Construction is one of the most important and powerful engines in any economy. One of the key indicators of economic growth is housing starts, and any expansion of manufacturing will provide support for an improving economy. There’s no doubt that when construction is going well, the economy is going well.
As a result, construction jobs are often one of the first areas of employment to grow during an expansion. If you’re looking for construction work, you will find that it’s beneficial to take some basic steps to set yourself apart from other applicants, so that you can get in first.
Get Safety Gear
Construction not only tops many economic lists, it’s also high on the list of workplace injuries. Managers and owners are very attentive to safety, and they only want to hire people with the same attitude. If you want a construction job, you should show up for the interview prepared to talk about safety, and about how you’re already equipped to protect yourself from common injuries. After all, the interviewer will not think you’re serious about the safety of others when you’re not serious about your own safety.
If you don’t have everything you’ll need for your work, get it. This includes everything from waterproof work boots for men and women to eye protection, welding masks, gloves, harnesses, and countless other accessories. It will be discussed, so be prepared.
Review Your Skills
If you’ve gone through some type of training program, dig up your credentials. Make sure you remember when you completed the course, and check any expiration dates to make sure everything still has an active date.
If you’re certified in work you haven’t done for a while, see if you can hook up with a company to do a little refresher work so that you’re better prepared to hit the new job. That will reassure a manager who wonders about your electrical skills when you’ve been doing plumbing for six years. It will also get you bonus points for being cross-trained, and for being assertive enough to brush up on your trade before trying to work in that field again.
Gather Your Tools
Many skilled trades require employees to bring their own tools. There are a couple of reasons why. For starters, most experienced people have a preferred saw or a favorite ratchet, so they’re more productive when they get to use them.
For the most part, though, workers must provide their own tools because that’s a sure-fire incentive for them to take care of them. You’re going to try harder not to lose, break, or misuse a tool that you’d have to replace rather than one that the company has to pay for.
So make sure you review your inventory of tools and know if there are any gaps in your box. If there are, fill them before the interview so that you can affirm that you are ready to go to work as soon as they ask you to.
Construction is a very satisfying career field. Workers love to clock out at the end of the day with visible progress from the way things looked that morning, and at the end of the job, there’s immense satisfaction in seeing something tangible that they were responsible for building.
These skilled occupations provide good wages and a steady stream of work to the people who are trained and equipped to do them, so when an opening comes along, you must be ready to go to work. That means having the required safety gear on hand, carrying documentation of the skills you have, and is equipped to perform the tasks you’ll be doing.
