With the different courses, extracurriculars, and student development opportunities each school offers, there are plenty of ways for aspiring Mining professionals to build the skills they need to egg-cel.
As with all industries, students and grads who are looking to pursue a career in Mining should develop a certain skillset to ensure they can adapt to any situation they face on the job. To help you prepare, we’ve created a quick guide to the key skills aspiring Mining professionals need to succeed. Don’t have all these qualities? Don’t worry – we also have tips on how you can develop each one.
Physical abilities
It’s crucial for Engineers, Geologists, Mining Labourers, and other in-field professionals to meet the physical requirements of their roles. Since you’ll be handling different extraction tools and heavy mining equipment, it’s important to have a certain level of dexterity, coordination, and physical strength to ensure you stay safe on the job.
If coordination isn’t your thing, there are many ways you can improve this ability! Try taking up an activity like tennis or golf – these types of sports require precision and accuracy, which will help you strengthen your hand-eye coordination. Even doing something as simple as throwing and catching a ball is a great way to become more coordinated. In terms of strength and mobility, staying physically active is essential for any labour worker. Developing a fitness routine into your daily life is a great way to build physical strength for the job.
Team oriented
Whether you work in the field or in an office role, interpersonal skills will make for a more positive work environment. Your ability to communicate and collaborate is an important part of being a good team member.
In Mining, you will be working with a variety of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds, including health and safety, business, and skilled trades. It’s important for employees to work together as a team in order to ensure projects are completed efficiently and safely.
If working in groups is not your forte, here are some simple ways to build your interpersonal skills:
- Connect with someone similar. Finding someone else with a personality that complements yours will make it easier to speak up. It’s less overwhelming to share your ideas in front of one person than a large group!
- Find other ways of sharing your ideas. While verbal communication is important in teamwork, don’t feel pressured to talk constantly. You can communicate through writing by creating lists or shareable files.
- Practice your public speaking skills. No matter what line of work you’re in, you will likely have to speak in front of an audience at some point. If you’re still in school, try getting involved in clubs like Toastmasters where you can practice these skills for the workplace.
Problem-solving skills
Most Mining companies are constantly improving their extraction processes so that they are as cost-effective and environmentally friendly as possible. This means industry professionals need to have strong problem-solving abilities.
Conflict resolution and creativity are two important qualities that Mining workers should have. As mentioned before, having the ability to work in teams is essential in this industry. If there’s a hitch in communication, quick conflict resolution will help bring the project back on track. Additionally, when it comes to solving problems, being creative and thinking ‘outside the box’ will continue to help your company innovate and grow.
However, developing conflict resolution abilities isn’t something that can be done overnight. If you have a difficult problem you need to solve, try using these steps:
- Encourage positive communication. If you’re working in a team, try not to shoot down other people’s ideas – instead, try facilitate discussion to identify the problem.
- Consider all options. No matter how big or small the problem is, make sure you think of all the possible solutions before taking action.
- Rank each solution. Write a list with each solution and come up with a rating criteria to determine the best approach.
- Try combining ideas. Sometimes two ideas can be merged to create the best solutions!
Once you master these basics, you’ll have a solid foundation on which to build your Mining career!