I work in mining recruitment and thought I’d share a few resume tips. Keep your resume short and concise, with your qualifications, tickets, and licenses front and centre. Include a short overview of your experience for each previous job, with detailed information in bullet points. I will spend less than five minutes skimming over your resume, especially if I’m trying to get through a pile of 300+ applications.
Keywords
Most mining companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to sort through resumes. These systems scan for keywords and phrases that match the job description. When you apply for a job, ensure that your resume and cover letter include many of the same words found in the job advertisement. If your resume lacks the necessary keywords, your chances of passing through the initial screening are significantly reduced, often resulting in an automatic rejection email.
Avoid Over-Formatting
Don’t go over the top with formatting, colours, or extravagant graphs. We are looking at your experience and skills, not how pretty your resume looks. Please, don’t put pictures on your resume.
References
Including ‘references available upon request’ is acceptable. However, if you’ve been in the industry for a while, who you know can play a massive role in getting the job. If I recognise a name, I will reach out to that person for a reference. So, that might be a better option. Make sure your referees are aware that you have listed them.
Conclusion
Finally, do a spell check, and you’re good to go. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a ‘professional resume.’ Honestly, most of them are garbage and overly wordy. Most employers tend not to look at resumes that are too long. The big secret is to add the KEYWORDS from the job description!