How to find unskilled Mining Jobs in
Western Australia (or elsewhere)
Trying to get a job in a WA mine?
Then keep reading.
Especially if you have no experience!

To get a mining job in Western Australia (or elsewhere) is not an easy task for inexperienced and unskilled people, but it's totally doable. For anyone. Including you!

If you're looking for a mine job, WA is the place to be.
Just look at the numbers: 43% of all Australian mining projects are in Western Australia, yet only about 10% of our population lives here.

(Don't worry if you are looking for a job elsewhere. Everything on this page still applies. WA is the easiest place to get a mine job but certainly not the only one.)

But how do you go about getting
one of those coveted high paid jobs?

Obviously you are not the only one looking. Everybody knows that there is a helluvalot of money to be made. There are countless stories from people who claim they have done everything, scoured the job ads, applied for hundreds of jobs, yet they never managed to get anywhere...

Fact is, many people give up in frustration. Because if you want to get a mining job in Western Australia without experience then it's not enough to sit on the east coast and apply for the same job ads as everyone else. Seriously, just forget it.

It's also not enough to go to Perth or one of the WA mining towns and apply for the jobs from there. You may get lucky that way, but I'd rather not count on luck.

The secret to success with finding unskilled mining jobs is to be in the right place at the right time, talk to the right people, and that way get a foot in the door. Once you're in, you're in, and from there it becomes easier and easier to get jobs in different areas, different mines, and most importantly, higher pay levels.

Read this page to the bottom to find out how to best do that!

The right time is now. The work is there. Lots and lots of it. There is no reason to wait.

That leaves the right place to be in and the right people to talk to.

The perfect person to talk to is someone who already works in mining and who knows lots of miners. Someone who knows which companies are happy to take on unexperienced people, who's hiring at the moment, which HR person to call and so on.

You don't know anyone, you say?

Yes, you do!

No, I am not talking about myself.

Even though I did work in mining for eight years (at Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine) I am not in a position to really help you. I don't live in the area anymore and I don't have any contact to the people I worked with anymore. I am simply not "inside" anymore.

However, I know the game very well, and that allows me to judge if someone who promises to help you is actually able to do so.

When Rosco first contacted me to let me know about his mining employment guide I was mildly interested. Yes, the idea made a lot of sense, but to be honest, I thought it's just one of those typical internet scam things. Promising the world but all you get is a thin download with lots of hype and fluff, an outdated address list, and general advice that anyone with a bit of common sense could dish out themselves... I guess having worked online for so many years I've become a bit of a cynic...

Anyway, I think I wrote a polite email back and that was that. And so the years passed... (No kidding, it was several years ago that Rosco first contacted me!)

In the meantime Rosco kept working on his resource. And he made it better and better.

When Rosco eventually contacted me again he happened to pick an excellent time. I had broken my foot and had all the time in the world. So I asked for a review copy, offered to have a look at his stuff and, if I thought it was useful, to write an honest review. I also warned him that I would not recommend something that I didn't consider genuinely helpful to my readers.

Rosco agreed and kindly forwarded me a copy of his guide...

Review of Rosco's Mining Employment Guide

So who the hell is this Rosco?

Rosco's full name is Ross Smith and not too long ago he was in exactly the same position you are now. He was desperate to get a mining job but had no experience. So he went to Western Australia, he went about everything the usual - and wrong - way, and ended up frustrated and broke. But in the end he figured things out and got a job. He worked hard, moved up the ranks, made a helluvalot of money, and then quit.

But he knew that there were many people just like him in the beginning, trying to get a mining job and going about it all the wrong way.

He also knew that most people he met in the mining industry got their jobs the same way he did. (I can confirm that from my experience, too.)

So he put together this really comprehensive guide or resource or whatever you want to call it, basically a clear road map to show people how EXACTLY to go about getting a mine job in Western Australia.

What exactly is included in this guide?

A lot! This is the download email I received:

There are eight downloads and there is a special joker as well which I'll talk about later.

You start by reading his main mining employment guide (the first download link), which tells you:

• What you can or rather what you should do and get before you start actively looking and applying for mining jobs (think CV, MARCSTA, First Aid, HR licence,... etc).
  
  This includes advice regarding which tickets and qualifications you really need, which are helpful and nice to have, and which would be a huge waste of money. (Don't spend thousands on dump truck training!).
• Which mining towns are the best to look for work, and how to go about finding accommodation there.
• A lot of detail about all the different jobs in different areas of mining, what the job entails, how easy it is to get into, if it's suitable for people without experience etc.
• And then he tells you how to go about the door knocking. Because door knocking you will have to do. This is of course not to be taken literally, it includes phone calls, responding to job ads, networking... Rosco tells you exactly which companies to approach, who to call, where to drop your resume etc.
• Very, very comprehensive contact details for all the mining companies, contractors and sub contractors, catering companies, transport companies, crane hire services etc., pointing out which are known to be hiring at the moment, which take inexperienced people, which are generally easier to get into and so on. (The guide is constantly updated in that respect.)
• A lot of background info on what life and work at the mines are like.

And a million other little helpful things that I probably forgot.

The point is, after reading the guide you will have a really good idea about what you're getting yourself into, whether you still want a job in the mining industry, and if you do, you'll know exactly how to go about getting a mine job.

Knowledge is power. You will - rightfully - already be confident that you will succeed.

Then Rosco also includes additional help and downloads:

• A separate comprehensive list of all mining companies in WA
• Access to a tool he programmed himself that allows you to keep an eye on all the different job vacancies without having to check a dozen job sites separately
• Templates and tips for doing your CV and cover letter
• (There is also an extra download covering how to get into drilling specifically, the job Rosco was in. I still haven't read that one but I'm sure it's as solid.)

The above are all nice to have, but the two most valuable extras in my opinion are the following:

• The customer stories. In this download Rosco's customers share their stories, how they landed in WA, what happened then and how exactly they scored their jobs. There are LOADS of valuable tips in those stories!
  
  I suggest you read the third story particularly carefully. It's by a 55 year old guy who landed a job as an underground dump truck driver. He goes into a lot of detail of how he arrived in WA, the obstacles he encountered and how he succeeded regardless. Those few pages are really crammed with valuable advice. Do take note! The story after that is great and helpful, too, by a 66 year old bloke. Which also proves that age really is no barrier. (Neither is being female, more on that below.)

And last but definitely not least...

• Rosco will be there to answer and assist you via email.
  
  That's right. Any questions you have, any advice you need, whenever you're unsure about how to proceed, he'll be there to assist you every step of the way, for as long as it takes to get you a job.
  
  This in my opinion is the real ace up your sleeve. To quote the man himself:
  
  "I consider myself to be like a 'walking talking library' full of advice regarding the mining industry in Australia. E.g. Resume tips, extra tips for couples, extra contacts, anything else to assist in your specific situation. Always only an email away."

People, whoever can not get him- or herself a mining job in WA with all that doesn't really want one.

Ok, let's look at a few more questions you may have...

Is this only about Western Australian mining jobs?

Rosco's advice will work just as well elsewhere in Australia. The resources and contact details though are mostly WA specific. Then again, most large mining companies and contractors operate all over Australia so you can get a lot of use out of those resources as well.

However, moving to Western Australia is the single best way to score a WA mining job, and Rosco also tells you how to best go about that. Which mining towns are the best to get started, how and where to look for accommodation, where the rents are affordable and which places to avoid until you actually do have a job and can afford them and more. You can't use this information elswhere in Australia, beyond it showing you what you need to consider when heading for a mining town to get yourself a job.

I have never worked in the mining industry before and have no relevant qualifications or tickets.
What are my chances?

I'd say the guide is specifically for people with little or no experience. The mining industry needs many workers, people with relevant experience will have no problem getting in anyway. It's the people like you who need help.

Rosco's guide is perfect for people looking for their first mining job because not only does it focus on entry level jobs and companies hiring unskilled people, it also includes a lot of background info about life and work in mining. He also covers all the different areas of employment on a mine site and the possible jobs in each with little job descriptions, pointing out which jobs make good entry level jobs, which are suitable for females etc.

I am female. What are my chances to get a well paying job in the mining industry?

Many women assume that the only possible jobs for them are cooking and cleaning in mining camps. But that's nonsense.

More and more women work in mining, the mining companies love to employ women. (They generally drink less, handle machinery more carefully, are not afraid to ask questions when needed, etc.) You find women in nearly any and every role on a mine site. In some positions mining companies even prefer females, for example as dump truck operators.

What job you go for is only a matter of personal preference. This guide is for you, and many of Rosco's happy customers are women.

I am from overseas/I am travelling

Rosco's guide is aimed at Kiwis as much as at Aussies, so if you are from New Zealand, everything you need to know, have and do is included. If you are from elsewhere in the world and have a permanent work visa, then the information applies to you as well.

If you are travelling, then the only jobs you can take on are temporary positions for unexperienced people, mostly shut down work. Rosco does address this. His advice on where to go, how to go about the door knocking, and the included contact lists are still relevant to you. If I was serious about financing my travels with shut down work, I'd get his guide.

Criticism

Yes, I do have some criticism as well.

In my opinion the information is not organised as well as it could be. You have the main guide that covers a lot, mostly reasonably organised, but it also jumps back and forth a bit between background stories and actionable advice, between preparation and job hunting and being on the job etc. There is no table of contents and no index, so it's a bit difficult to go back to look up something you remember you read.

(You should read it several times anyway and take notes, so this is not a problem at all.)

After the main guide follows a FAQ which fills in the gaps, answers the questions that the main guide may have left open. Ideally of course there would not be any open questions after reading the main guide.

I mentioned in the beginning that Rosco over time honed his guide to perfection with the help of the feedback and questions from his customers. My guess is that the FAQ at the end is the result of that feedback and questions.

On the plus side, the FAQ answers those questions really well. I found it the most interesting part to read, and it nearly made me want to get back into mining because it brought back many good memories of those days :-).

And then there are the customer stories, which again add a whole slew of valuable tips that were not in the main guide. Like the FAQ, I really enjoyed reading those.

Yes, it takes a bit of reading to really take it all in. But the main thing is, it's all there. Add your own positive attitude, brain and motivation, and you have everything you need to succeed.

Carefully read through all of Rosco's materials, read it again, take notes, take the advice on board, do your home work and then do some leg work and door knocking as outlined in the guide.

There is a lot of preparation that you can AND SHOULD do from home. Rosco emphasizes that, too. Do your home work first. Get Rosco's guide and get started today. The sooner you get started in earnest, the sooner you'll be making some real money!

In closing I can only say that I wish I had looked at Rosco's stuff a lot earlier. I get so many emails from readers asking me to help them get a mining job in Western Australia. Turns out I could have helped them all along...

Get Rosco's Mining Employment Guide

Photo by Phillie Casablanca via Flickr