Two leaders in Aussie mining recruitment are Mining People International and Constructive Recruitment – you’ll find both profiled below. They can link professionals to employment opportunities across Australia and around the world. Another international recruiter is Cowan International, a Canadian-based company that's been in the business since 1954.

But when they're not turning to recruitment companies to find top-notch employees, where do mining companies head to find staff? Mining Family Matters spoke to a couple of company recruiters to find out…

Not surprisingly given the internet revolution, most jobs are no longer advertised in the major metropolitan newspapers. These days, company recruiters head straight to Seek when they need professional staff. The site still dominates the electronic job market, but CareerOne, Mycareer and Careerjet are working hard to build market share in the mining industry, so it's always worth checking out their offerings too.

The major mining 'houses' don’t even advertise all positions on the online job sites, but instead promote employment opportunities on their company websites. So keep a check on the big guys like BHP, Fortesque and Rio Tinto.

Specialist sites and publications like Engineering Jobs also or Australian Mine Safety, for OHS, also advertise positions for specific professionals.

For tradesmen and labourers, recruiters often advertise in regional and community newspapers, to attract workers located near the mine site. So if you want to live in a particular regional city or town it might be worth your while subscribing to the local paper.

Recruiters also often turn to contract mining firms like Leighton Contractors, Macmahon (mining and civil construction), Abigroup (engineering and construction) and Skilled (trades and maintenance) – all of whom have staff on their books for work across Australia.

LinkedIn is the most popular professional online networking site for mining recruiters and executives in Australia – not used massively for job ads yet but increasingly used to promote specialist positions. By registering (it’s free) you can establish a professional profile online, keep in touch with past and present colleagues and learn of any job opportunities promoted by other members.

Then of course there's the old cold call. Most mining companies will gladly accept CVs from prospective employees and keep them on file for a later date – recruiters in some of the smaller companies will even come down to the front office for a chat if you deliver your resume personally. It might not lead to a job overnight, but at least you'll show initiative (a desirable trait in any job).

For students in particular, recruiters encourage initiative and networking ahead of graduation. Large mining companies often tap into specific university courses to secure the best prospective recruits – the remainder are left to fight for available jobs when they've got their piece of paper.

For the Mining Family Matters insider's guide on getting into mining and working up the industry ladder, check out our 'Getting into mining' page.

And please let us know if you’ve got any other ideas for finding a job in mining. We’d love to pass on the information to others. Just click here.

Mining People International Mining People International (MPi) is a human resources and recruitment consultancy centred exclusively on the mining industry. MPi provides contract and permanent recruitment services for all levels of the mining industry and is structured so as to service four key areas: executive search; professional/technical; business services and office support; and operator/workforce. Read more