Tips for Your Next Construction Job Interview

Job interviews can be nerve-wracking, especially since it’s one of the very few times you can convince an employer that you are right candidate for the job. A construction job search offers many more opportunities than in recent years, but that does not guarantee a job.

In order to succeed and land a job in construction, you will need to demonstrate your qualifications to show your interviewer that you are the right person to join their construction company. Whether you are interviewing for a position as a construction cost estimator, a project manager or a heavy equipment operators, below are some suggestions to help you at your next job interview.

Be Prepared

If you are applying for a position as a construction project manager, a designer, a construction cost accountant or any other construction job, you might have to apply your knowledge and education of construction to questions during the interview. You might be asked to draw diagrams or sketches, demonstrate building software proficiency, or give solutions to technical or managerial problems. It entirely depends on the position for which you are applying, which is why you need to be prepared. This will also help you feel confident when you arrive at your interview.

Answer Questions Honestly

Hiring managers often as, “Explain a time when you made a mistake. How did you handle the mistake?”

Everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes can be very costly on a construction job site. At first, you might be reluctant to answer this question truthfully for fear that it could hurt your chances of getting the job. But answering, “‘I never make mistakes,” is worse because it will probably appear that you are either being dishonest or could not think of an example of a time you were able to fix your mistake.

Take this opportunity instead to show the business owner that you are responsible and able to work under pressure. Expand on your mistake. For example, you might say, “When I was

working as a concrete finisher I once made an error with my measurements causing a setback on the construction site. When I realized my error I alerted the project manager so we could get right to work to resolve it. The experience taught me to pay more attention to detail. I did not make the same mistake twice.” With that, your error turns into a learning experience, showing you know what you did wrong and you were proactive to repair it.

Ask Questions

Make sure you ask questions. A construction company owner will appreciate it when a candidate asks questions relating to the job because it shows a level of interest and added thought. By asking questions, you are showing that you care about the position and sincerely want to work at this construction company.

Ask questions about things like safety, types of projects, and expectations. Pretend you are already hired and want to know more details about the construction job. You will also want to avoid asking about salary. There will be plenty of time for that if you are offered the job. Focus on the position at hand and not money.

Finding available construction jobs is finally the easy part of the process of getting hired, thanks to sites like Construction Connection. Once you land an interview, remember these tips to impress potential employers. Come prepared to answer and ask questions, be honest and act confident. Interviews can be easy if you go in with the right mindset and attitude.

About Construction ConnectionConstructionConnection was created out of a need for a more effective and streamlined way for construction industry professionals to get matched with the right industry jobs and with the right industry opportunities. The founders of Construction Connection, both industry professionals themselves, listened to both company and individuals’ dissatisfaction with the traditional job boards, the paid resume blasts, the overpriced resume services and overall lack of sympathy toward the individual candidate. They also listened to the dissatisfaction from companies who post jobs only to get many irrelevant results or have to purchase high priced ads to showcase their company. Construction Connection is a patent-pending, one-of-a- kind profile creating / match-making system. The system delivers effective results. Construction Connection saves time, money and aggravation by matching people to people, people to companies, companies to people, and company to company.