Check out interview tips from an industry insider! www.proresumewrite.com

1. INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
WITH
ANDY CARUSO
Charlotte Flatley
International Recruitment Specialist

2. 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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3. The Industry Insider
• Name: Andy Caruso
• Position: Managing Director
• Company: Ascot Resources
• Website: http://www.ascotresources.com
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4. 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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5. 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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6. • 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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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10. 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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11. • 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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12. 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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13. 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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14. This insider insight is brought to you
by
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