How do you hire mining engineers to manage risk?

1 Define your risk profile

Before you start looking for mining engineers, you need to define your risk profile as a mining company. This means identifying the types of risks that you face, such as geological, operational, financial, legal, or reputational risks, and how you measure and mitigate them. You also need to consider your risk appetite, or how much risk you are willing to accept in pursuit of your goals. Your risk profile will help you determine the level of risk management skills and experience that you expect from your mining engineers, as well as the culture and values that you want to promote.

2 Write a clear job description

A clear and detailed job description is essential for attracting qualified and interested mining engineers. Your job description should highlight the main duties and responsibilities of the role, as well as the specific skills and qualifications that you require. For example, you may want to specify the type of mining projects that you work on, the software and tools that you use, the standards and regulations that you follow, and the outcomes and metrics that you evaluate. You should also emphasize the importance of risk management in your job description, and how it relates to the objectives and challenges of the role.

3 Use multiple sourcing channels

To reach a diverse and talented pool of mining engineers, you need to use multiple sourcing channels, such as online job boards, social media, professional networks, referrals, and recruitment agencies. You should also tailor your sourcing strategy to your target audience, and use different platforms and messages to appeal to them. For example, you may want to showcase your projects, achievements, and values on your website and LinkedIn page, share industry insights and trends on Twitter and Facebook, and offer referrals incentives and rewards to your current employees and partners.

4 Conduct competency-based interviews

Competency-based interviews are a great way to assess the risk management skills and abilities of your mining engineer candidates. Competency-based interviews focus on how candidates have performed in previous situations that are relevant to the role, rather than on their theoretical knowledge or opinions. You can use behavioral or situational questions to elicit examples of how candidates have identified, analyzed, evaluated, and controlled risks in their past or hypothetical mining projects. You can also use rating scales or rubrics to score and compare candidates based on the criteria that you have defined.

5 Test their technical skills

In addition to competency-based interviews, you should also test the technical skills of your mining engineer candidates. Technical skills are the specific knowledge and expertise that are required for performing the tasks and functions of the role, such as using software, equipment, methods, and standards. You can use various methods to test the technical skills of your candidates, such as online assessments, case studies, simulations, or work samples. You should also make sure that your technical tests are aligned with your risk profile and the type and level of risk management that you expect from your mining engineers.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?