I THINK MINING

Headhunters in mining have been good to me. Thus I honor them in this posting.  Let me explain. 

There are many ways to get a job in mining.  One is by word-of-mouth: your friends tell you of a good job that is going begging or your friends tell prospective employees of your skills—you get the job. 

Second is by way of those many web sites that post resumes and jobs: you post your resume and hope like hell that an employer with jobs notices your resume, calls you, interviews you, and employes you.  Seldom happens, but many do it, at vain expense!

Then you can engage and seek.  You go to those career sites that list jobs.  The jobs that are posted may be put on the site by employees looking for staff.  Or they may be culled from the web and collated into an accessible format.  Either way, you them have to post off your resume and hope it hits the desk of a smart person who is intelligent enough to see between the lines and realize that you are skilled & experienced and can do the job they need done.  Pretty slim are the chances of this route producing a high salary at a real mine.  But many do it, for they are short of cash and believe in self-help. 

Then you can seek out the services of a headhunter,  Call them up, tell them what you can do, tell them the types of job you seek in mining, and let them at it.

There is of course the fact that mining job headhunters frequently call you.  Consider yourself lucky if they do this.  I must get a call a week from mining headhunters.  I always put aside the urgent and talk to them.  Not because I am looking for a better job in mining.  I am happy & content with what I do.  But I recall the days when I was discontent and under-paid.  The first headhunter got me the job of a life-time.  I still owe him. 

The second headhunter found me a dream job.  But his client pulled out at the last moment when they decided I was too expensive and exotic for them.  They made a stupid decision and deprived the headhunter of his fees for an heroic effort.  I still avoid that perspective employee at conferences and job fairs.

My point is this: if a headhunter calls you, stop a few minutes and talk to them.  They may have the job of a life-time in their hands.  Or they may help you help a friend get the perfect job in mining.  And and the very least, you may make a new friend.

Today I went to lunch with a headhunter serving the mining industry.  Many mining companies and consultants to the mining industry are his clients.  He is personable—and paid for lunch, by way of full disclosure–although we ate at my favorite place and it is cheap.

I asked him how he goes about his work.  He told me that he seeks clients by cold-calls to companies that need staff.  He seeks candidates who have skills and then he looks to put them together with mining companies who need staff.  He gets paid about twenty percent of the salary of the person he places.   But he works hard for this fee and probably deserves it—for he has to take folk like me out to lunch to keep abreast of the industry. 

His most urgent current undertaking is getting a job for a mining engineer of sixty.  Here is how he describes this person who has sought him out and engaged him to help find a job:

This candidate has more than 30 years of mining experience in open pit and underground operations and engineering, including both conceptual and detailed mine design, mining methods selection and design, financial evaluation and analysis, development and production simulation, scheduling and cost modelling.  He has co-ordinated the work of multi-disciplinary engineering teams, including consultants, in the performance of Mining Feasibility Studies.  He has produced business-focussed technical reports with detailed supporting documentation.  Working as an independent consultant he was seconded as Owner’s Team Leader for strategic optimization, mine design and financial evaluation for a large (+USD$1bn) underground mining project, producing documentation that firmly supported investment decision making.  Most recently as Principal Engineer in a global engineering firm, his responsibilities included Mining Lead through various levels of front-end studies on a Mongolian  underground project.  He has been connected to mining on a continual basis since 1973. At that time he spent one and a half years’ in an isolated mining camp in north-western Ontario working as a mill lead hand and chief assayer.  During subsequent technical and engineering studies, summer jobs were mainly at small silver mining operations in Mexico, where immersion in the Spanish language was total.  Post-graduation employment also included experience in various parts of Latin America. Wants to work for a producing mine.

If you have job for this fellow, contact me and I will forward the information to the headhunter.  Or if you want the headhunter to help you find a job for you based on similar skills contact me.  A simple email to jcaldwell@infomine.com will do the trick.  Better still contact Pierre Blais directly at  pierre.blais@paulalexandertmc.com for fast results.

My recommendation: do not waste your time and money on generic sites listing jobs in mining.  Find a reputable headhunter and get them to work.  They have the contacts, they know the industry, and they have a good handle on the mining companies that need staff.  The headhunter will work for you, for their rewards are considerable.  And it is easy for you: chat to them, send them your resume, and do what they advise.  Probably the best way to get a good job in mining. 

So I conclude by saying sorry to those sites listing jobs, and those sites giving you false information about how easy it is to get a job in mining.  For the fact is that in spite of slick writing, getting a job in mining is hard.  You will have to work hard to find that new, better, higher-paying job.  A good headhunter smooths the path and is worth every penny they may earn. 

Contact me for my suggestions on good headhunters.  And good luck in finding that perfect job.

PS.  The picture is an origami dragon that I folded from a single large piece of paper and hung in the window of our offices.  Flying high is fun.

PPS.  Not what I anticipated, but in response to this posting, I received the following email—I have the resume if you can help this fellow.  Note that I am a mere blogger, not a lawyer or a headhunter.  The only way I can help is via blogging.

Hello Jack, my name is Edward Marteye, and this is in response to your letter and the piece of advise offered which I’m pleased to say, I’m all for it. Well, I’ve travelled alot and love travelling to work outside United States. I’ll love to get a job in any of the Mines in Australia, I therefore, really need your help. Now, before going on any further, i would like you to know a little of me and what I want. I’m a Citizen of United States and had been a Heavy Truck Driver for the passed 9 to 10 years and I have just returned to the US from Iraq, Driving for KBR Inc as a Convoy Driver for the US Millitary. Hi Jack, I take you to be my Lawyer now, I therefpre, had to be open with you in order to offer whatever help you can. i have been trying for the passed 2 years just to get in any of the mines companies as a Truck Driver and work my way up to Drive a “centipede”, that Heavy Hauler, which I have much, much passion for. I’ve done all I could in my power, but it get me no where, I was even told unless I know some one already working in the mines who may introduce me to whatever mines Company before I’ll be Hired, which sounds silly to me. Please, I don’t want to waste both us time talking, I would like you to go ahead and try to find a job in the Mines as a Truck Driver in whatever terms you have with a Headhunter. And Please, kindly treat this request very URGENT. My second request, which I hope , I’m not worring you. If the first request fail which I hope not. Jack, I  also have every Documents to work on any of the Australia Ships or Boats as an Ordinary Seaman, a Deckhand or Wiper, so my dear friend, the Ball is in your Court now, I just need your HELP and enclosed here my Resume if that is going to help. Hoping to hear from you soon.