Industry | Construction: Overview

Welcome, this is the first post in the Industry Overview Series!

I’m excited to give you a bit of insight into an industry that you may be unfamiliar with. Hopefully this will help to open your mind to the different kinds of opportunities available to you that you may not have considered.

This first entry is about the Construction Industry.

The construction industry is often thought of as a sector that primarily involves hard labor and physically building structures. However, the industry is much more diverse and offers a wide range of roles that cater to different skills and interests. From project management to design and engineering, sales and business development to quality control and safety, there is a role for everyone in the construction industry.

The goal of the industry is to create functional and aesthetically pleasing structures that meet the needs of the community and clients. Whether you are just starting your career or looking for a change, the construction industry offers exciting opportunities for those looking to make an impact in the built environment.

There are various roles that one might find in the construction industry, and they can be broadly grouped into several categories:

 

  • Project management:

    These roles involve overseeing all aspects of a construction project, from planning and design to completion. They are responsible for the coordination of all aspects of the project, including scheduling, budgeting and resource allocation.

  • Design and Engineering:

    These roles involve the technical aspects of construction, such as designing, engineering and creating blueprints of the structure, while also ensuring that it meets all necessary codes and regulations.

  • Skilled labor:

    These roles involve physically building the structure, such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons and so on. These tradespeople use their skills and knowledge to construct the building according to the plans and specifications.

  • Sales and Business Development:

    These roles involve finding and securing new business, such as sales representatives, and business development professionals. They work to generate leads and close deals for the company. A sales related role in this industry that might appeal to creatives would be a marketing representative.

  • Quality Control and Safety:

    These roles involve ensuring that the structure is built according to code and safety regulations, as well as ensuring that quality standards are met throughout the construction process.

  • Customer service and client management:

    These roles involve maintaining the relationship with the client and ensuring that their needs are met, such as site managers and customer service representatives.

Each role in the construction industry plays an essential part in the success of a project.

Project management roles ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget, while design and engineering roles ensure that the structure is designed and built according to code and safety regulations. Skilled labor is responsible for physically building the structure, sales and business development roles bring in new business, and customer service and client management roles maintain the relationship with the client.

Together, these roles form the backbone of the construction industry, working together to create functional and aesthetically pleasing structures that meet the needs of the community and clients.

In conclusion, the construction industry is a vital sector that plays a crucial role in the development of our built environment. The industry offers a wide range of roles that cater to different skills and interests, from project management and design to skilled labor and customer service.

Whether you’re just starting your career or looking for a change, the construction industry offers exciting opportunities for those looking to make an impact in the built environment. With a variety of roles available, there is a place for everyone in the construction industry, and it is worth exploring the different options available to find the right fit for you.

If this article sparked your interest, check out our currently available jobs in the Construction industry!

If you liked this article, stay tuned for more in this series. I am conducting a similar series on Job Types as well, giving examples of what a particular job type’s role might be across different industries. As time goes on, we’ll move on from overviews and transition into more specific information of interest.

(Our first entry in the Job Types series was on Sales. Give it a read!)

 

Why Should You Use LinkedIn?

​If you’re looking to network or are interested in keeping up to date on your professional industry, there’s no better place than LinkedIn.
Here you can find a vast network of professionals like you across any and all industries. Think of it almost as social media for business, with the benefit of affording you new opportunities.
So why should you use it?

Information

First off, if you’re looking to grow in your career, LinkedIn is a great resource.
Stay on top of market trends and new technologies to get ahead of the curve and improve your skills. Build your network of people from your company, industry, or Job Title to get unique insights that may help inspire or educate you.

Build a Personal Brand & Network 

Join in on the conversation! Share knowledge of your own to help others, and build a strong reputation for yourself in the process. You may even get noticed as a result, possibly offering you unique opportunities. All in all, it can be an enriching resource for passive and active career growth.

Seeking work

On the topic of opportunities, your network of connections may expose you to interesting jobs that you would have otherwise not seen.
LinkedIn in particular has a reputation as being one of the best places to find quality professionals when employers are looking to hire. If LinkedIn is where many employers look first, it’s wise to have your profile in the mix.
If you’re actively looking for work, make sure to take the time to fill out your profile with your experience and skills so that you can be discovered passively by companies seeking your expertise.
Browse their Job Board, sporting over 6 million jobs, to get your resume out to the positions you want. You can also activate a setting that shows you are Open to Work, which will display a graphic over your profile image to increase your visibility. This will make it even easier for employers to find you.
Overall, using LinkedIn can change your professional career for the better, in a multitude of ways. Whether you plan to actively engage with the platform, or just make a profile with your information, it can serve to benefit you nonetheless.

How to Prepare for a Job Search

Feeling unfulfilled, bored, or like you’re not progressing in your career as you desire? If you’re ready to make a change in your job, it’s time to prepare yourself. Here’s some steps to take on how to prepare for a job search.

Planning

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Where do you want to go from here?

Take some time to really think about you. What are your goals? If you haven’t planned ahead, now would be a good time to take some personal inventory to make your planning easier. Are you looking for stability, or a more advanced role? Think about your strengths and what you enjoy. Explore what opportunities are a good match for someone with your strengths.

Whatever your aim is, do some research on the qualifications and skills that you need to move yourself in the direction you want to go. If there’s gaps in the experience you need for your goals, map out the steps you need to take to get the experience you need. Whether it’s education, or moving up through different roles, get an idea of what is necessary to achieve your goals. Having this intentional direction to your job search will help in identifying opportunities that fulfill your needs.

Consider internal opportunities

If you don’t mind your employer or the industry you are in, consider possible opportunities within your company.

Look at the roles that exist in your current company for any that you may be interested in. Talk to your supervisor and express an interest in growth or a particular role, and inquire as to what steps you need to take to get on track for acquiring those skills.

If your employer isn’t interested in training on a different role within the company, make sure that you are truly unsatisfied with your work, and if so, time to prepare to look at your other options.

Optimize your resume for your goals

Make sure to highlight your strengths that are geared towards the kinds of jobs you want. You’d be surprised at the employers that find your skillset desirable.

Check out our article on resume writing tips!

Put your resume up on Job Boards

Countless employers are scouring job boards for resumes just like yours at any given moment. Make sure you’re putting your resume on all of them you can find to increase your potential for opportunities.

Here’s some popular job boards:

  • Indeed
  • Monster
  • CareerBuilder
  • ZipRecruiter

And consider creating a profile on Linkedin if you haven’t already, it’s a great networking tool and a good way to be seen in a way that isn’t limited to just your resume.

Conduct your intentional Job Search

Shoot your shot! Now that you have an idea of the direction you want to move in, it’s time to explore your opportunities.

Since you’ve done some research on the types of roles you’re looking for, it should take some stress out of the process. Be dedicated in your search, and your efforts will pay off.

Keep an open mind. There may be positions you may have never thought you could be considered for but are interested in, check it out! Some employers are more than willing to train the right person, even if they may not have directly related experience. Having the right characteristics and aptitude or enthusiasm can influence more than you think.

Be proactive!

While you’re in the process of getting a new job, consider setting aside some time to develop skills independently. Whether it’s your communication skills or a software, continuing to grow will only serve to help you.

Let us help you in your job search! Send us your resume and our team of recruiters may be able to help you find your ideal job.

Words to banish from your corporate communications

Touchbase (and other corporate jargon)

We need to remove corporate jargon from the world’s vocabulary.

“Touchbase”, “connect”, “take offline”, and the like are all passive phrases. Instead of asking someone to touch base on something, or if they have time to connect, or if they want to take something offline, propose a date, time, and place for you to actually have the conversation you’re emailing them about. It’s likely they will respond with either an acceptance or proposal for a new time. Regardless of the outcome, you’re a lot further along than if you kept it ambiguous.

What do you really want to do?

What would you do with your time if money wasn’t a factor? Whose career are you completely jealous of? Figure out what your passion is and what it is that you’re really good at—your core values are key. And don’t just think about it…actively go out and seek the answers. Far too often I find people marinating versus engaging in some sort of action… Go to networking events and ask people to explain their jobs to you. Peruse LinkedIn and find people whose careers you admire. So often, we get so caught up at jobs we stay at just to pay the bills, or because we feel certain pressures to follow a certain path, that we lose sight of what we really want to do and what we’re really good at.

Let us at Career Paths guide you in finding the job that is right for you.

Want to succeed at work?

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help

As much as you think you know, you don’t know it all. There are people with more experience than you, and with that experience comes knowledge. To get access to it, you need experienced colleagues, in addition to your peers, in your network. Establish a relationship with a mentor who can guide you through your career. In addition to advising you on how to advance, a mentor can help you learn about an occupation you are considering, get the lowdown on an employer before a job interview, and solve problems at work.

Want to improve your relationship with the Boss?

Don’t expect your boss to be your best friend – even the warmest of managers will sack you if they need to. But they should trust you to get on with the job, support you when needed and deal fairly and honestly with any problems.

Here’s how to improve the relationship with your boss:

1. Instead of only telling your manager about problems, make sure you tell them all the things you’ve done well. It helps build their trust in you.

2. Observe their communication style. What works for them? It may feel like they want to micro-manage you – but perhaps they are simply reassured by detail, and will leave you alone if you give them a clear explanation of your plan.

3. If you have a toxic relationship, find someone to talk to who can give you an objective view, like a career coach or HR. Remember things can be fixed.

Use Twitter to look for jobs in Seattle

Create a Twitter Job Search List to Track Job Listings From Thousands of Sources

Every day, recruiters are tweeting jobs they need to interview candidates for—making Twitter a seriously untapped resource for job seekers. To make sure you’re in the know about these leads, create a Twitter job search list that includes recruiters, hiring managers, company hiring handles , and job search websites . Then, review their tweets daily for potential opportunities.

Job Interview Tips

You’re almost there. Your resume landed you an interview and now it’s time to seal the deal. So what’s the best way to prepare?

To find the answer, I looked back on my interviews, sifted through research, and most importantly, asked employees from today’s most coveted companies. I tried to find deep insights beyond the typical “sit up straight!” and “dress to impress!” tips we hear too much.

Read More on Forbes

Pointers to improve your resume in Bellevue

It’s deceptively easy to make mistakes on your resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is critical, whether you’re writing your first resume or revising it for a mid-career job search. Check out this resume guide to the most common pitfalls and how you can avoid them.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn’t, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: “This person can’t write,” or “This person obviously doesn’t care.”

2. Lack of Specifics

Employers need to understand what you’ve done and accomplished. For example:

A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales.

Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the details and specifics in example B will more likely grab an employer’s attention.

3. Attempting One Size Fits All

Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.

4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

It’s easy to slip into a mode where you simply start listing job duties on your resume. For example:

  • Attended group meetings and recorded minutes.
  • Worked with children in a day-care setting.
  • Updated departmental files.

Employers, however, don’t care so much about what you’ve done as what you’ve accomplished in your various activities. They’re looking for statements more like these:

  • Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Word-based file for future organizational reference.
  • Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday program performance.
  • Reorganized 10 years worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members.

5. Going on Too Long or Cutting Things Too Short

Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing resume length. Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned, will be reading it.

That doesn’t mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don’t feel you have to use two pages if one will do. Conversely, don’t cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page standard.

6. A Bad Objective

Employers do read your resume objective, but too often they plow through vague pufferies like, “Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth.” Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their needs as well as your own. Example: “A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for nonprofits.”

7. No Action Verbs

Avoid using phrases like “responsible for.” Instead, use action verbs: “Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff.”

8. Leaving Off Important Information

You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate mention of the jobs you’ve taken to earn extra money for school. Typically, however, the soft skills you’ve gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more important to employers than you might think.

9. Visually Too Busy

If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring five different fonts, it will most likely give the employer a headache. So show your resume to several other people before sending it out. Do they find it visually attractive? If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise.

10. Incorrect Contact Information

I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn’t getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he’d listed on his resume was correct. It wasn’t. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he’d been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details — sooner rather than later.