What’s in a name?

There’s nothing worse for someone’s career than a bad reputation (obviously!).

Aside from the usual ways of getting a bad reputation in the industry through poor performance, unreliability, etc, it’s also very easy to burn your bridges if you don’t play the recruitment process properly.

If you go out to potential employers, engage with them and then turn down an offer for a role that’s exactly what you say you’re looking for i.e. appropriate salary, travel requirements, progression opportunities and so forth , then it’s a sure-fire way to get future employers or key contacts off-side. At the end of the day, mining in particular is a very small industry so burning your bridges is an un-wise thing to do.

Avoid the pitfalls of wasting people’s time – know the role you want, your expectations surrounding travel and conditions, the minimum salary you expect and any other requirements. Be candid with potential employers and recruiters in interviews and explain your minimum expectations in all these key areas. If they don’t meet your expectations with any subsequent offers, then you’ve got a perfect reason for turning down any letters of offer you receive. However, if the potential employer meets or surpasses your expectations then be warned… you risk burning your bridges. Sometimes people have very long memories or very good databases!

If you’re not sure how to approach the job search process, try contacting a recruitment specialist in your area of expertise to help manage the process and assist in keeping the job search process simple and keep your reputation intact!