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Home > Academics > Departments, Schools & Colleges > The Kimmel School > Academics & Research > Construction Management > Construction Management Careers > Career Resources for Construction Management Students
Career Resources for Construction Management Students

Why Choose a Job in the Construction Industry?

  • Continued Shortage of Qualified Personnel – This leads to almost 100% placement and high starting salaries.
  • National average starting salary for CM majors is $35,000 - $45,000 per year
  • Aging work force (avg. 47 yrs. old) – More jobs than students graduating now and in the future.
  • Within next 10 yrs. - 58.4% of jobs in US will be construction related.
  • Construction industry second largest employer in US only next to all government employees including the armed forces.
  • Motivated graduates can easily move up the management ladder.
  • You can choose your work environment to be inside or outside or both.
Occupation Total Projected Job Openings Through 2012 Predicted Growth Through 2012
All Construction Occupations
2,548,000
15%
Construction Supervisors/Managers
197,000
14.1%

Find Jobs & Post Your Resume

Construction management (CM) students can look for full-time and part-time work, internships, and co-ops by going to our WCU JobCat website, and logging into the system. There you can post your resume and search current positions. CM students are expected to place a resume on the system and update it at least once a year. Please keep it to one page. Also, most construction companies maintain websites with employment information and some have online electronic applications. Visit sites such as the ENR’s top contractors, The Blue Book, and BuilderOnline top home builders for company names. Construction company websites usually provide links for “Employment” or “Jobs” and there you can post your resume for internships and full-time employment. Students should go to the WCU Career Services website to register for upcoming oncampus CM Career Fairs.

Sample Resume (PDF)

Construction Job Posting Websites for Internships/New Graduates

Construction Industry Resources

Students who are looking for postings should not just rely on the WCU JobCat system but also perform their own research on construction companies and available positions. Many of the construction industry associations may be able to provide contacts and available positions as well. Some links that may help start the process are:

Seeking Internships Suggestions

CM Majors,

When seeking internships, below is a list of suggestions to help find a work experience:

Make sure you have a well written 1-page resume in hand.  Visit WCU Career Services (http://www.wcu.edu/6661.asp) on the second floor of one-stop to help with writing a good resume. 

You should also upload it to JobCat http://www.wcu.edu/6740.asp and keep it up to-date.  Career Services can also help improve your interview skills as necessary.

Search for an internship.  There are multiple ways to look for companies hiring for both internships and full-time jobs for new graduates.
1) Attending a Fall or Spring CM Career Fair on Campus – Make sure you research all companies before talking to them so you know what they do and what the company is all about
2) Using the Internet.  On the CM webpage http://www.wcu.edu/7694.asp, there is a partial list of online job posting and resume posting websites such as TopBuildingJobs.Com,  ConstructionIntern.com , HardhatGrads.Com,  ENR.com, ConstructionJobs.Com, IHireConstruction.Com, Construction Jobs Online, ConstructionWork.com, Student Resume Book for Construction Majors, Monster Resumes & Jobs, Yahoo, Simply Hired, Career Builder, Kimmel & Associates, On the WCU CM listserv.
3) Find list of companies and then search for their websites.  A partial list is located here at http://www.wcu.edu/7694.asp.  Some of these websites that you can find list of companies are The Blue Book of Building & Construction, Engineering News-Record (top-lists) http://enr.construction.com/toplists/default.asp, Builder Online
4) Seek list of companies through the many construction association member lists.  Examples would be Associated General Contractors, Mechanical Contractors of America, National Electrical Contractors, Associated Builders and Construtors, Carolinas Associated General Contractors, North Carolina Utility Contractors, Indepentdent Electrial Contractors, Plumbing/Heating/Cooling Contractors, too many other associations to list here
5) Locally it might be best to even look in the Yellow Pages of small areas and write down their telephone numbers and location

Once you have found companies that you would like to pursue for an internship (CM 483 form is available at http://cm.wcu.edu), you should decide on how to approach that company.  You will notice that many of the national companies will have a location directly on their websites to post your resume and/or may advertise on the job posting websites where you can also post your resume and apply for open positions at the same time.  Although posting your resume is just one way of applying for a positing.  You may also look for addresses to mail a cover letter and resume or an HR telephone number to call.  Several positions especially those for small contractors that may be only found in the yellow pages may require you to drive to the company office or a jobsite with your resume in hand and visit with a Project Manager, VP, or other person in the company directly to discuss an internship position.  This one-on-one contact is a great way to show your motivation to a perspective employer.

Using multiple forms of contact with a company may also be helpful instead of just relying on something as simple as posting a resume electronically and hoping to get an email or telephone call back.

Make sure the employer knows you are open to taking a position anywhere in the United States and that you are willing to move around as needed if you become a full-time employee.  Also, be open to all industry segments from industrial, waste water treatment, highway, power plant, mechanical, electrical, hospital, etc. as all these experiences are beneficial.

If you are at the beginning of your CM degree, you should also look into a 5 year Co-op that is offered by many national companies where you go to work for the company each year during a 5 year plan to graduate.

Take samples of projects with you to companies.  While the capstone project is impressive, you may have a great estimating project to show off (especially if you are looking for an estimating position).  Employers are sometimes very impressed by high quality projects you have completed in the classroom.

Also, when visiting a company or potential employer face-to-face, it is always important to dress in a professional manner.  You may not have to dress this way during your internship, but the typical employer expectation is that you should interview this way.

Lastly, after you graduate and may decide to change companies, networking is one of the best ways to find other employment.  This means joining associations such as the American Institute of Constructors or the Associated General Contractors Young Professionals as well as websites such as linkedin.com (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=124815).

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