Construction Worker Resume Sample & Writing Guide

When you are on the hunt for a position in construction, your Construction Worker Resume could mean the difference between landing the job or not. Our Construction Worker resume sample below is packed with tips, guidelines, and examples to help you create a noteworthy document with all the right information, credentials, experience, and achievements hiring managers would be looking for.

Titles similar to a Construction Worker to also consider when scouting for jobs include Union Laborer, Building Worker, Construction Laborer, Skilled Laborer, Brick Layer, Curb & Gutter Worker, Drain Layer, Helper and Building Crew Member.

Construction Worker Resume Sample

(Free sample downloads are at the bottom of this page)

Construction Worker Resume Writing Guide

Resume Sections

1. Contact Information:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Address
• Mobile Number
• Email Address
• Drivers license

2. Profile Summary:
This should be a powerful intro to your resume (1-3 lines) summarizing your experience, core competencies, and certifications. (See samples below)

3. Relevant Construction Experience:
Clearly state your employment history from your apprenticeship/in-service duration until most recent employment. Current position. Use bullet points in your job descriptions listing the most relevant duties you fulfilled.

4. Other Employment Experience:
Here, you may want to include projects or work history outside of the formal Construction field, especially if you are applying for your first job.

5. Skills Summary/Key Skills:
Concentrate on providing a skill spread of technical, physical, and soft skills to incorporate throughout your resume document, adding extra credibility.

6. Education/Licenses/Certifications/Relevant Coursework/Training:
Start with your formal apprenticeship training certifications and post-school diplomas or accreditations. Remember to add professional development programs that better prepared you to work in the Construction field like safety training, maintenance workshops, and building certificates.

What to Highlight in a Construction Worker Resume

Whether you work on residential building sites, commercial structures, dig trenches for tunnels or mix copious amounts of cement to build highways, there are some important aspects about your experience/background that should be highlighted in your resume.

Firstly, explain the overall purpose of your job. You could be involved in site preparation and cleaning or digging trenches and setting braces/scaffolding to support construction work. Other work may include safety activities or preparing materials like mixing cement or paint. A construction worker may also be tasked with directing traffic, operating heavy machinery or removing hazardous materials from a building site. The tasks of a construction worker may be limited to just one of the areas mentioned above, or you may work on a rotational basis involved in more than one of these main activities during the duration of a building project.

Next, employers want to see the tools, machinery, and equipment you are familiar with. Indicate whether you are operating hand tools or power tools (examples include earth tampers, mechanical hoists, air hammers, cement mixers, and heavy-duty drilling machines).

Construction workers may also specialize in particular construction functions after earning their stripes as general workers:

Carpenters:
Work with structures and fixtures made from wood and other non-steel materials to repair, construct, install, and erect them.

Structural Iron & Steel Workers:
They do welding of steel and iron structures and are also adept at maneuvering iron beams and steel reinforcements around (often being suspended in mid-air!)

Painters:
These workers prepare, groom, protect and coat and seal interior and exterior surfaces, other finishes, and building constructs.

Flooring Installers:
Install carpets, screed, tiles, and wooden flooring inside commercial buildings, residential homes or in public walkways such as shopping malls or airports and train stations.

Marine Construction Workers:
Marine construction is quite a specialized function, and workers will be stationed on offshore oil rigs, work in gas and mineral exploration platforms or even in underwater construction projects.

Construction workers typically work for contractors or construction companies. It is a good idea to include a few dollar values or building/facility sizes regarding the construction projects you were involved in. For example, being part of the team that built a 30 000 square holiday resort or the commissioning of a new solar plant to the value of $100 million, would definitely make a recruiter look twice at your application.

Lastly, construction workers often have to work overtime to make up for delays caused by adverse weather conditions or unexpected events slowing down the building process. This entails long hours of standing on your feet and 24hour shifts where you need to remain focused on the job. Having the stamina to withstand these pressures will count in your favor and so would having the optimal physical strength to lift, hoist, maneuver or pull equipment and materials where required.

Construction Worker Career Summary

Construction workers are often hired by Supervisors or Project leaders that spend most of their time on site. Therefore your career summary should be good enough to grab their attention within an instant while they probably have one eye focused on the construction site in front of them.

Keep it short and punchy but with sufficient information to summarize your background, experience, and capabilities in 2-4 lines. Use the SEO keywords of the job add to align your career summary to the position on hand.

Also remember to, add a line that showcases any outstanding qualities that will be of value to the employer. A hiring manager would be interested to know if you have “physical strength, can take direction from a supervisor, and have a focused approach in completing tasks and activities. It’s important to note that these qualities should be proven in the professional experience section to re-enforce your message.

Lastly, mention any certifications/licenses obtained pertinent to the role at hand.

Three Example Career Summaries:

Career Summary 1

Highly experienced Construction Worker with over six years of experience in working on high-rise commercial building projects. Adept with complex electrical and plumbing activities and well-versed in the full range of building maintenance following specified protocols and building regulations. Certified as a Master Builder and currently completing a Welding Certificate.

Career Summary 2

Top-performing Construction Installer with over with ten years of experience in the construction of bridges and highways for local and regional contractors in the Midwest. High proficient in the setup and break down of scaffolding and ramps adhering to strict OSHA safety standards. Recently achieved CPC (Certified Professional Constructor) status.

Career Summary 3

Physically dexterous construction worker with eight years of experience in operating equipment like pneumatic hammers, drills, and trench rammers. Proficient in performing demolition activities and subsequent clean-up protocols. Accredited as a Licensed Safety Professional (LSP) via the NASP.

Construction Worker Job Descriptions

A hiring manager specific foundational duties and skillsets in a Construction Worker resume:

Job Description Examples

A Construction Worker involved in Site Preparation may:

• Prepare working site before building commences by removing potentially hazardous materials and objects
• Unload building materials, tools, equipment and machinery from delivery trucks and distribute them to the appropriate site locations
• Measure mark and record openings, holes, layout and distances on the site surfaces in accordance with project specifications and plans
• Mop, brush and sweep site surfaces and coat objects, floor surfaces, fixtures and walls with appropriate cleaning solutions or protective compounds before construction commences
• Signal and direct equipment operators to ensure correct alignment, movement and adjustment of equipment, machinery and offloading of building materials

A Construction Worker involved in Commercial Building Activities may:

• Conduct manual labor such as digging and shoveling ditches or trenches
• Use hand tools or power-operated machineries such as jackhammers, power saws, shovels, picks, and drills
• Responsible for cleaning and maintaining building tools and equipment
• Mixing cement, concrete, and other substances
• Laying bricks, compacting concrete surfaces and plastering of walls
• Accountable for keeping site and grounds at sites clean and neat.
• Perform site work in adherence to standard safety procedures
• Involved in heavy-duty labor, for example, hauling cement, demolition, welding metals, and masonry
• Clean construction areas daily and wash tools and equipment when required

A Construction Worker at a Residential Building Site may:

• Mix, pour and spread concrete foundation using cement mixers and concrete scrapers
• Perform electrical, plumbing, painting, tiling and carpentry activities
• Apply sealants, grout, protective coatings and other agents to installed fixtures and surfaces
• Erect roofs in accordance with building plans
• Prepare ground surfaces to place grass mats
• Assemble, install and fix gutters to buildings
• Assemble and install cupboards and closets for kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms

Highlight Your Accomplishments

Under your experience section, you may be tempted to merely provide a list of your primary duties performed. The drawback to doing this, though, is that you won’t stand out from the other applicants with similar experience. Hardworking, dedicated, proficient, and adept are words to include in your summary statement, but when drafting accomplishments, you need to think of numbers, metrics, timeframes, and percentages.

When writing your construction worker resume, you may categorize your accomplishments into four specific areas to highlight your ‘’value add” to potential employers:

Examples:

• The number of construction sites worked: Responsible for Hazmat cleaning operations at an average of 5 construction sites per week.
• Size of teams and scope of responsibility: Accountable for preparing machinery and equipment maintenance on heavy construction equipment for site teams exceeding 50 laborers.
• Size of location, site, floor area maintained: Part of the maintenance construction team servicing shopping malls exceeding 100 000 square feet on a weekly basis.
• Value of construction projects: Working on sizeable offshore rig projects exceeding $150 million and $250 million.

Construction Worker Education Section & Examples

Construction workers, in general, can secure jobs without having any post-school education, but if you have obtained specific licenses, certifications or completed courses, trade school apprenticeships, and training workshops, you should be adding them to your resume.

There are numerous educational career paths for construction workers such as trade school courses, vocational training programs, trade apprenticeships, and then also completing college and university degrees.

List your Secondary and Post School Education as follows:

Start with the commencement date and completion date for diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor degrees. For courses, you can just list the date of completion. Next comes the full name of the qualification, then the full name of the institution and then the City or abbreviated State name. List your high school diploma details similarly, but only include this when you have less than five years of working experience.

Here are some examples of education for a Construction Worker’s Resume:

2019 – Certified Construction Manager (CCM), Construction Manager Certification Institute (CMCI), Mclean, VA

2018 – Certified Welder, American Welding Society (AWS), Miami, FL

2017 – Certificate in Concrete Finishing, American Concrete Institute (ACI), Farmington Hills, MI

2016 – Flatwork Technician Course, American Concrete Institute (ACI), Farmington Hills, MI

2015 – Construction Induction Card (CIC), American Institute of Constructors (AIC), Mount Royal, NJ

2013 – Licensed Safety Professional (LSP), National Association of Safety Professionals (NASP), Wilmington, NC

Construction Worker Resume Skills

The Construction field requires specific technical skills, physical abilities, and personal traits. A skills matrix is a great tool to provide prospective hiring managers with an instant view of your capabilities and ‘’value add”. Go for a 10/10/10 spread as per the example below:

Incorporate these skills into your summary, or profile, and your accomplishment statements to set a professional tone throughout.

Qualifications/Certifications Associated with Construction Workers

Action Verbs for your Construction Worker Resume

Professional Information on Construction Workers

Sectors: Construction, Building, Engineering
Career Type:  carpenter, electrician, heavy equipment operator, ironworker, laborer, mason, plasterer, plumber, pipefitter, sheet metal worker, steel fixer (also known as a “rodbuster”), and welder.
Person type:  Worker, Laborer, Apprentice, Trainee, Assistant
Education levels: None required, up to Post-School Diploma’s Certificates and Licenses
Salary indication: $32 965 per annum / $14.92 per hour
Labor market: Estimated 12% increase between 2016 – 2026 (USA Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Organizations: Various

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