industry insights with andy caruso
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS WITH ANDY CARUSO Charlotte Flatley International Recruitment Specialist
Introduction
I thought it beneficial to publish our Industry Insight pieces that we ran late last year/early this year. Some invaluable
advice from Senior Managers and Industry Leaders!
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The Industry Insider • Name: Andy Caruso • Position: Managing Director • Company: Ascot Resources • Website: http://www.ascotresources.com
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Tell us briefly about Ascot Resources and your position as Managing Director. • “Ascot Resources is an ASX-listed company that is
focused on the development of near-term production coal assets in Colombia, which is the 4 largest exporter of coal products in the world.”
• “Ascot immediate objective is to oversee the progression of its flagship 90%-owned Titiribi coal project which has the potential to export up to 500ktpa of semi-soft coking coal by 2015.”
• “My position is to lead the management team to deliver agreed corporate and project development objectives which are agreed by the Board of Directors.”
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What are the three most important things you look for on a resume & how long do you feel a good resume should be? • A short career summary – 1-2 sentences that express
who you are and what you have done to capture the attention of the reader • Mine says – ‘Senior mining executive with over twenty years’
experience with established blue chip miners (BHP, Rio Tinto (Robe River) and emerging mining companies. Strong experience in leading projects’ - List your most recent 3-4 roles.
• Key strengths – 5-6 bullet points outlining what you can offer the prospective employer
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• Key achievements – focus on what outcomes you have achieved in your previous and current roles and what are you most proud and passionate about.
• The resume can be 5 or more pages to provide more detail on previous and current roles (employment history, accountabilities, expand on achievements, outcomes) but the first 1-2 pages MUST have the three areas covered above (ie. An executive summary of YOU).
• The executive or HR person reading your resume is going to be busy and you have to capture their attention in the first page.
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How important do you feel cover letters are? • Very important, but keep them brief (bullet points always
good) and to one page. • A cover letter should indicate that you have thought about
the role • Highlight your understanding of the role and the relevant
strengths and achievements that you can bring to it.
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In your experience what do you see as the most common mistake people make on a resume? • Spelling mistakes • Poor presentation and formatting • Focusing on experience 10+ years ago • Focusing on responsibilities and less on achievements
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In interviews, what is the most common mistake you see candidates make & how would you advise them with regards to preparation? • Not researching the company you are applying to work for
– having little knowledge shows a lack of interest • Being late for the interview • Being poorly presented • Poor body language - Practice making eye contact and
good listening skills/acknowledgement of the interviewer • Being over familiar with interviewer (calling him (or her!)
‘mate’ or making inappropriate comments/jokes)
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What would be your advice to prospective candidates on the best way to promote & differentiate themselves in your current market?
• Solid preparation when you get to the interview stage – know the company, the market and challenges they operate under and the personnel. Builds rapport with the interviewer
• Choose roles that fit your experience, talents and skills – you will have a better chance of succeeding!
• That said, nothing wrong with striving to take on a challenging role
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• Network, use your contacts – often going through these channels will yield results rather than relying on handing in an application on Seek.
• Sharpen up your resume and get experienced help to achieve this.
• Nothing beats meeting people face to face – be proactive in seeking meetings to put yourself above the rest.
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How effective do you think LinkedIn is in recruiting and searching for candidates in your market? I think it can be very effective and it is a growing medium for connecting with new candidates.
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What type of skill sets within your organisation are most likely to be needed in the next 1 - 3 years? Of these skill sets which is seen as being the hardest to source and what is being done to address it? • Highly experienced project professionals (engineers,
accountants, project managers, HSEC managers) • We rely on trusted recruiters and our networks to source
people • Once we achieved key milestones, he would be actively
looking to promote our profile in the eyes of prospective employees (roadshows, conferences, advertising etc)
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