How to Write a Certified Construction Manager Resume

Updated 23 March 2023

Construction companies and building consulting firms employ certified construction managers to plan, develop and manage construction projects. These individuals oversee building projects from start to finish, ensuring the smooth organisation and delegation of work to meet deadlines. If you're interested in a career in the construction industry, learning to create a resume that effectively shows your experience and skills can improve your chances of getting selected for an interview. In this article, we outline what these managers do, discuss how to write a certified construction manager resume and provide a template and example document to follow.

What is a certified construction manager?

Construction managers, often called project managers or general contractors, work at building sites to supervise the construction of residential, commercial, public or industrial structures. They typically oversee and delegate tasks to a team of builders and labourers to meet project milestones and deliverables. These include a project's schedules, quality, scope, safety and function. To learn how to create a certified construction manager resume, it's helpful to first understand what these people do.

Here are several other responsibilities of construction managers:

Managing project milestones and schedules: Managing a construction project involves considerable planning, forecasting and monitoring of the project's progress while providing the client and other management teams with regular updates. Construction managers typically multitask and delegate duties to others to ensure the success of a project.
Interpreting construction blueprints: Certified construction managers require technical expertise to understand and interpret architectural drawings and blueprints. They may work with architects to determine the feasibility and costs of construction requirements.
Managing budgets and finances: The client and senior management use project costing and budgeting to gauge if a construction project is achievable. Since construction projects are generally expensive, it's beneficial if construction managers have financial management skills to prevent a project from going over budget.
Planning schedules and time management: Construction projects with many milestones can be time-sensitive. If a project extends past its deadline, project managers can use their time management skills to track scheduled work to prevent extra costs or unnecessary spending on resources.
Ensuring risk management: Construction projects may come with risks, and knowing how to mitigate them helps construction managers with the smooth and safe completion of projects.
Negotiating: A building manager typically works with contractors and other vendors throughout a project, so your role may involve managing these people. This can include setting employment contract terms, incorporating project owner expectations or discussing project feasibility with technical teams.

How to construct a certified construction manager resume

Here are several steps you can follow to write a certified construction manager resume:

1. Review the job description

A well-written resume that's tailored for a specific position can help you establish credibility with a prospective employer and increase your chance of getting an interview. You may have had various jobs with different skill requirements as a construction manager, so aligning your experiences with any keywords in the job description can improve your resume and distinguish you from other potential candidates. By customising your resume, you also enhance it for applicant tracking systems, which a hiring manager may use to score and rank candidates according to how well the resume matches the job description.

2. Select a format

Selecting a suitable document format for your experience and skill level can highlight your strengths to a recruiter. If you have a lot of relevant work experience, choose a reverse-chronological structure to showcase your employment history over your skills and convince a hiring manager that you can start without much additional training. If you're changing industries or want to highlight your skill set over your experience, use a functional format that focuses on your skills. To feature your abilities and experience equally, opt for a hybrid resume to effectively combine your construction knowledge and practical accomplishments.

3. Write a header

Writing a well-formatted and concise header can portray your professionalism to the hiring manager. It clearly displays your contact information, which makes it easier if they want to follow up on your application or call you for an interview. In your header, include your name, professional title, telephone number, email and professional profile or portfolio containing images and details of previous projects if you have one.

4. Add your professional summary

Your professional summary may be the first thing a recruiter sees, so ensure you write one that captures their attention and convinces them you're the ideal candidate for the job. A professional summary, also called a summary statement, provides a preview of what you've done, who you are and how you can help the organisation meet its objectives through your expertise, experience and accomplishments. It's a short introduction to you with quantifiable information.

Aim for two to three sentences and include information such as:

your number of years of experience as a certified construction manager
the type of building projects you're familiar with at work
the number of teams or people you've managed
your strengths as a construction manager.

5. Include your work experience

Your work experience shows the recruiter how you apply your knowledge and skills in the workplace and fit the requirements of the role. As a manager, you may have ample experience in monitoring safety and building compliance regulations, scheduling deliverables or managing risk, so review the organisation's goals and job description to see what to include. Simplify your experience to five bullet points about your most recent position and three points about previous roles.

6. Create a skills section

A well-written skills section can demonstrate whether you can fulfil certified construction manager duties. Include a mix of hard and soft skills to create a well-rounded application. Hard skills are job-related abilities, which you typically acquire through your training or education. Soft skills are more personal attributes, such as how you interact with and relate to other people. For example, communication helps construction specialists work with people with different specialities such as a plumber, electrician, roofer and carpenter.

Some other skills you can include are:

leadership
organisation
problem-solving
teamwork
time management
project planning
budget management
delegation.

7. Describe your education

In this section, list your educational qualifications, such as a degree, diploma or certificates, in reverse chronological order. Certified construction managers typically have a degree in engineering, architecture or construction. Include your degree subject and the name of the institution. If you're currently studying, add the name of the qualification and your anticipated graduation date.

Certified construction manager resume template

Here's a resume template for a certified construction manager that you can use as a reference:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City], [State or Territory]

Professional Summary
[Two to three sentences that highlight your years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional.]

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Territory]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City], [State or Territory]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Degree and Major] | [Name of School or University]

Certifications (optional)
[Certification Name], [Host Organisation] – [Year completed or expiration date]

Example resume for a certified construction manager

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.

Here's an example resume you can use as a reference:

Tommy Frits, Bachelor of Science (Engineering) 05 5555 5555 | tommy.frits@email.com | Townsville, QLD

Professional Summary: Certified construction manager with over five years of experience in building construction. Comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of construction management for commercial buildings, home construction and budget and costing management. Proven capability in analysing design blueprints and specifications to accurately identify operational improvements and deliver construction milestones.