Site admin and document control FIFO jobs: how to get in

Every site has an office. Someone in it keeps the paperwork moving so the work can happen. Site admin is one of the most realistic ways into FIFO if you do not have a trade, and almost nobody writes about it. Here is how it looks from the hiring side.

The jobs under the “admin” label

• Site administrator. The all-rounder. Inductions, timesheets, flights and rooms, reports, ordering, the phone that never stops.
• Document controller. Keeps every drawing, procedure and report on the right revision and in the right place. On a big project this is a serious job with its own systems.
• Camp and village admin. Room allocation, bookings, arrivals and departures, keeping track of who is where.
• Training coordinator. Tracks who holds which ticket, when it expires, and books the courses.
• Timekeeping and payroll admin. Rosters, hours, allowances, getting it right every swing.
• Procurement and warehouse admin. Purchase orders, receipting, chasing deliveries to a site at the end of a long road.

What gets you shortlisted

Systems, named. Do not write “proficient in Microsoft Office”. Everyone writes that. Tell me what you have actually used: Excel to what level, an ERP or payroll system, a document management system. On construction projects you will see systems like Aconex. If you have used one, say so in the top third.

Volume and accuracy. Admin on site is busy and mistakes are expensive. A wrong roster means someone is not on the plane. A wrong revision means someone builds off an old drawing. Give me one line that shows you handled volume without errors. “Processed timesheets for 180 people weekly” tells me more than a paragraph about attention to detail.

Anything near a site. Office admin at a construction company, a labour hire branch, a council depot, a transport yard, a mining services firm. It all counts. It tells me you know what a toolbox meeting is and you will not be thrown by the language.

The roster, addressed. One line near the top. “Available for FIFO, any roster, point of hire Perth.” Admin applicants forget this more than anyone.

What gets you binned

A generic office CV with no site words in it. A personal statement about being a “people person”. No mention of the systems the ad asked for. And applying for document control when you have never controlled a document. Be honest about which of these roles you can do now, and apply for those first.

You still need the site basics

Being in the office does not get you out of the site requirements. Expect a pre-employment medical and a drug and alcohol test. Expect site inductions. On construction sites in most states you will need a general construction induction card (the White Card). Read the ad, and if it asks for a ticket, get it before you apply. Which tickets to get first.

The fastest way in

Short admin contracts through labour hire are a real door. They are often filled quickly, they get you onto a site, and they put a site name on your CV. Register with a couple of agencies that do mining and construction, and tell them you will take short notice work. Labour hire vs applying direct.

Then keep applying direct to the contractors and the camp services companies. The Employer Map in the FIFO guide has them by state, with the search words to use for admin roles.

From Office to Site · A$29Site admin, document control, engineering and accounts roles: what the screen looks for, the words your CV needs, and the way in.Get it →

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