The construction industry is expected to rebound and grow as the world emerges from a year-and-a-half-long lockdown. In the UK, for example, the industry is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 4.4% from 2021 through to 2025. In the U.S., the prospects are even better; the construction manager job market is projected to grow by 11% between 2020 and 2030. It seems jobs in the construction sector will have job security going into the future by all accounts.
Construction management professionals supervise operations, ensuring that projects are completed on time, safely, and within the budget. In most cases, they are the contact people for the public and the subcontractors on the project. The scope of their work ranges from supervising all project aspects like monitoring costs and schedules to quality management.
The basic qualification for a construction manager job is a Higher National Diploma (HND) or degree in building engineering, civil engineering, architecture studies, construction management, or engineering. Similarly, a Modern Apprenticeship vetted and approved by an accrediting body followed by an HND, or a Skills Test like the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) will also get you started. For top cadre jobs, having considerable work experience will increase your chances significantly.
For top-level positions, you will do well to support your academic credentials with additional skills like problem-solving and decision-making. It is better if you are a great communicator and a leader. Knowledge of current industry practices like health and safety procedures, quality standards, building methods, etcetera, will make you more marketable. Career progression generally depends on your experience, time, and extra certifications. Having said that, a tried-and-tested way to move up the ladder is to acquire chartered status.
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A Construction Manager supervises project operations. Their responsibilities typically range from preparing cost estimates to work timetables and budgets. They are usually the explainers and interpreters of technical information and contracts to other professionals. In most cases, construction managers are the site managers overseeing all personnel and activities on site.
If you've been in the industry for long, focus on showcasing your experience and skillset. Hiring managers are interested in the value you bring to their organization. The best way to do this is in reverse chronological order. This means starting with your most recent experiences and achievements.
How you structure language in your resume matters. It should demonstrate your professionalism and industry expertise. One way to do this is by using success-related power verbs that make your sentences capture the hiring manager's attention. Typically, these action verbs should begin all your sentences.
Hiring managers get many applications for every open job listing. Therefore, they skim through resumes within 5-7 seconds to save time. Summarizing your accomplishments, skills, and experience in a resume summary can help you highlight your top skills and achievements in a way hiring managers cannot miss them.
A construction project manager does more or less similar work as a construction manager. This professional ensures all the processes in a construction project run according to the project schedule. These include planning, implementation, controlling, monitoring, and closure. Think of a construction project manager as the overall head of a project.
As a project's overall head, a construction project manager has a wide range of skills and knowledge. So, their resumes primarily focus on showing their in-depth understanding of the industry. It also highlights their top talents and the certifications they have received in their career.
There is no better way to tell the recruiter that you're a top professional in construction project management than listing the awards you've won in your career. If you've been a construction project manager for a long time, including any recognition you may have received will elevate your profile.
Thanks to the recent COVID-19 incident, recruiters are on the lookout for construction project managers who have demonstrable ability to work and manage teams remotely. Show that you are conversant with video-conferencing platforms and other tools that support virtual communication.
Construction project managers are project managers that are specifically focused on the construction projects. This includes consulting with architects, managing stakeholders and deadlines, and overseeing day-to-day work at sites. Remember to focus on your construction or real estate experience when applying for construction project management jobs.
Core project management soft skills include leadership, communication and teamwork. Recruiters want to see evidence of these skills on your resume, so highlight them in your bullet points.
Use action verbs like "Supervised" and "Coordinated" to show your leadership and teamwork experiences. Every bullet point on your resume needs to start with an action verb to show recruiters your role in each accomplishment.
Construction project managers are project managers that are specifically focused on the construction projects. This includes consulting with architects, managing stakeholders and deadlines, and overseeing day-to-day work at sites. Remember to focus on your construction or real estate experience when applying for construction project management jobs.
Core project management soft skills include leadership, communication and teamwork. Recruiters want to see evidence of these skills on your resume, so highlight them in your bullet points.
Use action verbs like "Supervised" and "Coordinated" to show your leadership and teamwork experiences. Every bullet point on your resume needs to start with an action verb to show recruiters your role in each accomplishment.
As the name suggests, an assistant construction manager is a personal assistant to the construction manager. Their role is to provide onsite assistance and help construction projects run smoothly and within the budget.
The assistant construction manager's resume should highlight similar qualifications to those of a construction manager. For an applicant who has been in the industry for long, the resume focuses on expertise and skillset. The reverse chronological system is the best way to present your experience, starting with the most recent.
Use numbers, percentages, and ratios to show the impact of your work. This way, you can tell the hiring manager what you did and achieved. For example, notice how the applicant states that they "Implemented cost-cutting strategies that reduced construction costs by 30%."
List in-demand hard skills in the 'Skills' section to set your Assistant Construction Project Manager resume apart. Hiring managers are on the lookout for in-demand skills like risk management, quality analysis, and building information modelling. Always prioritize the hard skills that match the job you're applying for first, then include other relatable skills.
As a hiring manager who has reviewed countless construction manager resumes at top companies like Bechtel, Skanska, and Turner Construction, I've seen firsthand what makes a resume stand out. To help you create a strong resume that will catch the eye of recruiters and hiring managers in the construction industry, we've put together the following tips. These tips are based on real feedback from professionals who make hiring decisions every day.
Recruiters want to see that you have a diverse range of experience managing various construction projects. Instead of simply listing your responsibilities, provide specific examples of the types of projects you've worked on, such as:
By showcasing your experience with different project types, you demonstrate your versatility and ability to adapt to various construction environments.
A resume summary for a Construction Manager is an optional section that can help provide additional context about your career goals and highlight your most relevant qualifications. While not required, a well-written summary can grab the attention of hiring managers and quickly demonstrate your fit for the role. However, avoid using an objective statement, as these are outdated and focus on what you want rather than what you can offer the employer.
When crafting your Construction Manager resume summary, focus on your unique skills, experience, and accomplishments that align with the job requirements. Use specific examples and metrics to illustrate your impact in previous roles. Keep your summary concise, typically no more than 3-4 sentences or bullet points.
The work experience section is the core of your construction manager resume. It's where you detail your career history and show hiring managers how you've excelled in your previous roles. To create a compelling work experience section, focus on your achievements, use relevant industry keywords, and highlight your career progression.
Improve the chances of your construction manager resume going past the screening stage by using power verbs to communicate your achievements and experience. As usual, these power verbs should begin your bulleted sentences. The idea is to make your resume grab the recruiting manager's attention and hold it for much longer than 7 seconds.
Here are power verbs you can use to supercharge your resume:
For a full list of effective resume action verbs, visit Resume Action Verbs.
Construction firms are increasingly going for candidates with a bachelor's degree. The view is that as construction processes get more complex, candidates with specialized education offer more value.
Certifications usually demonstrate that you have more experience and knowledge. So, a Certified Construction Manager (CCM), an Associate Constructor (AC), or a Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) certification by an accredited body will add more weight to your Construction Manager resume.
Showcasing your analytical, technical, decision-making, and time-management skills is ideal because these are valued in construction management jobs. Nonetheless, the job listing usually highlights the specific skills the employer is looking for. So, target your resume's Skills section to match.
Meanwhile, here are some hard skills you can start with:
You can include the above skills in a dedicated Skills section on your resume, or weave them in your experience. Here's how you might create your dedicated skills section:
This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Construction Manager job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more 'important' it is.
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