Find out the top 10 core skills you need to master as a construction manager and what hard skills you need to know to succeed in this job.

A construction manager is often tasked with the responsibility of coordinating, and supervising a wide range of construction projects and activities whether public or private. He or she will ensure that all legal requirements on the construction activities are followed to the letter. It is their sole responsibility to ensure that the end product meets the design and client specifications and everything is within the stipulated budget.

Besides the major role, he or she will get to typically do the following; analyze and settle on the best construction methods, process and strategies; report on the progress to the management and the clients; supervise all construction activities; resolve any delays and problems that might arise; prepare cost estimates and budgets pertaining to the construction and hire and manage all construction site workers.

Core Skills Required to be a Construction Manager

Core skills describe a set of non-technical abilities, knowledge, and understanding that form the basis for successful participation in the workplace. Core skills enable employees to efficiently and professionally navigate the world of work and interact with others, as well as adapt and think critically to solve problems.

Core skills are often tagged onto job descriptions to find or attract employees with specific essential core values that enable the company to remain competitive, build relationships, and improve productivity.

A construction manager should master the following 10 core skills to fulfill her job properly.

Multi-Tasking:

Multi-Tasking allows one to juggle and perform more than one task at a time without losing track of what you are working on or dropping the ball.

A Construction Manager must learn the trick of multitasking and help the staff balance the competing demands of their time and energy that they are expected to handle multiple priorities every day without compromising on the effectiveness of the work done.

Inspiring others:

Inspiring is encouraging one to be their best in contributing to the vision of an organization where they are placed and entrusted to work.

A Construction Manager must create a culture where the staff can use their professional prowess and aspire to be the best by giving them a clear vision and purpose through decisive leadership that motivates and inspires them.

Decision Making:

Decision Making is the art of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information and assessing alternative resolutions before settling on one.

A Construction Manager cannot afford to make poor decisions, that's why he ought to develop a systematic approach to decision making that allows him to make every decision with skill, confidence, and wisdom producing a final choice of competence in the workplace.

Managing at team:

Managing is the administration of an organization which includes activities of setting the strategy of an organization and coordinating the efforts of the employees to accomplish its objectives.

A Construction Manager must learn the art of creating corporate policy, organizing, planning, controlling and directing organization resources to achieve the aims of the policies formed while making decisions to oversee the enterprise.

Strategic Planning:

Strategic Planning is organizational management activity that is used to set priorities, focus energy and resources, strengthen operations while guaranteeing that employees and other stakeholders are working towards common goals.

A Construction Manager should be liable to develop the systematic tools to be used in the organization's processes that coordinate and align resources and actions with the mission, vision, and strategy throughout the organization.

Team Building:

Team Building represents various types of activities used to enhance social relations and define roles within the different teams at the workplace.

A Construction Manager ought to provide team building activities to his team to cultivate better communication, morale, motivation, productivity and help employees know each other better as well as their strengths and weaknesses to be used in building a better workplace.

Assertiveness:

Assertiveness is the inclination to stand up for your rights or other people's rights in a calm and concrete way without being aggressive or accepting a wrong.

A Construction Manager must be self-assured and confident to master the skills to put his points across without upsetting others or becoming angry and allowing the employees to do the same while complying with the company's policies and procedures.

Commitment to the Job:

Commitment to the Job is the feeling of responsibility that a person has towards a mission and goals of an organization.

A Construction Manager should be diligent in helping the employees connect and commit to their job by creating proper communication channels that make the employees feel listened to and encouraged to provide feedback thus creating mutual trust and respect in the workplace.

Project and Goal Focus:

Project and Goal Focus is setting your mind and heart on things that matter and add value to your life against those things that add no value at all or of little value.

A Construction Manager ought to learn of early hiccups that may cause distraction and get to motivate the employees early enough to see the projects completed promptly and in good condition.

Organizational Skills:

Organizational Skills is the ability to make use of time, energy and resources available in the most efficient manner to achieve their goal.

A Construction Manager should organize the work for the employees to ensure overall organization, planning, time management, scheduling, coordinating resources and meeting deadlines is handled most efficiently by each employee for both personal and professional growth.

Hard Skills Required to be a Construction Manager

Hard skills are job-specific skill sets, or expertise, that are teachable and whose presence can be tested through exams. While core skills are more difficult to quantify and less tangible, hard skills are quantifiable and more defined.

Hard skills are usually listed on an applicant's resume to help recruiters know the applicant's qualifications for the applied position. A recruiter, therefore, needs to review the applicant's resume and education to find out if he/she has the knowledge necessary to get the job done.

A construction manager should have a good command of the following hard skills to succeed in her job.

Construction Manager: Hard skills list

Accounting
Algebra
Analytical
Analyze and interpret data and budgets
Apply drafting and mechanical drawing knowledge and techniques
Apply mathematical principles to accounting, bookkeeping or budgeting
Apply regulations to surveying and construction activities
Apply structural and safety principles to buildings and other construction projects
Bid engineering, construction or extraction projects
Budgeting (Develop budgets)
Building Codes and Specifications
Communication
Conduct Employment Interviews
Construction Contracting Regulations (Interpret and apply)
Cost Estimations (Prepare cost estimates for construction related projects)
Develop delivery and production schedules
Develop staffing plan
Establish and evaluate employee performance standards
Estimate time needed for project
Evaluate new construction industry practices
Geometry
Hazardous materials specifications
Hire and dismiss employees
Interpret maps for architecture, construction and civil engineering
Mechanical
Research and apply land use regulations
Respond to personnel problems and grievances
Schedule and coordinate construction work
Schematics and Specifications
Safety Inspections
Strategic and Tactical Planning
Supervise building maintenance projects
Translate design specifications to cost estimates
Use negotiation techniques as management tool
Visualize spatial relationships in construction and mapping
Writing
Write request for proposals or bids

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