The profession of a construction manager requires creativity, hard work, and specific skills. Check out the best construction manager skills below. If you don’t have any of these, try to inculcate them, as they really affect your profession.
The career of a construction manager can be quite rewarding. But at the same time, a construction manager has to be hardworking. He is required to be on the scene to change orders, manage and supervise team workers as well as deal with unexpected issues.
The main goal of a construction manager is to ensure that all work meets the expected quality, budget, time limit and schedule. So, this profession requires responsible candidates. Candidates can deal with situations if and when things go wrong because ultimately the manager is held answerable. The amount of responsibilities entrusted upon this position makes it quite easy to distinguish the high-quality project managers from the average ones.
So, read on and discover the best construction management skills that make you the most ideal candidate for any construction management job. Ensure that you add these to your resume and enhance your selection chances.
Do Best Construction Manager Resume Sample & Tips
Best Construction Manager Skills and Abilities
Given below are the best 7 skills a construction manager needs to have. Ensure that you add them to your resume.
You must keep in mind that these skills are not taught in books. They have to be acquired through hands-on experience and training.
1. Foresight into Risks and Their Pre-Management
Calamities occur unexpectedly. However, you must always be prepared for one. What precautions are to be taken? How to ensure safety? These are not just questions arising in the minds of people but have to be thought of beforehand.
To a larger extent, your construction team is held responsible for the safety regulation of various constructions involving buildings, offices, residences, etc.
The ability to recognize risks is what separates an average construction manager from a great one.
Basically, a construction manager has to be careful about the following –
-The suppliers deliver the right materials to the site.
-Failure of structural support.
-Working along with the construction team members and identifying as many risks as possible before the project begins. Consecutively, he must work along with the team to devise an action to deal with any such situations.
So, a successful construction project manager has a well-developed skill to understand well that risks may happen, so, he has the plan to handle anything that goes wrong.
2. Sharpened Communication Skills
To come up with ideas and present them or to pen down your ideas and convey them to others requires effective communication skills.
It has been proven that poor communication may lead to many construction mistakes.
Ineffective communication might result in–
-Additional problems
-Overlooked remedies
-Pending fixes.
Construction managers with outstanding communication skills on and off the worksite can express themselves clearly. Moreover, they smoothly ensure that everyone can better collaborate together.
Furthermore, employing the right technologies can also aid effective communication. Well-formulated presentations are certainly an excellent idea to convey your thoughts and plans.
3. Construction Manager Leadership Skills
Construction project manager skills and competencies play a major role in his /her progress.
A successful manager knows when and how to deal with those in positions below yours as well as those above. The construction manager’s skills of keeping oneself calm and composed are quite valuable in the industry. None would appreciate leaders with temperamental issues.
On the contrary, being extra polite and easy-going to the extent that your workers take you for granted is also not wise.
Construction project managers should also take the time to develop their emotional intelligence. This enables them to lead in a better way and manage their team to success.
So, inculcate the right management qualities that make you an ideal leader.
Furthermore, the right amount of flexibility to make changes and let the entire team understand the project’s scope during every step is really valued in the industry.
4. Ability to Close Out the Project
Well, nothing can be worse than a project that seems to go on forever. Often such a situation arises due to processes falling short or building finishings being incomplete.
Construction project managers who sit in a corner and be unaware of how well or how poorly the project is progressing are truly a waste. The ability to close out on projects by staying up-to-date on key tasks is a really important construction manager skill.
Furthermore, in case there occurs any shortfall, the manager must be ready to take the blame, offer solutions and resolve the issue quickly.
5. Technical Skills
The best construction managers are perpetual learners.
The ability to stay keenly aware of what types of strategies, technologies, and methodologies are in demand or the ones that make the construction sector better is highly beneficial. This can be leveraged into planning, project initiation, and management goals as and when required.
In today’s tech-savvy world, a variety of technologies have developed that can further shape the construction industry. Examples- are drones, productivity software, and wearables.
However, even if you are not that tech-savvy to keep up with the fast-paced technological environment, make sure you work on a few basic technical skills. For instance- some basic technical construction management skills for a construction job include-
- Microsoft Office Suite- MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint
- Email and Internet
- Data Management
Software /applications that are valuable in the completion of construction projects include-
- Smartsheet. It delivers increased project efficiency and accountability for construction.
- CoConstruct.
- Tenterfield.
- Corecon.
- GenieBelt.
6. Entrepreneurship Capabilities
Managing construction is in many ways similar to operating a business.
Every project that you take up is distinct and has its own challenges.
A project manager has to plan and initiate processes, monitor work and rebound if a setback appears.
Projects have a range of scopes, clients and co-workers. Therefore, with an entrepreneurial mindset, it is much easier to reach success while managing multiple projects.
Moreover, this skill enables construction managers to ride the highs and lows of the construction project and ultimately become stronger leaders.
7. Expertise in Budget Analysis
Keeping your budget in mind and not only impressing your clients but also displaying your professionalism, requires you to be adept at budget planning.
Every construction project ultimately boils down to money. So, when you have a bigger budget, you most probably get more co-workers to do your project and deliver more.
No project planning can ever be complete until you finalize a budget. It is essential to come up with detailed estimates. Once you have compiled this, it is easier to add up the estimates into a budget plan.
So, add the top construction manager skills that suit you to your resume. Your dream job is just a step away.
