212 Hires in 5 months for major metal mine in Canada

When Thompson Creek was ramping up its new project— Mount Milligan mine in British Columbia— it was set to become one of the largest mining operations in Canada. As a low-grade high-volume Copper-Gold project, it had an estimated mine life of over 22 years and was set to employ over 400 people from surrounding towns and communities.

Scaling quickly

The project was rapidly progressing operations and required an additional 200+ people within eight months.

“Having worked in the resources industry for 20+ years managing Human Resources and global recruitment strategies, I knew that we needed some help to ensure we were ready for the operational ‘go live’ date at Mount Milligan” says Chris Gibbs, VP HR & Administration, Thompson Creek Metals Inc

Vacant positions ranged across the entire mining spectrum including Administration, Environment, Health & Safety, Metallurgy, Mining Operations, Maintenance and Human Resources; from entry-level to department-head level.

Choosing an RPO model

After reviewing all their bulk recruitment options, they decided to go with an RPO model—partnering with Globe 24-7. The Recruitment Process Outsourcing scope included developing and integrating new systems, processes, and procedures, which could then be handed over to the Mount Milligan HR team once the program was complete.

This tight turn around was a huge task for our RPO team, but they were up for the challenge.

“Having seen other RPO providers fail in the past, Globe’s approach was different and creative and after engaging them, I never looked back. Not only did they put an outstanding team on the ground, but the entire Globe company got behind the RPO and I felt confident that, from the Directors to the Administration Team, things were in control,” Chris explains.

Going above and beyond

A site based RPO team was deployed which included a dedicated Recruitment Manager and Senior Recruiter based on site, supported by a team of recruiters from Globe’s Toronto office. Globe’s RPO team worked together with Mount Milligan’s HR and Senior Management teams to proactively source candidates throughout Canada. We used focused interview techniques across the site with Hiring Managers coached by Globe’s Recruitment Manager in the methodology. Additionally, focused interview techniques training was conducted at Mt Milligan’s Leadership Academy to future-proof their hiring standards.

Globe also managed the implementation of an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) across the site, with the intention to then roll it out to the wider Thompson Creek’s operations.

We also reported on project progress and tracked agreed KPI’s which were shared with Mount Milligan’s stakeholders, consistently keeping them in the loop on the status of the RPO.

Exceeding expectations

Our RPO team achieved 212 hires for the mine within 5 months. In addition to this, the recruitment team also implemented a company-wide ATS, coached the on-site HR staff in best practice recruitment, developed best practice recruitment procedures, assisted in building organisational charts for each department, and trained the leadership team on HR techniques such as focused interviews.

Chris adds: “It’s not to say it wasn’t hard work, as Mount Milligan is pretty remote and the timeline was aggressive, but each challenge was met head-on and they achieved well above what we expected them to. As a VP HR looking for a recruitment and HR provider, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Globe 24-7. Their capability, people and results exceeded my expectations.”

If you want to find out more about whether an RPO arrangement is a good fit for your business, get in touch with one of our Delivery Managers in your region. We would love to help you streamline your talent acquisition processes to achieve outstanding results like Thompson Creek.