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Construction Managers

Also called: Project Manager, Construction Manager, Construction Superintendent, Estimator

What they do:
Plan, direct, or coordinate, usually through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities concerned with the construction and maintenance of structures, facilities, and systems. Participate in the conceptual development of a construction project and oversee its organization, scheduling, budgeting, and implementation. Includes managers in specialized construction fields, such as carpentry or plumbing.
On the job, you would:
  • Schedule the project in logical steps and budget time required to meet deadlines.
  • Confer with supervisory personnel, owners, contractors, or design professionals to discuss and resolve matters, such as work procedures, complaints, or construction problems.
  • Prepare contracts and negotiate revisions, changes and additions to contractual agreements with architects, consultants, clients, suppliers and subcontractors.

Knowledge

Engineering and Technology
  • building and construction
  • product and service development
Business
  • management
  • customer service
Arts and Humanities
  • English language
Safety and Government
  • public safety and security

Skills

Basic Skills
  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others
Problem Solving
  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
Resource Management
  • managing your time and the time of other people
  • selecting and managing the best workers for a job

Abilities

Verbal
  • listen and understand what people say
  • communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
  • notice when problems happen
  • use rules to solve problems
Math
  • add, subtract, multiply, or divide
  • choose the right type of math to solve a problem
Attention
  • pay attention to something without being distracted

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include
leading, making decisions, and business.
They do well at jobs that need:
  • Integrity
  • Dependability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Leadership
  • Initiative
  • Cooperation

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Project management software
  • UDA Construction Office Construction Management
  • Versa-Calc Jobber 6 Construction Calculator
Data base user interface and query software
  • Database software
  • Integrated construction management software
Document management software
  • Axios Systems assyst
  • Daily Manager

Education

Education: (rated 4 of 5)
bachelor's degree or
some college
usually needed

Get started on your career:

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Job Outlook

Bright Outlook
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.
Salary
$84,240
per year, on average
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Green
This work is part of the green economy.

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See more details at O*NET OnLine about construction managers.