When you are applying for jobs in construction, your application will be the first thing that the hiring person will see from you. In the sea of resumes and cover letters, how can you make the best first impression? Here are 5 tips that will make your application shine among others’ in the construction sector.

• Focus on Accomplishments

Regardless of the position, you will always be evaluated upon your past performances at your previous jobs. Be specific about your accomplishments. What kind of impact have you made at school or at your former workplace? Particularly in trades, do you have certifications such as Occupational First Aid, WHMIS, or Construction Safety Officer training? However, you need to make sure you focus on the relevant accomplishments that fit with the position that you apply for.

For example, if you are applying for a Construction Safety Officer opening, make sure you attach your up-to-date certification and display your safety knowledge and related construction safety experience in the application. Even if you have other experiences, your application's focus should be on safety and your CSO certification. And this point should be emphasized as the first thing on your resume. 

• Be Specific

Quantify your accomplishments when you can as it adds authority and validity to your application. For example, if you are applying for a Construction Supervisor position, make sure you tell how many labourers have you managed. You should also include the size, duration of the construction process, and budget.

For example:

• XYZ Home (2000 Sq. ft., $600,000 Budget): led a crew of 5 on a daily basis as a supervisor for 6 months. Supervisory responsibilities included daily goal-setting, progress check, health and safety management, supplier/sub-contractor engagement, reporting and review with a designer and a homeowner.

• Do Your Research and Show Your Ambition

It’s essential to do your research on the companies that you want to work for. This shows your preparedness and interest for the job. Hiring managers look for people that genuinely want to work for their organizations. You should know the company’s values, recent projects, and their specialization. Tie in any ideas or suggestions you may have! Integrate them as a part of your resume/cover letter and show how and why you want to work in such an environment.

• Give Compelling Reasons

Sometimes, applicants simply list out past experience, which doesn’t give employers enough reason to hire you. Give compelling reasons. What kind of unique set of skills can you bring to the job? What kind of changes can you bring to the company? What do you want to learn from the job? Be ambitious and growth-focused. You can’t just say that you need the job. You need to thoroughly convince them why they need a person like you in their company. Make it personal and tell your own story.

• Make it Error-Free, Simple and Clean

Even if you have excellent content, a messy outline and grammar/spelling errors can ruin everything. Please make sure your application is error-free. Run your application through free online grammar checker tools, like Grammarly.com.

You also need to balance the weight of your content. Hiring managers don’t want to see a six-paragraph or two-sentence resume. List your thoughts as bullet points and explain further in 1 or 2 sentences per point. Make sure you leave enough white space to ensure a clean look.

Now that you know all the tips to create a quality construction job application, apply them in your resume and cover letter. Moreover, our company is actively hiring at this time. Click below for our openings. Looking forward to see high-quality applications! Good luck :)