Ready to unlock the keys to a thriving career in construction? This episode of the Construction Veteran Podcast is a must-listen if you're gearing up to enter the construction industry. Join me, Scott Friend, as I guide you through every essential step—from crafting a killer resume to nailing your first interview. Learn how to effectively list your contact information, write a compelling objective statement, and summarize your professional skills and experience. I'll share tips on highlighting your education, detailing your work history, showcasing your certifications, and emphasizing significant projects and technical proficiencies. Consider this your ultimate guide to making a strong first impression and standing out from the competition.
But that's not all. After you've submitted your resume, what's next? Tune in as we discuss how to prepare for interviews and secure your first position. Discover the importance of researching the company, knowing your resume inside and out, and preparing for common interview questions. I'll break down the STAR method for answering behavioral questions, tackle the types of technical questions you might encounter, and underscore the significance of asking thoughtful questions during your interview. Plus, learn the proper etiquette for following up and the best timing for sending thank you emails. If you're serious about launching a successful career in construction, you won't want to miss this episode!
Ready to unlock the keys to a thriving career in construction? This episode of the Construction Veteran Podcast is a must-listen if you're gearing up to enter the construction industry. Join me, Scott Friend, as I guide you through every essential step—from crafting a killer resume to nailing your first interview. Learn how to effectively list your contact information, write a compelling objective statement, and summarize your professional skills and experience. I'll share tips on highlighting your education, detailing your work history, showcasing your certifications, and emphasizing significant projects and technical proficiencies. Consider this your ultimate guide to making a strong first impression and standing out from the competition.
But that's not all. After you've submitted your resume, what's next? Tune in as we discuss how to prepare for interviews and secure your first position. Discover the importance of researching the company, knowing your resume inside and out, and preparing for common interview questions. I'll break down the STAR method for answering behavioral questions, tackle the types of technical questions you might encounter, and underscore the significance of asking thoughtful questions during your interview. Plus, learn the proper etiquette for following up and the best timing for sending thank you emails. If you're serious about launching a successful career in construction, you won't want to miss this episode!
Welcome back to the Construction Veteran Podcast. I'm Scott Friend and today we're going to make a video that's really geared towards people that want to get into the industry. So if that's you, please like and subscribe to the channel. It really helps out. Now let's dig into it. So I really want to give you guys some advice on how to get into the industry. If you've been following the channel or the podcast for any time, you'll understand I'm trying to coach you guys on how to get into the industry and how to get better. So let's talk about how to land your first construction job.
Speaker 1:
First things first. Let's craft your resume. Crafting a strong resume, preparing for interviews and securing a position in the construction industry requires careful attention to detail and a focus on showcasing your relevant skills and experience. Here's some guidelines to help you through each step. Number one contact information. Include your full name, phone number, email address and your LinkedIn profile, if you have one. If you don't have a LinkedIn profile yet, I highly suggest creating one. Number two objective statement. Write a concise objective statement highlighting your career goals and what you bring to the construction industry. Number three professional summary. Provide a brief overview of your skills, experience and key achievements in the construction field. I've said before, as a transitioning veteran, I really downplayed the skills that I had learned. However, there's an easy way to put these into your resume. Did you lead people? Did you have any metrics that you can share? What you built, what you did? People like quantities.
Speaker 1:
Number four education List your educational background, including the name of the institution, degree earned and graduation date. Now, I've said before, you don't have to be a college graduate to get into the industry. It all just depends on what role you're looking for. Number five relevant skills. Highlight key skills relevant to construction, such as project management, reading, safety protocols, equipment operation, etc. Number six work experience. Detail your work history with a focus on achievements, responsibilities and the impact you made in each role. Emphasize construction related projects. Number seven certifications and training. List any relevant certifications example would be osha, construction management, etc. And the training programs you've completed. Like I've said in previous videos, it would really be beneficial to get basics like first aid, cpr, maybe an OSHA 10 or OSHA 30. Number eight projects. If applicable, include a section on significant construction projects you've worked on, outlining your role and contributions. Number nine technical proficiency. Specify software tools and equipment you're proficient in, such as AutoCAD, procore or specific construction machinery. Number 10, your references Optionally include references or indicate that they are available upon request.
Speaker 1:
Okay, so you've submitted your resume. A company is excited to talk to you and they've invited you in for an interview. Let's talk about preparing for that. Number one research the company. Understand the company's projects, values and recent achievements. This knowledge will demonstrate your genuine interest during the interview. Number two that resume you just wrote and submitted. Make sure you know it. Be prepared to discuss your experiences, skills and achievements in detail. Relate them to the specific requirements of the position.
Speaker 1:
Number three some common interview questions. Anticipate common interview questions in the construction industry, such as those related to safety, teamwork, problem solving and project management. You can easily google what are some common interview questions and make sure that you have an answer prepared for those. Number four behavioral examples. Use the STAR method or situation task action result to provide specific examples from your past experiences that showcase your abilities. Number five technical questions. Be ready to answer technical questions related to construction processes, materials and your familiarity with industry-specific tools and software. Number six ask questions. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the company culture, ongoing projects and opportunities for professional development.
Speaker 1:
Last step securing the position. First step is to follow up Send a thank you email after the interview expressing your appreciation and reiterating your interest in the position. Now there's some guidelines about how long you should wait to follow up. My suggestion send a thank you email the same day that you had the interview or latest the day after. I would give it a week at the earliest, two weeks at the latest, to make sure you reach out and follow up with the company. Look, I'm telling you from experience we get busy. This industry is go, go, go, so sometimes no offense, it's just not the first thing that's on our mind, so make sure you follow up. Number two additional materials. If applicable, provide any additional materials requested by the employer, such as portfolio or references.
Speaker 1:
Number three professionalism. Maintain professionalism in all interactions, whether via email, phone or in person. Clear and concise communication is key. Number four network. Attend industry events, join professional associations and network with professionals in the construction industry to expand your connections. Remember what I said about LinkedIn it's a great tool. Number five continued learning. Demonstrate your commitment to ongoing learning by staying updated on industry trends, technologies and best practices. You can Google anything nowadays. There's lots of free classes out there. There's magazines that you guys can subscribe to for free. There's resources like this, youtube or our podcast. The world is just limitless with the possibilities of growth in the industry. Remember to showcase your enthusiasm for the industry. Your positive and proactive attitude are gonna be something that people want in their company. We can teach people the skills in the industry. What we can't teach are things like integrity, the hunger to want to learn more or the excitement that people have. So good luck to you guys. If you have any questions or need any pointers, always feel free to reach out. Thanks,