INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Construction Worker positions are at a 7% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 1,514,200 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 109,100 to 1,623,300 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Construction Worker jobs was $37,080 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $25,770, and the highest 10% more than $65,780.
Our conclusion? The Construction Worker job market is wide open for candidates.
Top construction worker sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to Craft the Perfect Construction Worker Resume Experience Section
Perfecting the Experience section: Construction worker resume checklist.
- Be careful with bullet points: use no more than 4-6 per position;
- Mention only positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for;
- List your experience in chronological or reverse-chronological order;
- Highlight your results by using numbers – e.g. percentage increase/decrease in an important metric that’s followed by - your hard work;
- Use action words whenever possible… but more on that below.
Need examples? We looked through thousands of Construction Worker resumes and gathered some examples of what the ideal experience section looks like. Check them out below!
- Worked laboriously with others as a team for up to 10 hours per day.
- Helped build houses for people. It is a pretty rewarding feeling when you can look at a structure where people live and think to yourself "I am part of the reason that those people are able to live in that house."
- Responsible for deliveries and pickups of certain construction materials to and from construction sites.
- Ability to read and interpret blueprints and work related documents.
- Learned to work in a team and be a productive and cooperative member.
- Experience working with furniture, construction tools and involvement with electrical installation.
- Built a successful team of various roles.
- Delegating responsibilities and time targets.
- Flexibly handled different roles and responsibilities in several production site.
- Experience in a manufacturing/production atmosphere.
- Management and storage of production warehouse equipments.
- Assisted with constructing structural steels and beams
- Maintain structural, occupational health and safety standards
- Removed debris from worksite
- Analysed and read floor plans/blueprints
- Arranged and prepared work sit, equipment, and supplies
- Repaired and replaced roofing while adhering to safety regulations
- Properly utilized hand and power tools
- Used problem solving techniques and communication to accomplish goals
- Removed and applied roofing materials efficiently and safely
- Operated hand and pneumatic tools
- Kept work site in a safe and clean environment for co-workers and customers
- Demolition and removal of debris
- Material transportation
- Construction site clean-up
- Experience using grinders, drills, sawzall, etc.
- Assistant to master-builder - assistance of all master-builders for different activities
- Worked as bricklayer, formworker, surveyor
- Gain experience in all phases of building construction
- Erected and removed temporary structures such as trench liners and scaffolding to meet team needs.
- Installed new structures, updated systems and replaced worn components to bring buildings up to current codes.
- Loaded and unloaded building materials used for construction.
PRO TIP
Include quantitative data throughout your Construction Worker resume to impress the hiring manager. Real facts and figures that show off your competency as an audit manager go a long way. Did you reduce the costs of audits? Manage a large team? Boosted efficiency? Show off the real numbers!
Action verbs for your construction worker resume
Recommended reads:
Impressing recruiters with a top construction worker resume skills section
Checklist for an impressiveConstruction Worker resume skills section:
- List both hard and technical skills that are important for the role;
- Check what the job description says and add some keywords based on that;
- Focus only on relevant skills;
- Try not to list things such as “communication”; rather, highlight your soft skills in other sections of your Construction Worker resume.
Top skills for your construction worker resume
Directing
Labor Relations
Heavy Labor
Heavy Lifting
Measuring
Saftey
Welding
Attention to details
Communication
Problem-Solving
Organisation
Teamwork
Transparency
Adaptability
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended reads:
Construction worker resume header: tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your construction worker resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads"
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have policies about identifying information like photos on your Construction Worker resume. Be sure to check all the relevant rules before submitting yours. If you’re in doubt, you can always try contacting the company’s HR department to ask for their policy.
Crafting a strong summary for your construction worker resume
Checklist: The perfect construction worker resume summary section
- Add a couple of keywords from the job description;
- Mention some of your most valuable skills and characteristics;
- Highlight your top achievements (and add numbers!);
- Use no more than 3-5 sentences to guarantee readability and keep - the hiring manager interested.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Include a link to your portfolio in your resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
Recommended reads:
An impressive education section: construction worker resume
Construction worker resume: education section checklist
- Highlight your highest education degree;
- Include the degree subject, year of graduation, and institution name;
- Mention some of the awards you’ve received during your studies;
- List your certifications (incl. the body that’s issued them);
- Entry-level positions: Give preference to courses that are relevant to the position.
Top certifications for your construction worker resume
The Complete Guide to Construction Management
The Most Essential Course for EVERY Construction Project!
Microsoft Excel for Construction Management
Learn to use Excel as a construction professional, start at the basics all the way to advanced formulas and visuals.
Mastering Construction/Project Management
Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours
New Home Construction - 1 of 8
Planning For The Build
Construction Management Business
How to create construction business plan, Construction bidding process, Project delivery methods, Project scheduling.
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Construction Worker. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
The right format for your construction worker resume
When it comes to formatting your Construction Worker resume, there are certain things you need to keep in mind. These include your level of expertise, your total years of experience, and the position and company you’re applying for, to name a few.
You can choose between three basic resume formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
The reverse-chronological format is just that – all your experience listed in a reverse-chronological way. It’s great for experienced professionals who have been in the industry for many years and have no career gaps.
The functional skills-based resume, on the other hand, focuses on skills, education, and personality traits, rather than experience. This makes it great for graduates, people with less experience, or bigger career gaps. The idea is to show you’re the perfect match without putting too much emphasis on your lack of relevant experience.
If none of these sound suitable, go for a hybrid (or combination) resume. It’s a mix of experience, skills, and personality traits. It’s also considered modern and innovative because of its non-traditional structure and sections. Here, you can add details about what your typical day looks like or what your life philosophy is. In short, the hybrid resume format shows who you are, both as a professional and as an individual.
More tips on perfecting your resume style and layout:
- Choose a traditional 12p font;
- Make sure your resume margins are no bigger than an inch;
- Go for a one-page template. If you have broad experience and can’t fit your resume on one page, choose a two-page resume template
- Save your resume as PDF to avoid formatting issues and unauthorized editing.
Read this: Ways to make your Construction Worker resume stand out
Recommended reads.
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Construction Worker resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
More sections worth adding to your construction worker resume
If the industry, company, and position you’re applying for allow for that, you could include other sections in your Construction Worker resume. By doing this, you’ll show the recruiter that you’re a real human and not a robot.
Here are some ideas:
The right kind of creativity for your construction worker resume
Several years ago, everyone preferred keeping a safe distance from creative resumes. Today, adding creativity to your CV is considered cool, innovative, and one of the best ways to stand out.
You can add a creative section that describes your typical day or even go for a colorful creative template. No matter what you choose, make sure to keep the position, company, and industry in mind. Otherwise, you risk looking silly.
What makes a great construction worker resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
