Mining job applicants want to know 6 key things from any job ad. Here’s what you need to include.
Practically every advertisement for a mining job talks about the role being a “fantastic opportunity”.
As a hiring manager, what would your answer be in an interview if the applicant asks, “So if this is such a fantastic opportunity, why did the last person leave?” Or what if they ask, “If the pay rate is ‘excellent’, why is this role vacant?”
Take a quick scroll through the mining job ads on SEEK and you’ll see the introductions often mention fantastic opportunities, lifestyle rosters, a great culture or a great team. The reality is, if every vacant role is a fantastic opportunity with a great team, then no one would ever leave and recruiters would be out of a job.
It’s time to change the way we write job ads because falling back on tired old buzzwords we believe describe the opportunity isn’t telling potential applicants what they want to hear.
Nowadays, jobseekers are reviewing and critiquing mining job advertisements with the same level of detail as we as hiring managers are assessing their resumes. Jobseekers will see through the hype and, in all likelihood, will keep scrolling down to the next advertisement that grabs their attention.
Your advertisement’s sole aim is to generate enough interest from relevant applicants to get them to apply. While this may sound obvious, if applicants have to wade through paragraphs of how great the company is and the fantastic opportunity you are recruiting for, chances are they won’t reach the important detail they are actually interested in.
How to write effective mining job ads
The reality is mining job applicants want to know six key things:
Roster
Applicants want to know if the role roster suits their personal circumstances. This is critical for most people working in the resources sector.
Rate
A $120,000 salary on an 8/6 is more appealing than $120,000 on a 14/7 roster. Applicants are going to want to know this information at some point, so tell them. This helps ensure you don’t get them as far as the interview stage only to discover your preferred candidate wants $140,000.
Role Title
If your company has job titles that are not generic, using these in an advert is not going to attract applicants with the required skills for the role. It will also affect any searches undertaken in talent pools. Stick to a standard title.
Responsibilities and Requirements
You have a small window of opportunity to attract a potential employee to your job ad. Listing all the responsibilities and requirements is not essential. If you have a descriptive and common role title, you should be able to narrow it down to three or four core requirements.
Response
Telling interested applicants when you will get back to them regarding their application is crucial. It is something that we regularly hear in feedback from candidates.
Readable
A key component many companies overlook is more than half of jobseekers are job searching on a mobile device. So that great company description and the paragraphs about site offerings and benefits are all just information that applicants need to scroll through in order to get to the apply button!
Tick these six boxes for any mining job ad and you’re well on the way to ensuring your applicant lists are filled with people who are a good fit for the role.
Want some help with your recruitment and selection? The team at Mining People has more than 300 years’ combined experience recruiting in the mining sector. Contact them here.