1. Make sure that the first page of your mining resume will quickly catch the employer’s eye. A potential employer will spend 2 1/2 to 20 seconds on your mining resume.

2. Have a small introduction of yourself on the first page of your mining resume with what role you are seeking and what your goals are in the mining industry and have it linked to your cover letter which will be in more depth.

3. Font size should be no smaller than 11 point and should be a consistent size throughout the mining resume. The mining resume needs to be easy to read and text should be spread out evenly though out the resume. Use the same size and type of font for each heading used. Sounds easy but surprising how many people do not do this.

4. Remember that this is the first impression that make with your potential employer, so make it a good one. Consider taking up a professional mining resume service if you feel you will not give justice to yourself in writing your own mining resume.

5. Font type should be consistent throughout your mining resume

6. Try to keep the information in your mining resume relevant for the mining position you are applying for.

7. Make sure the referees know that you are using them, so when someone rings the referee they know straight away who you are. It pays to ring them in advance to tell them that you are using them and that you are applying for mining employment, so they may get some phone calls over the next week. Plus a good way to catch up on your mining contacts/friends. Aim to have at least 2 and maximum of four. Also include how you know the person and state whether it’s professional or a personal referee.

8. Birth date is optional in resumes.

9. Keep the mining resume positive and honest as you will be found out at some stage, if you enhance your resume too much.

10. You only need to put down the last three or relevant jobs you have had.

11. List the duties involved in each job, the responsibilities and the machinery and tools used.

12. List the licenses you have like your driver’s license and tickets and qualifications. For example Marcsta, MWHS card, HR license, MR licence, dump truck course, boiler maker ticket, Fork Lift Licence, Provision of Qld Mining Generic Induction (surface Coal & Metalliferous), Senior First Aid. List the dates that these expire as this will show you are work ready.

13. You only need to put down the qualifications and work experience that is relevant for a position. For example if you are wanting a cleaner position in a mining camp, it pays to show that you have experience in this field, so list previous jobs that have similar duties. If you are after an unskilled mining job it pays to include previous work history that shows the similar characteristics as the mining job requires.

14. With your qualifications and tickets state where you obtained them, Port Hedland, Kalgoorlie or Perth for instance and include the state in which you were trained for example Queensland or Western Australia or North Territory. Also state how long the qualification took to obtain.

15. Identify keywords that mining companies look for in their new employers; this can be done by reading mining job advertisements that you are interested in and then make sure you are stating them with examples of your experience related to them in your resume and cover letter.

16. Keep your resume to the maximum three pages if not two. Mining companies what to quickly check that you’re suitable for the role with the correct experience and skills and the interview will enable you to explain parts of yourself in more detail.

17. Check that your email is a good for potential future employers to read. Too many times people have an email address like (angryman(at)hotmail.com, which gives the potential employer a chance to stereotype which can affect your chance.

18. Personalise your introduction statement. Too many times people use an introducing statements which looks like it come straight of the internet.

19. Its pays to get a second opinion from a friend or from a professional resume service provider that your resume gives you justice and is suitable for the mining industry and that there isn’t silly spelling mistakes that you haven’t picked up yet.

20. If you are living in New Zealand or out of the state and applying for a mining job in Western Australia for example. Include your area code and the international code for New Zealanders in your resume contact details. (+64 international code for NZ)