Construction Manager Resume Sample, Job Description & Writing Guide for 2024
Are you ready to become a construction manager and work on impressive building projects? Whether your job search is around large-scale or small-scale construction needs, you must have a great construction manager resume to get the job. Following the right tips will ensure your commercial construction or residential construction manager resume is noticed and you get pulled in for an interview.
It doesn’t matter if you have experience in the construction industry or just feel like it’s the right industry for your career to move forward. Your resume has to indicate to a prospective employer that you can handle all the hard work associated with the position. Getting a construction project management job isn’t easy and you want the best chances on your side.
Just like you want to play a huge part in building properties, you’ll need to craft a resume that stands out, too. It might be a huge project but with the blueprint provided from this guide, we know you can succeed and rise to the top. We’ll share a resume example that helps you get noticed so you can excel in interviews that come your way.
As you read this guide, we’ll share how to make a resume for a construction manager and which sections to focus the most energy on. Tips and tricks are shared to ensure the best results. We’ll even give you ideas for how to describe work experience in a way that shows a prospective employer that you’re the right choice for the role.
Construction manager resume writing guide: Where to start?
Before you start to compete with other construction workers who want to take on a management role, you have to make sure you craft a great resume. There are two general steps to making a name for yourself when you want to apply to a specific construction company. In the sections below, we’ll share both of them and give you some ideas to make the process quick and simple. Don’t worry; it’s an easier process than it might sound as if it is.
Master construction management resume
You might already have construction knowledge. Maybe you’ve dived into the most in-depth knowledge of building codes. Having all the skills of a construction project manager is a good start to being hired in this kind of role. But before you can do that, you need to prove what skills, accomplishments, and history you have. The first step in that process is building a master resume.
So what is a master resume? It’s a document that you create for your own needs. It holds all the information about your employment history so every time you find a job you want to apply for, it’s as easy as moving the right bits of information to an application and job-specific resume. All you need is a word processing document to start this process.
Take down where you’ve worked before, what your role was, the kind of projects you did, and what dates you were with a company. Add anything you remember achieving while working there. You can do the same with your education and skills. The idea is to have all of this information in one place. Then it’s a short process to move things to job-specific documents.
Once you have all the details on paper, you can use this document to fill out a great resume. If you already have a master resume, you can skip most of this process. All you need to do at this point is make sure the master resume is updated. This is something you should add to your to-do list so the document doesn’t fall way behind.
Job-specific resumes for construction management
Now that you have a master resume, let’s talk about the document you need to excel in a career in construction management. Every time you apply to a new position, you should be creating a job-specific resume. This basically means that you take the information from the job ad and incorporate it into the resume you turn in.
How do you know what information to highlight on a job-specific resume? There are two resources you can use for that. The job advertisement is the first. It’s going to list out what a company expects from a new member of the team. You should use keywords from this description to decide what to focus on as you write your resume. The second thing is the master resume you should have crafted prior to this process.
In addition to keywords showing an employer that you understand the job, they can also ensure a human sees your document to begin with. Applicant tracking systems go over resumes and look for certain words and phrases. If you haven’t included those, the resume may never be sent to someone to look it over.
Basically, all the information is in the master resume. You move over whatever is relevant and useful and then spruce up the document so it looks great. Everything from format to design can have an impact on whether you get hired so make sure you consider every aspect of your construction manager resume.
Sample construction manager resume
Right above, you can see one of our construction management resume examples. The applicant has an impressive resume objective and follows that up with information about employment. Skills and education are also included and have details that fit a specific position. Finally, the construction manager resume is a PDF which looks the same on any device. Use this to get an idea of what your own resume may look like when complete.
How to write a successful resume for a construction manager? Writing tips and examples
When you’re starting to work on a construction project management resume, you want to be sure you include all the mandatory sections. Contact information, a resume objective, skills, education, and experience should all be included. Below, we’ll talk about some of these sections and what you can do to make sure they impress. If you get these details right, it can definitely put your resume at the top of the stack.
Skills to list on a construction management resume
The construction manager resume skills you choose should be composed of soft skills and technical skills. These should be abilities that you are confident about but also which fit the exact position you want to land. Make sure they hit each of these qualities before you add them to the document.
When we talk about customizing your resume, this is part of the process. For instance, maybe one job puts a high priority on having excellent quality standards so you include skills related to that. Another position might have a higher requirement for safety standards. Customizing your list of skills ensures you show an employer what they want to see.
The average list of skills for this sort of document will have about five to 10 entries. You can go shorter or longer depending on what works best for you, but most people are fine with this length. It gives you space to include all the most important abilities without going overboard. Be specific whenever possible rather than listing generic skills for the best results.
Of course, some skills are going to be more common than others. If you want an idea of what other people are including on their construction manager resumes, we’ve compiled a short list. You can use these as needed or let them jumpstart your inspiration.
· Building codes
· Construction drawings
· Contract negotiations
· Cost control
· Leadership skills
· Materials management
· Project management skills
· Quality control
· Risk management
· Safety regulations
· Time management
How to write work experience on a construction management resume
The next section you want to prioritize for a construction manager job is work experience. An employer wants to know if you are already a construction professional and sharing your previous roles is the best way to provide that information. This is going to give details about past positions and what responsibilities you’ve had.
Work experience is an excellent way to show that you understand the entire construction process. As a manager, everything involved with building projects is going to be your responsibility so hiring managers will want to see that you don’t have knowledge or ability gaps. Make sure you prove that with the items you include.
For someone who has experience, a reverse-chronological format is going to be best here. That means you start the list of employment with the most recent job you had and then work your way backward. Each employment entry should list where you worked, when you worked there, and what your role was.
Once you have the basic information down, you can add the things that will impress the person reading your resume. Under each entry, consider adding a bullet list. This is where you share the major accomplishments you had in each role. Whenever possible, choose things that you would do at the new job.
Add education to a construction manager resume
Any job seeker in the construction world will also want to include an education section. There usually aren’t specific educational requirements in construction, but the people doing the hiring want to know what kind of background you have. This is going to be especially critical for anyone with no experience in construction management.
For instance, someone who has just finished college might choose a different resume format. A functional format or a combination format takes some of the focus off of employment and lets you list things in a way that best shows off what makes you special. This might mean putting your education or skills first instead of diving right into experience.
This section is going to be similar to the work experience one but most people will share fewer details. For instance, if you haven’t gone to college, all you need to share is that you have a high school diploma. You can add where you got it and when. However, those with higher education can skip the diploma and simply list degrees.
If you’re just going into the workforce, additional details can be included. You might list your GPA, explain what relevant classes you took, and share any honors from your educational experience. Make sure what you share is relevant and has a connection to the job you want to get. All degrees should be listed if you have more than one.
Once all the written bits of your construction resume are completed, you have to consider design and aesthetic. CVMaker is sure to provide you with a construction manager resume template that fits your needs and preferences. Take a look at your options and choose the most appropriate template to move forward. Each comes in several color options.
Key takeaways on building professional construction management resumes
Using this guide, you’re sure to craft a construction project management resume that you feel good about turning in with a job application. Show your track record of excellence and make sure you position yourself as the best person to be hired. Use our tips to have the best chance of moving forward. Good luck on the job hunt!
Additional tips for construction manager resumes:
Most of the information you need is now in your hands, so it’s time to craft a resume and turn it in. However, we do want to share a few extra tips that can take your resume from great to completely impressive. Read on to learn more:
· Construction manager skills on a resume are an important factor in getting the job. Make sure you include both soft and hard skills and consider what is most useful for this specific position. Use the job description as a guide to help you.
· Once you finish writing the resume, take time to read through it at least one time. Make sure you clean up any errors like typos and misspellings. A tool like Grammarly can help you with this process so your resume looks amazing.
· Be sure you have included all the construction manager resume sections a hiring person wants to see. These include contact information, a resume objective, skills, education, and work experience.
· Check that your resume is professional from start to finish. It doesn’t matter how casual a company might market itself as being – they want incoming resumes to be formal and professional. Stay away from slang and unnecessary jargon.
· Your resume should be accompanied by a cover letter so make sure you have written one. This lets you share additional details that may not have fit in the resume. You can also easily share why this position means so much to you.
Next steps?
We’ve shared all sorts of tips and examples to help you build a construction manager resume you can be proud of. However, it can be a challenge for some people, which may mean having some assistance is needed to really knock your document out of the park. CVMaker is here to help if you want an extra person there to ensure your resume is perfect. Visit our website to learn more about our Resume Writing Service.
FAQs
How many pages is a typical construction management resume?
A construction manager or construction owner resume is going to typically be from one to two pages in length. Going longer than that might be overkill unless you have more than two decades of experience. The shorter you go, the more likely a hiring manager will read the entire document.
Those with at least 10 years of experience can go to two pages. Less experienced individuals should stick to a single page. On average, a resume for this position is about one and a quarter pages long. Only go to three pages if you have over two decades of experience to share.
What should I put on a construction manager resume?
There are numerous things you want to include on a resume. Construction management skills on a resume should be next to a construction management resume objective, your contact information, educational background, and work experience. All of those are expected in this type of document.
However, it’s also possible to add other types of information if it makes you seem more competitive for the position. You might add a list of languages you know, include a few references, or highlight some of the projects you have done. It’s going to be different for every person and position.
How should I write a construction manager resume summary?
A construction manager resume objective is ideal for showing what you are best at in terms of this kind of position. So you might choose to focus on how good you are at construction costs or your efforts to improve safety protocols on the job. The main purpose of this section is to share your largest achievements.
In addition to one or two major accomplishments, you can share how much experience you have, special skills you have to offer, or education and certifications that make you ideal for the position. You want to stand out and this is one of the best sections to do that.
What format is considered standard for a construction manager resume?
When you look at construction management resume samples, you can get an idea of the most commonly used formats. There is no single format that you have to use to make a good impression. What matters most is that all the important information is provided and the resume looks good overall.
A professional format is a must and some of the standard options include one-inch margins and a serif or sans-serif font. Using more than two colors or fonts is not recommended as it can clutter up the resume and make it harder to understand.
How do I write a construction manager resume with no experience?
Making a construction operations manager resume for someone with no experience is going to be slightly different than building one for someone with construction experience. You may want to prioritize things like your education and skills since you don’t have experience in construction management.
Rather than having work experience at the top of the resume, move it down. Consider highlighting your degrees or certifications if they are relevant to the position. Add in abilities you have that would be used in the position. Otherwise, it’s similar to any other resume for this position.
What are the common responsibilities of a construction manager?
Construction manager duties and responsibilities for a resume are going to vary from one position to the next. It’s important to look at the specific position and see what is desired by the potential employer. Choose to highlight the things you’ve done in other positions whenever possible.
That said, most construction managers coordinate, plan, and manage the process of building projects from inception to completion. They consider various factors, such as weather conditions, and have varying schedules. They do whatever might be needed to do, which can change from one day to the next.
How many years back should a construction manager resume go?
On average, construction manager resumes should go back about 10 years. However, this isn’t a hard and fast rule. If someone has decades of experience in the field, they might want to include more than 10 years of information. For unrelated employment, 10 years or less is a good choice.
Consider what experience you have and how it fits the position you want to go into next. Anything relevant should be included as long as it doesn’t make the resume overly long. Otherwise, it’s okay to include only things that have a connection and explain any gaps in an interview.
You have the tips and examples you need to make amazing construction manager resumes for all the jobs you find. However, you want to make sure you stand out and the right design will help you do that. Take a look at the options at CVMaker and choose a construction management resume template that meets your needs. It could be the last step needed to gain an interview.