Construction management jobs are widely available in both the private and public sector nationwide. You can land jobs in construction management companies if you come to the table with the right credentials. While entry-level construction project managing positions are prolific, the better paying jobs in management in construction require industry knowledge that only comes from training and experience. To pursue careers in project management in construction you should accumulate as many certificates and degrees as you can. Construction management company jobs will continue to flourish for those who bring a multitude of skills to the job.

Look for training opportunities in construction management companies through online construction project management programs and through contacts and connections you can make in the industry. Use all the tools available to you to find the best education in construction project managing. There are a number of avenues you should pursue as you continually upgrade your training for construction project management.

1. Peruse online training in construction project management

2. Find training in through construction project management consulting trade groups

3. Enlist the help of construction project managing experts

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Watch for training for construction project manager online

Take the time to regularly watch the employment sites, as you look for opportunities online to advance your construction management career. You'll find a number of online training programs that will be most helpful as you search to upgrade your skills and credentials. Check out the requirements and look for training to make you more suitable for the position you seek.

I recommend: Construction Education is the venue that the Association for Project Managers uses to train professionals to work in the field. Building Basics is a starter course for construction industry project managers to get a good start in the profession.

Look for construction management tools through associations

While you are pursuing a career in construction management, you also should be accruing a list of connections that will help you throughout your career. Trade associations are great places to get involved with experienced construction project manager professionals and make those important contacts. At the same time, most associations offer a wide variety of professional development courses that will look good on your resume.

I recommend: Find advanced professional development training courses online through the Construction Institute. Find credentialing courses and certifications through the National Center for Construction Education and Research.

Enroll with construction project management programs

Recruiters and headhunters know the landscape and can point you in the direction of the companies that may hire rookie project managers. Send your resume to recruiters so that they can at least know about your credentials and your availability. Update the service with a new resume after you complete additional certificate courses.

I recommend: Project Manager Training is ideal for working professionals. The company can design in-house training courses for your working team. Get certifications that will help you advance in your career at 4 PM.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Find a construction project manager that is willing to mentor you while you continue your training for construction project management.

The larger your company, the more important good construction management is to your success and your client’s satisfaction. Behind the most successful contractors lies strong organizational skills, but many owners are not ready to hire a construction management company to provide that service.

When you’re ready to develop a program of construction project management for your business there are abundant online tools to help you get started. Whether you'll be hiring a construction project manager or allotting tasks to current personnel, you'll need organizational solutions in:

1. Directing the construction management design team.
2. Fine-tuning the estimating process.
3. Overseeing construction project management programs.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Design to suit the client's needs

No matter what size construction company you run, designing is an integral part of providing custom services to the client. This is true whether you build multi-million dollar casinos or remodel kitchens.

I recommend: Hire designers with experience in the construction industry. Find qualified architects through the American Institute of Architects. For in-house design on a budget, locate user-friendly construction design software.

Streamline estimating accuracy

Among your most valuable construction project management tools is the ability to estimate accurately and quickly. When financing is an issue, the lender will require material projections, land acquisition breakdowns, estimated labor expenditures, insurance and construction costs along with feasibility studies.

I recommend: Hire a construction project management consulting firm when your proposed plan needs a detailed presentation to secure financing. For smaller ventures, draw up a business plan with user-friendly software programs. When estimating costs for a client, compare and purchase construction-estimating programs. Full service construction management companies include Zackry Construction, Turner, Kitchell and Christa.

Follow the construction process carefully

Arguably, the greatest financial loss in construction project management occurs during the actual construction process if key control factors are not in place. Safety-related defects and quality control failures translate into financial losses. Among construction management tools, the need to monitor the jobsite and the construction process is high on the list.

I recommend: Hire a professional construction project manager to monitor the day-to-day building process and enforce safety regulations. Follow the guidelines of the US Department of Labor when training a construction manager. Attend an American Management Association Seminar (AMA) to supplement your construction management skills.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider promoting and training from within your organization to build employee loyalty.
• •  Hire an accounting firm to oversee your finance department when your construction company grows to eliminate costly bookkeeping errors.
• •  Hold regular employee meetings to get feedback on your current methods of construction project management and to request ideas for improvement.

Construction management companies are evolving so fast that you need to stay on top of the trends in construction management to make sure you have the latest software updates and your company is utilizing all the available tools to help your business run its smoothest. Construction management tools remain a top priority for many of your clients as well.

Manage your construction projects armed with the most information you can find about construction project management programs by keeping up with the latest construction project management news and trends. Look for construction management company updates by communicating with other business owners with similar needs. Find out about unique and cost-effective construction project management software through industry publications and business-owner blogs. As you build your network, find numerous ways to keep up with construction project management news and trends.

1. Use trade association publications to keep up with project management in construction

2. Subscribe to construction project manager publications

3. Sign on for email alerts from construction project management companies

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Share information with other construction management companies

Blogs and online newsletters are replacing print magazines in droves and they can be a very efficient means of communication. Find an Internet blog or website that provides trustworthy information and attracts reliable posting participants.

I recommend: Find informative and educational articles that reflect the changes going on in project management in construction at For Construction Pros. The American Society for the Advancement of Project Management is a resource that provides a wealth of news and information that pertains to the construction industry and the trends affecting the current state of the business.

Read up on changes in construction management companies

Browse the news affecting your industry, or an industry with which you'd like to business. You'll be better served by knowing about any big changes when you go onto client meetings or bid on contracts than if you are in the dark because you were too busy to check the latest news and trends sources you've set up.

I recommend: Read up on the emerging trends affecting the industry in the Constructor, one of the many informative magazines published by the Associated General Contractors of America. Keep up with the informative news items put out regularly by the Construction Industry Compliance Assistance Center.

Receive construction management email alerts

While most business owners are trying to clear out their in-boxes to save time, you should allow at least one information provider to get into your email with alerts about new construction project manager services. You shouldn't miss out on vital construction project managing alerts.

I recommend: The National Contract Management Association is a great place to network with other professionals while keeping up with the latest news and trends affecting the industry. Keep up with daily updates and previews of coming events and global trends at the Project Management Forum.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Join local and national trade associations and commercial construction project manager networking groups where you can learn about news and trends from the professionals working in the field.

Construction project management encompasses all aspects of a construction project, from the beginning design stages to the final construction. A construction project manager oversees all of the steps it takes to build a project, and he or she needs information about a variety of areas, including business, architecture contracts and construction. Project managers must organize all of the people that work together to turn a drawing into a building.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Architects' basic services

Architects' basic services are provided from an architect to the construction project manager for the five different phases of a construction project, including design development, bidding and contract administration.

I recommend: The Monolithic Dome institute offers advice on what to look for when a construction project manager needs to hire an architect.

As-built drawings, record drawings

An as-built drawing is a design drawing that is amended during the construction process. The drawing is used to provide a record of concealed items, such as conduits.

I recommend: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides information on how to construct an as-built drawing for the Chicago area. Many local and regional governments vary on the regulations pertaining to as-built drawings.

Building codes

Building codes are the standards set forth by state and local governments to make sure a building is safe. There are building codes for most aspects of a construction project, including electricity, fire safety and the limitations of a building.

I recommend: The City of New York offers all of the building codes that construction project managers need to know when building in Manhattan.

Construction inspector, project representative

A construction inspector is an authority that determines the safety of the building through the different phases of construction.

I recommend: The American Construction Inspectors Association has published rules and regulations for the work of construction inspectors.

Design-development phase

The design-development phase is a phase in which the construction project moves from working with schematic drawings to doing the contract document (this happens when the design is finalized and electrical and structural systems are added to the design).

I recommend: Metro Architects provides an overview of all the phases in a construction project.

Prime contract

A prime contract is an agreement between the owner of a construction project and the construction contractor.

I recommend: The Architects/Engineers Professional Network has posted information on prime contracts and the risks involved with a construction contract.