There are plenty of talented and experienced construction workers who don’t get the job they’re after. It’s not because they lack education, skills or experience, but because they don’t know how to present these assets properly on a résumé. Keywords, format, summary, experience, education, skills and proper writing need to be maximized on a construction résumé for the applicant to be successful.
1. Keywords
Using keywords is an important part of writing an effective construction résumé. These terms are what hiring managers search for when looking up resumes on career sites. Including the correct keywords will get an applicant’s résumé viewed, and continue to help them as it is reviewed by the hiring manager. The best way for a contractor to determine which keywords to use is to view job postings they are interested in and take note of requested skills, licenses and other commonly used words.
2. Format
Getting a résumé noticed is very important. Picking the wrong format is the fastest way to have a résumé rejected. A good format will put the applicant’s best qualities front and center, using a reverse chronological format. The most recent job should be listed first. Clear, easy to read font should be used, with big headings and plenty of white space to make the words stand out. The résumé should be saved in a PDF format. The reason being that a Word or Pages file can become scrambled in transit.
3. Summary
The average construction manager does not spend very long looking at a résumé, so it’s important that a contractor gets their attention with a well-crafted summary, or objective. A good summary will succinctly explain why the applicant is suited to the job, based on their experience. An applicant with little or no experience should write an objective instead. “A good objective shows interest and excitement for the position. Here the applicant can talk about similar experience, if they do not have directly applicable work experience,” advises Breanne Zamudio, résumé editor at PaperFellows.
4. Experience
Applicants applying for higher-paid positions will need experience, but there is a right way and a wrong way to present experience on a résumé. Contractors that show specific construction experience have a much better chance of being hired. The more specific and concrete the experience section is, the better the chance of the applicant being hired. People with less experience should take a different approach. Someone with non-construction experience can still be hired if they emphasize that they have performed duties similar to what construction workers do at a non-construction job. They can also boost their construction resume by taking on temporary construction jobs or working for a friend or family member.
5. Education
The education section should be kept simple. School name and location, years attended and degree or certification obtained should be included. If the applicant participated in school activities that demonstrate qualities amenable to working construction such as fitness or work ethic, then those should also be included.
6. Skills
It’s only necessary to list skills that fit the job the applicant is after. They should look over the job description and take note of what skills are mentioned. Instead of just listing off their skills, the contractor should demonstrate how these skills have been used and how proficient they are in them.
7. Use online writing and editing tools
Writing doesn’t come naturally to everyone, so contractors may want to get some online help from professional writers. Here are some good resources:
- Via Writing and MyWritingWay: These are grammar resources that can be used to check a résumé over for errors. Grammatical errors are a good way to have a resume thrown away.
- Boomessays and UKWritings: These are proofreading tools, recommended by BestBritishEssays, that can be used to edit a résumé so it is polished and free of errors.
- WritingPopulist and State of Writing: These are writing blogs full of ideas and advice on how to improve résumés. There are lots of ideas and advice from people who have successfully written construction résumés.
- Essayroo and Academized: These are online editing tools, suggested by SimpleGrad in Essayroo review, that can be used to check over a résumé for errors.
- Academadvisor and Lets Go and Learn: Contractors can check out these writing communities for help with their résumé as well as general writing tips and tricks.
Résumés are more than the sum of their parts. Every section needs to be presented in a way that properly demonstrates the candidate’s qualities and assets. Keywords, format, summary, experience, education, skills and proper writing all need to be maximized on a résumé for the applicant to be successful.
