Construction
Construction worker CV: an example for building site workers
This example is for general construction workers, finishing workers, site laborers and tradespeople who do many kinds of work, from foundations to finishing.
See the sample CV and learn how to describe your work, tools and qualifications so that the foreman knows right away what he can put you on.
How to write a construction worker CV
Professional summary
In two or three sentences, say what work you do on your own, how many years you have been on building sites and what kind of buildings you have worked on. Add your qualifications and whether you are willing to work away from home, because job ads often ask about it.
Construction worker with 5 years of experience in finishing work: plastering, skim coats, plasterboard and tiling. I work carefully and cleanly and have my own basic tools. I am looking for a permanent job finishing apartments.
Experience: duties and achievements
On a building site, what counts is what you can do without supervision. List specific jobs and materials, the type of buildings and your role in the crew. If you trained someone or stood in for the foreman, be sure to include it.
Weaker: Construction work.
Better: Building walls from sand-lime and ceramic blocks in apartment buildings.
Weaker: Finishing.
Better: Machine plastering, skim coats and plasterboard in 40 apartments on one housing estate.
Weaker: Teamwork.
Better: Training new people in a crew of six and standing in for the foreman during his leave.
Skills worth listing
List the kinds of work and the tools you know. The employer is looking for someone they can put on a specific task straight away.
Professional skills
- Bricklaying, plastering, screeds
- Formwork, rebar fixing, concreting
- Plasterboard, insulation, facades
- Using power tools, a concrete mixer and a plate compactor
- Erecting scaffolding
- Reading drawings and taking measurements
Personal skills
- Accuracy and careful workmanship
- Responsibility for my own and others' safety
- Punctuality and reliability
- Working in a crew
- Working in all weather conditions
Qualifications and medical clearance on site
Qualifications can decide whether you get the job, so list them separately. The most useful are UDT licences (forklifts, mobile platforms, cranes), SEP electrical qualifications and a valid medical clearance for working at height. List only the ones you have and that are still valid.
Construction worker CV with no experience
People with no experience are often hired as construction laborers. Write about renovation work at home, helping family with a build, placements at a construction school or other physical work.
Show that you are ready to learn and to do physical work, that you have a driving licence and can commute. For an employer on a building site, these are very concrete arguments.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
A company that builds the shell of buildings looks for bricklayers and rebar fixers, while a finishing company looks for people who do plastering, skim coats and plasterboard. Order your experience so that the work from the job ad comes first. For jobs abroad, add your language skills and that you are willing to work away from home.
Questions and answers
What should a construction worker put on a CV?
The kinds of work you do on your own, the buildings you have worked on, tools and machines, qualifications and medical clearances, and whether you can work away from home. One page is enough.
Does a construction worker need a CV?
More and more construction companies ask for a CV, including for applications through job boards. A short, concrete CV helps you get a better rate than a phone call alone.
Which qualifications are useful on a building site?
Most often UDT licences for forklifts, platforms and cranes, SEP qualifications, a category B or C driving licence and a valid medical clearance for working at height.