As a construction manager, you’re adept at making complex plans, organizing interdisciplinary teams, meeting tight deadlines, and working with budgetary constraints. However, when it comes to crafting a construction manager resume, you might find it challenging to put all your qualifications and experience on a single sheet of paper.
In this article, we’ll explore the art of resume writing and show you how to demonstrate your skills and emphasize your accomplishments on such a document. Moreover, you’ll learn how to best grab the attention of the hiring manager and maximize your chances of getting called for an interview. Without further ado, let’s jump in!
Key Takeaways
The most suitable resume format for the majority of construction managers looking for a job is chronological.
In most cases, your resume should not be longer then one page, and it should feature a clean layout and a professional-looking font.
Five mandatory sections to add to your resume include contact information, resume objective or summary, work experience, education, and skills.
You can add as many optional sections as you want, as long as they are relevant and you have enough space on your resume.
Submitting a cover letter displays diligence and motivation and can help set you apart from the competition.
The Right Format to Use For a Construction Manager Resume
The right format for your construction manager resume depends on your situation and qualifications. Based on your skills and experience, you want to order the sections of your resume in such a way that they showcase your strengths in the best way possible.
In general, there are three established resume formats that the majority of candidates use, and they are:
Common Resume Formats
Chronological resume format. This is the most widespread format that arranges your past job experiences in reverse-chronological order. That way, you get an orderly look that gives hiring managers a neat overview of your career development. Plus, the format is ATS-compatible.
Functional resume format. The functional format leverages your skills to portray you as a competent candidate when you lack work experience. It’s perfect for entry-level job hunters. The downside is that it might not be compatible with ATS.
Combination (hybrid) resume format. This format combines the previous two to create a skill-centric organization where every skill is corroborated by relevant achievements in reverse-chronological order. That makes it perfect for experienced candidates with employment gaps.
Construction Manager Resume Layout
A resume layout is a visual aspect of the document and another element that helps you convey professionalism with your resume while helping the reader extract valuable information.
Here’s how to achieve a spotless resume layout:
Resume Layout Guidelines
Your resume should be brief and one page long. Only go for a page or two more if you have years of experience and the position requires you to show all that information.
Choose a suitable font for your resume. For example, legible fonts like Arial and Times New Roman are good choices as opposed to bad picks like stylized and script ones.
The font size should be 10–12 pt for regular text and 14–16 pt for section headings.
Margins should be at least 1 inch on all sides.
Set line spacing to 1.0 or 1.15.
Mandatory and Optional Construction Manager Resume Sections
There are five mandatory sections that your construction manager resume needs to have, regardless of your qualifications. These sections are:
Mandatory Resume Sections
Contact information
Resume objective/summary
Work experience
Education
Skills
In addition to that, you can include as many optional sections as you can fit, as long as they provide useful information about your competence and are relevant to the job that you’re applying for. Some of the optional sections you can include are:
Optional Resume Sections
Certifications/Licenses
Languages
Hobbies & Interests
Now, arranging all these sections can seem daunting when you’re staring at a blank piece of paper. That’s why we have a user-friendly resume builder that can help you automate the process and avoid any confusion.
This tailor-made software solution presents you with professional templates to choose from. You can pick the one you like, adjust the layout to suit your needs, input your details in preset spots, and have your construction manager resume downloaded in minutes!
Here’s one construction manager resume template from our galleries to help you visualize what a finished product should look like:
Construction Manager Resume Template
Name and Surname
Phone number: 000-000-0000 | Email: namesurname@gmail.com | Location: City, State
[Adjective] [your job title] with [years of experience, if applicable] in [your area of expertise, if applicable] looking for a [position] job at [company name]. Eager to apply [relevant skills] gained through [work/volunteer/other experience] to help [company name] [mention what you can do for the company].
Work Experience
Most Recent/Current Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Previous Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For recent jobs, use 5-6 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Oldest Job Title Company City, State [Start date] — [End date]
For older jobs, use 2-3 bullet points to list your top achievements and responsibilities
Use action verbs to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out
Add numbers to quantify your achievements
Education
[Degree] in [Major]
[University/college name]
[Start date] - [Graduation date]
Skills
Soft Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Hard Skills
Skill #1
Skill #2
Skill #3
Skill #4
Skill #5
Additional Sections
Add any relevant additional sections (languages, licenses, publications, hobbies, etc.)
Resume templates
Resume templates that are designed to help you win a jobAdd Contact Information to Your Construction Manager Resume the Right Way
Contact information is the staple section that goes in the resume header. It should be a brief and straightforward list with the following details:
Contact Information Mandatory Details
Your name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
Optionally, you can include a link to your LinkedIn profile, portfolio, website, etc. You can also add a location, but only if the job ad asks for it, and even then, just include a city and state.
Here’s an example:
Resume Header Example
Michael Cole Construction Manager + 305 336 9366 michael.cole@example.com Ft Lauderdale, FL linkedin.com/in/michaelcole
Construction Manager Resume Summary & Resume Objective
The construction manager resume objective and summary are introductory sections meant to capture the reader’s attention by emphasizing your key strengths. You can think of them as brief descriptions of your construction manager resume.
An objective is used when a candidate doesn’t have much professional experience. In that case, they want to highlight their skills, drive, and career goals to portray themselves as motivated and competent candidates.
Experienced construction managers should write a summary of their entire resume by highlighting years of experience and a couple of their most notable achievements.
Junior Construction Manager Resume Objective
Here’s a well-written construction manager resume objective where a person leveraged their degree, internship endeavors, and notable skills to present themselves as a strong candidate:
Good Example
Recent graduate with a BSc in Construction seeking a junior position at [Company’s Name]. During the internship, assisted the construction manager in overseeing a large-scale hotel project worth more than $15M. Looking to contribute to your team with proven analysis and site safety skills while learning to become a senior construction manager.
The following is a bad example for comparison:
Bad Example
Entry-level construction manager looking for their first job. No work experience, but I am a fast learner.
While there’s nothing wrong with being a fast learner, the candidate showed nothing about how they can contribute to the company they are applying to. They only focused on what they could gain from their employment.
Senior Construction Manager Resume Summary
Now let’s see a proper example of a construction manager resume summary, where a candidate emphasized their years of experience and impressive accomplishments:
Good Example
Strategic construction manager with 13+ years of experience in the field looking for a senior position at [Company’s Name]. Notable accomplishments include managing projects that grossed the company at least $5M per year for 3 years in a row. Adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams and maintaining communication with clients.
Compare that with a bad example that offers no concrete information about the candidate’s qualifications:
Bad Example
Construction manager with many years of experience looking for a new job. Plenty of valuable skills and accomplishments to show for.
How to Add Professional Experience to Your Construction Manager Resume
Professional experience is typically the most important section of a construction manager resume. Keep reading to find out how to make it perfect.
General Tips
One of the best ways to highlight your previous work history is in reverse-chronological order. If you’re using the chronological resume format, you want to list your past jobs in descending order, starting with the latest one. This gives hiring managers an orderly insight into your professional development and shows them where you currently are on your journey.
For every past employment you mention, you should include the following details:
Professional Experience Mandatory Details
Job title
Organization’s name
Dates of employment
Here are some tips on how to make this section stand out:
Tips To Write Professional Experience
Focus on notable results and achievements over the everyday tasks and responsibilities of a construction manager.
Use bullet points instead of blocks of text for these accomplishments, which take up less space and are more readable.
Have between 3 and 5 bullet points for each previous role, but put more emphasis on the more recent professional endeavors.
Leverage numbers and statistics in combination with results to add measurable value to them, thus making them substantial and more impressive in the eyes of the reader.
Incorporate action verbs and power words in your writing to make the entire section pop and be more memorable.
Go quality over quantity, and don’t list any job that comes to mind. Instead, focus only on the previous experiences relevant to the specific job you’re applying for.
Construction Manager With Little/No Experience
If you’re writing an entry-level construction manager resume, you likely have little to no experience to show. In that case, you can leverage analogous activities like personal or freelance projects, volunteer experience, internships, and more.
Here’s an example where an entry-level construction manager used their internship to create a compelling professional history section:
Construction Manager With Little/No Experience Example
Work Experience
Construction Apprentice ABC Skyscrapers Richmond, VA
February 2023–March 2024
Assisted senior construction managers in executing 3 residential home projects valued between $250K and $550K.
Conducted supervised site inspections and prepared 35+ in-depth reports that resulted in a 17% reduction in safety incidents.
Participated in weekly client meetings and received a recommendation for contributing to a large-scale project worth $1.5M.
Experienced Construction Manager
As an experienced construction manager you want to showcase seniority. This includes demonstrating exceptional accomplishments and highlighting advanced skills, such as leadership and negotiation.
Let’s see that in an example:
Experienced Construction Manager Example
Work Experience
Construction Manager Horizon Development Inc. Ft Lauderdale, FL
July 2019–Present
Successfully managed and completed a $45M commercial building project, delivering it 3 months ahead of schedule and attaining an 11% savings through supplier negotiation and resource management.
Led multiple interdisciplinary teams of 35+ professionals on high-profile construction projects with an on-time completion rate of 97%.
Conceptualized and implemented a state-of-the-art safety initiative that resulted in a 47% decrease in workplace incidents over a 15-month period.
Construction Manager Resume Education Section
The education section of your construction manager resume can add credibility to your competence. However, it should be a brief one so as not to draw attention from your work history, which is typically much more important. That’s why you should simply display your highest degree.
Here are the details to include:
Education Section Mandatory Details
Your degree
The institution that issued it
Years of attendance
Let’s see that in an example:
Education Section Example
Education
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management New York Central College, New York, NY 2017–2020
If you’re an entry-level job seeker, you can emphasize your education to offset a lack of work experience. In that case, you can add a bullet list with notable results and accomplishments, much like in your work history section. This list can include everything from a high GPA to relevant coursework, extracurricular activities, abroad studies, etc.
How to Add Construction Manager Skills to Your Resume
Adding skills to your construction manager resume is a two-step process.
The first step involves creating a tailored list of abilities and adding it to a dedicated skills section of your resume. This is important, as hiring managers are mostly interested in candidates who have the skills necessary to fulfill the specific role. Listing irrelevant ones can do more harm than good.
That’s why you should research the company and carefully read the job ad to figure out the requirements and ensure that your list is optimized. Once you have it, you should add it to your resume while keeping hard and soft skills separate due to their stark differences.
The second step involves proving your skills by linking them with relevant accomplishments. You can do that by mentioning some of your key abilities throughout the resume, notably in your objective, summary, and work experience sections.
Construction Manager Hard Skills
Hard skills are role-specific and necessary for professionals to do their jobs in the first place. Some of the key ones to add to your resume include:
Construction Manager Hard Skills Examples
Equipment maintenance
Project management
Budgeting
Remodeling
Carpentry
Industry knowledge
Construction Manager Soft Skills
Soft skills are typically obtained outside of traditional means and improved through experience. They are vital in boosting one’s efficiency, helping them work with others better, and so on.
Here are some of the most-sought-after soft skills in today’s business climate:
Construction Manager Soft Skills Examples
Collaboration
Time management
Decision-making
Leadership
Negotiation
Flexibility
Delegation
Other Sections You Should Add to Your Construction Manager Resume
Optional sections are great for adding value to your construction manager resume and getting ahead of the competition. You should do that as long as the information they provide is relevant to the role that you’re going for and there’s enough space on your resume after all the mandatory sections.
Certifications
Professional certifications are vital in the construction industry, where there are all kinds of standards to be familiar with and safety compliances to adhere to. Certifications demonstrate specialized knowledge in particular areas. They add credibility to your competence and showcase your commitment to the profession and to continuous improvement.
Because of that, certifications can vastly improve your job prospects and increase your chances of grabbing the recruiter’s attention. Some notable certifications include Certified Construction Manager (CCM) and Certified Professional Constructor (CPC).
When adding certifications to your resume, you should list them starting with the most important or most recent one. Include the name of the certification, the institution that issued it, and the issuing year.
Languages
Language skills are essential for professionals who constantly work with other people. Proficiency in foreign languages improves communication, particularly when managing and collaborating with a diverse workforce.
When listing these skills on your resume, you should start with the one you’re most knowledgeable about. Pick an established standard, like ACTFL, and add the level of competence next to every language that you list.
Hobbies & Interests
Hobbies and interests are often overlooked by many candidates, but they can set you apart from the competition. They provide valuable insight into your personality outside of work, which can make you more memorable in the eyes of hiring managers.
On top of that, by emphasizing certain hobbies and interests, you can indirectly highlight valuable soft skills, such as leadership, organization, or teamwork. Finally, they are great indicators of genuine passion and motivation, which is something employers always want to see in candidates.
Do I Need a Cover Letter as a Construction Manager?
Cover letter templates
Create a cover letter by filling in a free template and sharing it for freeA cover letter is typically an optional document to submit in addition to your construction manager resume. However, going the extra mile to write and submit it shows drive and commitment to the role.
Moreover, a cover letter represents another document where you can talk about your motivation, skills, and accomplishments. That means you get more room to explain your competence and include details that you might’ve had to cut from your resume.
3 Pro Tips for Writing a Construction Manager Resume
Let’s finish this comprehensive guide with a couple of extra tips that’ll help you elevate your resume a notch above the rest:
Writing a Construction Manager Resume Tips
Certain parts of your construction manager resume act as keywords for the ATS. Elements like your job title or skills should match the requirements from the job ad since the ATS is likely set up to look for those terms.
Your cover letter should expand on your resume and not replace it. It should have unique information that you haven’t already conveyed through the resume. Furthermore, a cover letter should also be tailored to the job that you’re applying for, your best bet is to write a new one every time you apply for a new role.
Meticulously proofread your construction manager resume before submitting it. Even a simple typography error can draw the wrong kind of attention. Plus, a spotless resume highlights your attention to detail, which is a valuable trait in the professional world.
Closing Thoughts
The job outlook for construction managers is above average, at 5%. More than that, the median salary of $101,480 per year is rather lucrative, making this a desired profession for construction experts.
A well-written construction manager resume is one of the best tools that can help you land a role in this fulfilling career. As you get to writing it, remember to be specific with your skill set and quantify your accomplishments.
Best of luck in the field of construction management!
