I have worked with a wide range of job seekers from the construction field, including Project Superintendents, Building Inspectors, Permit Officials, Construction Managers, Crew Supervisors, Master Carpenters, General Laborers and Property Appraisers.

Show The Depth of Your Construction Experience
When writing resumes for the construction field, keep in mind that employers will want to know the extent of your construction experience. This can include job duties such as Construction Management, Proposal Development, On-Site Supervision, Finish Carpentry or Drywall skills depending on whether you are a Manager, Site Foreman or Laborer.

Like many resume writers, job seekers from the construction field often write general statements that lack the use of numbers to describe important items like the size and value of projects or number of staff supervised. They also assume that anyone in the construction industry will know what they have done and the depth of their skills just by reading their job title. However, both are erroneous assumptions and can result in poor resume response. Take a moment and read the example from Dan's resume shown below.

Now take a moment and compare a section from Dan's after resume that I wrote when working with him. Even though this is a very short section, you can see how much more qualified Dan looks for Construction Management position. I was able to achieve this difference by asking Dan a variety of questions which resulted in replacing his weak job title with strong skill headings, and by using numbers in his resume statements.

Dan's new description is entirely true because he was left in charge of projects each and every day. He was solely responsible for coordinating his crews and making sure that the work was completed on time, at budget and met quality control standards. The process of marketing your top skills and slanting them to match the jobs you want is critical to landing higher paying construction positions whether you're at the top of your field as a Construction Manager or as a General Laborer.

$9,000 Salary Increase
The first resume workshop in this site shows how Fran's after resume resulted in a $9,000 salary increase. Fran wanted a $33,000 Corporate Customer Representative job but her resume created an image of her being at a $20,000 to 24,000 salary level -- that's $9,000 to $13,000 beneath her goal.

What Level Does Your Resume Market You At?
If you are curious to see what level your resume is marketing you at … then be sure to read and use the graphing techniques in my first workshop. By graphing the job titles used in Fran's resume it's easy to see why her resume failed … and once you understand this … you will understand why the majority of resumes fail. You'll then understand how to analyze your job titles and see if you are better off using them or replacing them with skill headings that market you more effectively.

Most People Have Job Titles that Weaken Their Image
I estimate that at least 85% of all job seekers have job titles unrelated to their current career goals … and that they are much better off using skill headings rather than job titles to land higher salaries and double and triple their interview rates.

For example, Fran had been a Directory Operator but in most people's minds that doesn't sound like she's at the level of a Corporate Customer Representative making $33,000 … that's because most people don't view directory operators as providing true customer service. Most people say that Directory Operator sounds like someone making only $20,000. However, by using the 12 Questions in my Proven Resumes Series, Fran wrote a new description of her duties as a Directory Operator that described her being selected out of 100 Directory Operators to provide specialized Customer Service to the Governor's Office and Political Dignitaries in the Washington State Capitol … now that information begins to change our image of Fran doesn't it? That makes her sound much more like someone being able to command $33,000.

Which sounds like a better match for the $33,000 Corporate Customer Service Representative goal… her old job title of Directory Operator … or a skill heading like Customer Service Representative to State of Washington Account. In Fran's actual resume we used the heading of Customer Service Representative but you can see how you can play with skill headings to control and elevate your image … this is one strategy I explain in detail with examples throughout my book, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Have Increased Salaries, and one of the strongest things I can offer you as a resume writer … just in case you don't have the time or patience to write your own.

Going from 0% to 100% Interview Rate
By using skill headings that matched her goal, Fran went from a 0% interview rate to a 100% interview rate -- meaning none of her prior resumes had landed an interview but her new resume landed an interview for each position she applied for.

Click here to learn other ways we improved Fran's resume and landed her a job paying $9,000 more click here to read my first set of resume workshops! If you've entered my site via this page, be sure to go to my main website's home page for an overview of more than 60 Free Resume & Job Search Workshops that include tons of Resume Tips for 45 Career Fields, Job Search, Electronic Resume, Cover Letter, Interviewing, Networking and Confidence Building strategies.

The testimonials throughout my site describe salary increases ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 and more. Here's one of my most recent ones:

In Summary
If you have extensive construction industry experience, or are graduating from a 4 year university program, I recommend that you consider purchasing my booklet series, Proven Resumes: Strategies That Increase Salaries. It is targeted for job seekers with a salary range of up to $100,000+ and provides over 2,000 skills, skill headings and sample sentences including lists for the Construction field along with lists for Accounting, Sales, Facilities Management, HR Management, General Management/Supervision, and Self-Employed Consultants. It provides extensive resume examples and worksheets to help you identify your skills and market them to match the jobs you want. For a complete description click on the link below.

When I first moved to Seattle, I wasn't landing any interviews.

After your critique and suggestions to take out of state addresses and categorize my construction management experience, I landed a Project Management position with McDonalds. Thanks so much!

Tony F.