With Australia being one of the world’s largest producers of minerals, the mining industry is significant – employing over 188,000 people in 2021. When seeking your dream mining role, a well-crafted CV is crucial to stand out from the competition.

Keep reading for our best tips on how to write a mining CV, from what should go into each section to formatting ideas that make sense.

What to Include in Your Mining CV

When writing your CV, consider including the following sections to most effectively demonstrate your skills and experience. The order in which some sections appear may vary slightly depending on your preferred formatting and style and what best suits the specific job you are applying for.

Contact Information. Include your phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile URL (if you have one), positioned under your header. Placing your contact details at the front of your resume makes it easy for hiring managers and recruiters to contact you for an interview.

Professional Summary. Crafting a concise and effective professional summary is crucial to making a strong first impression. In no more than a paragraph, highlight key details such as your years of industry experience, relevant qualifications or certifications and any hard or soft skills you want to emphasise. Be sure to tailor the summary to the position you’re applying for, including only information that is relevant.

Professional Experience. Starting with your most recent role, list your work experience in reverse chronological order. For each position, include the job title, company name, employment dates and a description of your responsibilities and achievements. Include around 5 dot points of your responsibilities/duties for your most recent role and 3 for previous roles.

Skills. List appropriate skills to the job you’re applying for, in bullet point form. Consider including mining-specific technical skills such as equipment operation, surveying and mine planning, as well as soft skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, problem-solving and time management.

Education/Certifications. Where relevant, include your educational background, starting with your most recent degree or certification. You may choose to separate these sections or keep them as one, depending on your education and how much it applies to the position.

How to Format Your CV

Now that you’ve collated the required content for your CV, consider the following tips for presentation and formatting to ensure you catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers:

• Use bullet points to list your skills and experience, as this makes it easier for the reader to scan and digest the information.
• Start each bullet point with an action verb to make your statements more impactful and engaging. For example, instead of saying ‘Worked on drilling projects,’ you might say ‘Managed drilling projects from conception to completion.’
• Avoid cluttering the page with too much information; this makes your CV difficult to read.
• A simple font that is easy to read is best, such as 11 point Calibri, Helvetica or Georgia.
• Try to stick to the standard 1” margins.
• Ideally, keep it to a single page and no more than two pages.
• Consider using a two-column format to showcase your skills and experience side-by-side. This can help the reader quickly see how your experience aligns with the job requirements.
• Once you’re done, ask a friend to proofread your CV for spelling and grammar problems.
• Use a consistent font and formatting style throughout your CV to ensure it looks professional and polished.

Customise Your CV for Each Job

One of the most important things to keep in mind when writing a mining CV is to tailor it to the job you are applying for. This means customizing your CV for each application to highlight the skills, experience and qualifications that are most relevant to the specific job.

To do this, carefully read the job description and make a list of the key requirements and qualifications listed. Then, review your own experience and skills to identify those that match up with the requirements. Make sure to highlight these in your CV and provide specific examples and quantifiable metrics to demonstrate your proficiency. Take special note of any keywords that are repeated in the job listing to emphasise these in your CV.

Additionally, consider researching the company you are applying to and including any relevant information about the company in your CV. For example, if the company has a strong commitment to sustainability, you could highlight any experience you have with sustainable mining practices.

Contact Patch Personnel for More

That covers the key tips needed to write a winning mining CV, from the best sections to include to formatting advice. At the heart of any standout CV is customisation for the specific role, which includes tailoring the skills section, professional summary and even picking the most relevant certifications. (Bonus tip: see here for further advice on writing a CV that will stand out to employers.)

Here at Patch Personnel, we specialise in connecting mining professionals in Australia with the best positions to align with their skills and goals. Whether you’d like support with resume writing, throughout the interview process, or any other career advice, please reach out – we’d love to help.