The Perfect Geologist

I had a very interesting conversation with my manager the other day. We were going to inspect one of the furthest pits and were in the light vehicle for quite some time. I took the chance to try and find out how I've been doing at my new job - I was being very subtle, of course. The conversation turned to how potential candidates are being interviewed and what skills are considered crucial. My manager had a list of three things in the following order:


1) Safety behaviours - critical in the mining environment. Does the geologist put himself or others in danger with his attitude towards safety?
2) People skills - how the job is done. Is the geologist a good fit in the current team? Will he fit in or at least be willing to work within the team?
3) Technical skills - geological knowledge and related skills.


It was interesting that the technical skills landed at the bottom of the list. But, I have heard this argument before. One can teach technical skills, but people skills are trickier. Either you're a good communicator and get the necessary information across or you can't. Geology is a service to the production and planning teams. As a geologist you have to be able to convey the right information at the right time in the right manner. Learning how to use software can be done with a few training sessions. How not to aggravate your co-workers isn't something a session with Oprah can fix :-).


In the current job market with its boom and numerous opportunities, you need to show you're a cut above the rest. Your confidence in yourself and your ability to do your job may become more crucial than your actual technical skills. So don't be scared of moving between different mining operations or commodities. A good geo is a good geo - no matter if you're Vulcan or Minex proficient. (And, yes, I only added that last sentence to be able to describe someone as Vulcan. My Star Trek roots run deep :-)