PDAC convention last month, but nothing has panned out. My biggest mistake was deciding to take the year off after graduating, so I have less than a year’s experience, and since the financial crisis the big companies that hire most of the graduates haven’t had their usual intake. Companies seem to be recruiting again in Australia and the U.S., but my Australian Visa has expired, and U.S. companies don’t seem to be interested. Also, the fact that I speak French and am already fully trained in mining software doesn’t seem to make a difference to anyone in Canada or Africa, where I’ve been focusing my job search.
His resume is pretty reasonable. Here is some of the experience he lists:
- Prepared and implemented open-pit drill & blast designs using Surpac
- Coordinated drillers, blast crews, and surveyors
- Generated pit shells using Whittle 4X, created pit designs, and block model reports using Surpac
- Created waste dump and infrastructure designs for future projects using Surpac
- Developed and analyzed budgets and schedules (weekly, monthly, life of mine), and reconciled with up to date production using DataMine and Excel
- Responsible for accounting and ordering for drilling and blasting operations.
This situation intrigues me. Is it really that difficult as a young mining engineer to get a job in Canada? Is it that difficult to get a job as a mining engineer in Australia? Did he make a mistake taking a year off? Did he simply get caught in a layoff situation and thus lost his entre to the market? Is he making a mistake trying to work in Australia when he is a Canadian? Should he go back for another degree? Do mining engineers need higher degrees? Is he being too passive in simply checking the web—maybe he should be out knocking on doors?
I confess to little patience with Canadians who seem to believe that Australia is better than Canada and flock there to see red rocks sticking up out of the desert sand when they have not seen the Rockies or southwest Colorado. But then when I was young, the urge to be anywhere but at home was strong too–so we must forgive him for now.
I took time out after degrees. I forced my two elder kids to do the same. Sent them on “social research” for a year or two between diplomas and degrees of various sorts. Made them more reasonable and opened their eyes to the fact that I am not all that bad. So no fault, in my opinion, taking a year out. I took time out after various crashes in the mining industry left me without work. And somehow slide back into it in due course. So we must forgive him for now on that score.
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What is he to do? I told him to go to Alberta and the oil sands mines. I cannot but believe they need more mining engineers, even those who lust after foreign climes.
If you have any suggestions, comment below, or send them to me, and I will add them to this blog. That way we may possibly help this young mining engineer and any others who may be in the same predicament.
Jack,
It may be that the young engineer’s problem is not one of qualification, but of search method. If the Canadian or Australian markets for mining engineers are anything like the U.S., there are jobs available. But sometimes submitting a resume is not enough. Even the best cv can get lost in the auto screening software or quickly set aside by a busy HR generalist.
There are many dozens of books and online resources on how to more effectively get a job. I would recommend the (American) classic “What Color is Your Parachute?” It is somewhat unorthodox in its methods, but I think it can be very helpful in getting to see the senior or chief engineer, who is actually making the hiring decision.
Keith
Hi
As a soon-to-graduate mining engineer who has spent a year working in the mining industry in Australia this guy has my sympathy. I found myself the subject of over half a dozen job offers whilst in Australia… all it took was my manager to email his contacts in industry that he had a mining engineer going spare! Unfortunately for the guy in this article it suggests that the best way to get jobs is to know people. My advice would be to not limit his search in any way, have a completely open mind about what type of mine he wants to work at and what type of company, for any job is better than none.
I would suggest going back to his university and speaking to his lecturers, certainly here in the UK we have many many companies contact us with job oppurtunities. Often it is not an official recruitment drive but an engineer who has been given the OK to recruit an individual or two and it is only through the old-boy system that we find out about these positions.
I hope this helps him.
He can also try signing up with LinkedIn, the facebook of business networking.
Many headhunters search through there and use that to network for positions they are trying to fill. There are several mining groups set up and you can post that you are looking for work.
http://www.crowflight.com/s/Careers.asp
I know Crowflight (see above link) is looking for a good, keen and young mining engineer.
Its fly in fly out so you can live more or less anywhere in Canada and there’ll be plenty of opportunities to get your hands dirty!
Good luck
Rob – are you CSM?
http://www.jobbank.gc.ca/dispjb_eng.aspx?OrderNum=4950814&Source=JobPosting&CommGrouping=GMB004&OfferpPage=50&Student=No
Dave: CSM is the only mining school in the UK so, yes, I am
“Proper job” …
Glad to hear CSM is still flying the flag for UK mining. I graduated from Min Pro a few years back and moved to canada in 2005 – havn’t regretted it one bit.
There’s jobs out here for mining/minerals engineers now that the economy is rebounding.
If you or anyone at CSM is interested in jobs out here let me know.
Cheers
Dave
Hi Dave,
I just stumbled on this blogg tonight as I was having a bit of a job hunt.
Im a CSM Postgrad Mining Engineer, who did my undergrad in mining engineering at the University of Toronto. I was having a hard time finding work too and came over here because CSM offered such a great program and had an international reputation.
If you have any recommendations on the Canadian job search for a fellow CSM’er I’d really appretiate it.
cheers,
jamie
Dave,
I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying it, there is a lot of talk about Canada but no-one has gone out there from CSM for a few years now.
I’m sure Andy Wetherelt would love to hear from you, he can pass on any job offers or expressions of interest to the whole of CSM.
Rob
Hi Jamie,
There should be quite a few listings on the infomine career section.
One company I know of that is looking for Mining Engineers in Crowflight Minerals in Manitoba (www.crowflight.com).
It’s also worth joining linked in and adding yourself to the group – The Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM) as they have postings for mining engineers.
Steve Berghounon of http://www.independentemployment.ca is a good head hunter with plenty of contacts in Canada – I would definitely recommend him.
Leave me your e-mail and I’ll get in touch with you – I have a few contacts at companies who may be interested.
Cheers
Dave
On another note we are looking for a good draftsman/surveyor for one of our projects…
Hi,
This story is familiar, a lot of people who graduated during 2008 found themselves in this situation. I graduated in the UK at that time as a mining geologist postgrad and went as far as flying to Australia to knock on doors, still with no luck.
From the people I know who did eventually get the jobs, the trick is “who you know”. Ask to speak to the senior engineer rather than than sending your cv straight away. Suggest even a 3 month contract (or whatever you can get) to get your foot in the door and experience up. If he can’t help you, ask if he knows anyone who can.
I know its tough, but keep trying, make contacts where you can and eventually something will come through. As a Canadian national, I would have thought your best bet would be there rather than Australia at the moment.
Best of Luck,
David
I WANT TO WORK IN YOUR COMPANY AS A DRIVER OF 777 D CATERPILLAR .
Hi,
I am wondering why graduate mining engineers, with all the credentials to do anything in the mining field are searching so hard for jobs?
With such credentials, they can make their own job -just about anywhere.
Have they forgot that this is the Earth we live on?
The Earth is composed of Chemical Mineral Materials everywhere.
With modern equipment, such as an Innov-x handheld analyzer, they can check for elements from titanium to uranium, anywhere. A demo unit can be got from any Innov-x salesman, when it is not being used by the salesman,, (contact Mark Orr or David Walters at SummitScientific.com), to check anything for these things.
In my 20 years at RioTinto Kennecott, I after having done thousands of analyses on samples from everywhere, and seeing what is out there, with any mining engineer’s credentials that are good, they should, if they need a job, be able to come up with the financing to start and make any kind of job they would want.
Why wait for someone at some company to give or hand them a “JOB”?
Gosh, they got they means to create their own in this High and getting higher priced Commodity market.
IF THEY CAN’T – then, If I were hiring, what with the credentials they have, I don’t think I would Hire Them Either, as they have wasted their time and money to go to any school.
Just my meek opinion.
Wow! Great tiihnkng! JK
Sir,
I am a retired mineral dressing engineer with 30 years experience. Gave consultency in
1.Iron ore benificiation.
2.Manganesedioxide benificiation.
3.Column floatation for zn cleaning.
4. High gradient magnetic separation for iron low grade ores.
5. Since my son went from India to USA, I feel like to be nearer to him.
6. Now searching for a part time/full time/hrs basis/ job in CANADA.
7. Can any one guide me for this task.
sivarao
e mail kshir.saiteja@gmail.com
cell no 91-9325378978
Hello,
I am not sure if your son has gained employment yet, but please urge him to look at the Timmins area, in Northern Ontario. There are many big projects recently begun, with an emphasis on Mining Engineering. Detour Lake, Lakeshore Gold and Brigus to name a few. Encourage him to look on the HRDC website for the area, or to do some research into major companies operating. The local newspaper etc, can offer insight into more prominent roles.
I live here, and it seems as if there is a demand for engineers here but no one to fill the positions. I suppose though, one must sacrifice some things in order to live in the North, but it is quite beautiful and slow paced to say the least.