Construction Managers

Also Called:

Construction Superintendent,

Concrete Foreman,

Construction Area Manager,

Construction Manager

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.

What do they typically do on the job?

  • Plan, schedule, or coordinate construction project activities to meet deadlines.
  • Prepare and submit budget estimates, progress reports, or cost tracking reports.
  • Interpret and explain plans and contract terms to representatives of the owner or developer, including administrative staff, workers, or clients.

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business.

Interests

Career interests describe the perspectives and interests of people who enjoy the type of work involved in this career.

Discover what your interests are by taking the Interest Profiler Quiz

Knowledge

People who want to pursue this career have knowledge in these areas.

Engineering and Technology
  • Building and construction

  • Product and service development

Business
  • Management

  • Customer service

Arts and Humanities
  • English language

Math and Science
  • Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics

Abilities

Whether you have received formal training or not, these types of abilities are helpful in this career.

Verbal
  • Communicate by speaking

  • Listen and understand what people say

Ideas and Logic
  • Order or arrange things

  • Notice when problems happen

Visual Understanding
  • See hidden patterns

  • Quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things

Math
  • Add, subtract, multiply, or divide

Skills

People who want to pursue this career have skills in these areas.

Basic Skills
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements

  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions

Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Resource Management
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job

  • Managing your time and the time of other people

Work Values

Work values describe how your core beliefs align with those commonly needed for this career.

Working Conditions

Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions. Corresponding needs are Activity, Compensation, Independence, Security, Variety and Working Conditions.

Independence

Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?

1. Do some research
  • Identify how your interests, values, and strengths match this occupation
  • Talk to someone who works in this field or spend a day job shadowing
  • Use the colleges and training directory to explore programs related to this career
2. Plan your next move

Data for NSI career cards comes from the following: Idaho Department of Labor, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, MyNextMove, and Career OneStop