How to Write a Site Manager CV / Construction Manager CV

Site managers are employed across the industry in a wide range of disciplines. Despite worldwide economic problems and a slow down in construction, prospects for employment are still strong. This is because construction is an increasingly complex industry and higher levels of training are now expected.

When you write your Site Manager CV / Construction Manager CV, you need to be exceptional clear about what level / type of projects you can manage. Construction projects vary enormously and this affects the scale of the jobs and salaries available - make sure your CV states the level of project you can manage otherwise your CV won't be considered.

The location also influences the rewards, as construction managers frequently have to work away from their office base or even their own country. Such positions are likely to be the most lucrative and therefore most hotly contested.

Professional CV services can transform your CV and ensure that you are considered for the better paying jobs / contracts. Bradley CVs has 30 years' experience in producing CVs for the construction industry.

What Challenges Does Your Site Manager CV / Construction Manager CV Face?

It is certainly true that in the construction industry, it is possible to obtain good positions simply by word of mouth or by submitting a brief career synopsis. Strong references from well-known employers in an industry where everyone knows one another can be enough on their own to gain a contract.

Certainly, in some areas, a Construction Manager CV is not required. However, for the majority of construction manager jobs, submission of a CV continues to be required. In addition to all this, your Site Manager CV must be a highly effective marketing document. This means you must communicate your central messages effectively and powerfully.

A construction manager can be self-employed or employed by a contracting company. Either way, you face a number of challenges when writing a CV. There is the challenge of presenting a work history that consists of many contracts, defying the confines of the traditional CV format.

There is also the need to express extensive technical knowledge, demonstrated in different situations. There is also the need to convey solid management and leadership abilities skills.

It is critical that training is perceived as being fully up to date. Their value to an employer is going to reside in knowledge of the latest processes and technologies, for that is where cost economies are going to be applicable. Managers must be able to locate the best solutions that offer greatest value.

Targeting and Researching Your Site Manager CV

Your Site Manager CV needs to be angled towards the interests of different employers, meaning you need a number of versions, or to revise one version for each application, when you're applying for a number of site manager jobs.

It is important, then, that you thoroughly research every opening and the lead organisation(s) in each project.

One employer's vision of a successful project might be very different to another employer's.

Do you know exactly what their mission statements and goals are? Who is investing and where might this project lead in the future?

A certain amount of information will be provided with the contract details, but you need to ensure that you have comprehensive background information for your Construction Manager CV.

Future stages may yield fresh construction projects that would benefit from your wider knowledge, so the employer may be interested to know about more than your lead discipline.

Try to conduct desk research by reading about what is happening with construction employers. Use jobs' and careers' websites, relevant news and information sites, professional associations' sites and trade magazines to strengthen and broaden your understanding of your clients. Also network and talk to individuals who are already connected with this employer.

Awareness of the employer's long-term goals will help you to shape your Site Manager CV on every level. It informs your profile or summary, as you can indicate your relevant knowledge, skills and experience at the outset.

Achievements can be tailored to highlight results that are in line with the clients' current objectives, by mentioning the size and scope of projects you worked on as well as the outcome of projects. You can, of course, include details of contracts that are a good match for the current brief.

Also, by knowing how the employer is positioned in the industry, you can ensure that you mention former contracts that will be respected and create an impact.

A CV writing service like Bradley CVs knows what employers' in the construction industry expect to see on your CV and can help you produce a CV that really grabs employers' attention.

Construction Skills on Your Site Manager CV

Employers need to know about the nature of your project management. You may have worked as a single manager on a small project, working directly with subcontractors and labourers. Or, you may have been one of several managers involved in a major construction project such as a large retail complex or highway development.

No matter what the size of the project, you will have been responsible for the overall planning of the construction work. The tasks you may want to include on your Site Manager CV may have involved some or all of the following:

• Analysing data needed for construction site planning.
• Planning the integration of mechanical, electrical and structural designs.
• Assessing construction plans and drawings.
• Producing images using CAD (computer aided drafting), producing construction graphics, etc.
• Obtaining licences and permits as required, and ensuring regulations are adhered to.
• Supervising the delivery and use of equipment, materials and tools.

Do not present a long list in which you start with the skills that the majority of other applicants will also possess. Instead, organise your skills into a table, wherein the most current and desirable skills you possess will be seen first. You need to emphasise the technology requirements that match the project.

If it requires standard skills, then you need to present the industry standard skill as your core skills set - in other words, you must show that you have completely mastered these processes. Licences, industry accreditation, security clearances and certification are important, as they establish you as a recognised professional in your industry.

You may well be educated and trained to degree level or beyond in the planning, design and construction phases of large construction projects - so make sure you include all this on your Site Manager CV.

You will need to work with architects, engineers and other specialists in the industry. Your specialist IT knowledge needs to be comprehensive when it comes to using software for modelling and design, to guarantee the optimal use of materials and equipment on projects.

Aside from the construction process itself, you need to offer knowledge and experience in assessing potential impacts of the project. Does it comply with health and safety regulations? Will it affect the environment?

At different times, you will need to draw on your skills in engineering, project management and consulting. It is important to present your multiple skills with confidence. More than this, you must show that you can understand and apply these in contracts, while being motivated and passionate about doing so.

You must ensure that you've outlined that you have all the above skills on your Construction Manager CV, employers need to know that you have the required skills need to get things done within agreed budgets and deadlines.

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Construction Management Skills on Your CV

As well as your qualifications and solid background in construction supervision and building sciences, you need to be stressing your business administration knowledge and practice on your Site Manager CV.

These elements support your management knowledge and skills, enabling you to see and evaluate the 'bigger picture'.

Your project management experience may include the following:

• Ensuring project is completed within budget and deadline.
• Estimating time and budgeting costs of each element of the project.
• Contingency planning for the unforeseen incidents and events.
• Managing, developing and tracking changes in the construction schedules and plans.
• Undertaking record-keeping and reviewing as necessary.
• Supervising other personnel in the construction project.
• Overseeing the selection, hiring and management of direct construction employees and specialist subcontractors.

As a Site Manager / Construction Manager, you need to demonstrate that you can work independently, entering a new project and communicating with many people in different companies, agencies, public organisations, etc.

The ability to prioritise work amongst many tasks, while responding to the priorities of other parties, is valuable. Flexibility and adaptability allow you to respond to sometimes demanding schedules.

Also vital are leadership skills. The construction manager needs to be able to lead from the front, motivating other people, understanding their needs and conflicts, finding solutions, listening to their input, etc. These are soft skills (transferable skills) that are generally intrinsic to your personality and approach to work.

Integrity is invaluable. While working on a contract, you may be privy to critical information, so it is important that employers are able to trust you. Conveying integrity is difficult, but can be achieved by stating your values and motivations in your Site Manager CV (and cover letter), and by presenting past contracts with respected and known clients.

All in all, you need to assess yourself and identify your strengths in all of these areas. This comes together to form the core message that you will need to communicate throughout your CV, from the Profile at the very top, through the Achievements, Career (or Contract) History, Skills and Qualifications sections.

Provide Evidence on Your Site Manager CV

For everything that you claim in your Site Manager CV - underpinning your core message regarding your technical construction and management skills - you need to provide evidence. The earliest point you can do this is in your Achievements section. Here you can include examples of contracts and projects that are relevant to the prospective employer.

The more impressive your achievements are, the better, so long as you do not lose sight of their relevance to the advertised contract. It's usually better to focus on the larger projects where your role was more extensive.

When writing these projects up in your Career History section, it may be best to add detail beneath the entries for large projects, while leaving very short-term positions as single lines (you can even relegate them to a list of contracts at the end of your Construction Manager CV).

Every entry beneath your contracts should read like an achievement. However, always be sure to have documentary evidence in case it is asked for. This particularly applies to the quantification of achievements, for instance, when stating how much expenditure you saved, time or costs reduced, profit earned, numbers of sites, domains and servers, sales resulting from an e-commerce project, etc.

Every employer hiring in the construction industry is on the look out for exaggerated claims, so it's important to stick to the facts, while presenting them boldly.

If you are qualified to degree or postgraduate level, include details of this in your Site Manager CV, but omit details of your earlier education. Include apprenticeships if you completed one. Be sure to include any professional accreditation or memberships, as this is vital in establishing your integrity and in establishing professional competence.

Never assume that because an employer works in the same industry, they understand every project you refer to. Expand and explain, while remaining succinct. If their industry knowledge will inform them as to the award or acronym you are using, then all well and good. If it won't inform them, then you will be wasting space with information they can't interpret. So, if explanation is required, give it (briefly).

Qualifications on Your Construction Manager CV

More higher education establishments than ever are now offering three or four-year degrees or diplomas in construction management, engineering and science.

Masters degrees are also available. If you have completed such a course, include details in your Site Manager CV, highlighting your qualification in the profile, as this renders you particularly suited to a career with a large construction company.

While many employers do not require certification of their managers, there are just as many who prefer to see this evidence.

In the Qualifications section of your Construction Manager CV, include details of the degree, the grade attained, plus when and where you gained it. If you completed vocational projects, be sure to give details of these as well.

Details You Should Always Include on a Site Manager CV / Construction Manager CV

• When writing your construction management CV, you need to include the following information. The names of previous employers and your job titles.
• The number of staff you managed or who were involved on the construction project.
• The major projects that you have worked on and whether these were completed on time and within budget (if applicable).
• Your financial and budgetary responsibilities on each major project.
• Your key responsibilities within the project.
• The detailed planning of all stages of construction, including workers, equipment and materials.
• The construction phase, including site inspections and checking materials, measurements and workmanship.
• Contact with managers, other subcontractors and the clients or agencies.
• Any contemporary or cutting edge techniques and processes that you utilised within the project.
• How you successfully reduced costs / saved money on the project.
• How you improved efficiency / productivity on the project.
• Any other achievements that have benefited the project.

This is the kind of information that every employer will wish to see. However, it should always be shaped into impressive achievements and interesting responsibilities - ideally, every responsibility should also read like an achievement, as impressive results are what will truly motivate the employer to want to meet you.

There are various job titles associated with construction management that you may include on your CV: project manager, site manager, general contractor, general construction manager, executive construction manager, construction superintendent are amongst them. Make sure you choose the correct job title based on what the employer wants.

Stick to the Point on Your Site Manager CV / Construction Manager CV

Having researched the project you are applying to, it's important that you avoid straying from the core message of your Site Manager / Construction Manager CV, which is how you can further the employer's goals in the most effective, efficient way possible. In targeting your CV to each position, be sure to cut out anything that is not strictly relevant.

Unless you have completed a construction management degree, do not create long lists of skills you learned in formal education. Even if you do have this degree, focus on the secondments or placements that will illustrate how you can apply what you have learned in a real working situation.

While individual skills are important at the early stage of your career, they are very quickly superseded by the hands-on experience you gain in the real world, where you can achieve real results.

You should not assume that the employer will always know what you are talking about, so explain anything that may not be obvious. When doing this, be succinct rather than long-winded. Your sentences should be short and punchy, albeit professional and polished. Use bullet points and avoid paragraphs altogether, as these are less readable.

Regularly Update Your Site Management CV / Construction Management CV

Never assume that because your Construction Manager CV worked well for you five years ago, it will still work well for you today. Simply adding recent contracts as soon as they are completed is not the same as updating your CV.

As competition for positions on civil engineering projects becomes stronger (especially the higher up you get), you need to be constantly reviewing and tailoring your CV in order to show that your experience is contemporary. Be prepared to constantly review your Site Manager / Construction Manager CV with every application you make.

Other pages a Site Manager / Construction Manager may wish to view:

• Need an excellent CV? Our professional CVs will help you win more interviews within the construction industry.
• CV Examples
• Free CV Review
• Construction Manager Jobs
• Engineering CV
• Civil Engineering CV
• Mechanical Engineering CV
• Engineering Jobs
• Civil Engineering Jobs