A resume mirrors a persons expertise, qualifications and market value. It is very important to design an effective resume to catch the attention of prospective employers. Construction resumes should provide information about a candidates strengths and skills in the field of construction. Equally important is the use of keywords to highlight the achievements.

Keywords are catchy titles, generally in bold font styles, that highlight a particular section of a resume. Some common keywords that can be used in construction resumes are:

- Construction Job Title: Position applied for.

- Construction Skills: Construction-specific proficiencies.

- Technical Skills: Ability to handle construction job requirements with ease, getting the job done technically correct.

- Soft Skills: Communication skills, nature of the candidate, his strengths and other interpersonal qualities.

- Industry Credentials: Details of educational qualification, certifications, licenses, training and workshops attended.

- Achievements: Awards and achievements- both educational and professional.

- Employer Information: Name and contact information of current employer and ex-employers.

The keywords can be placed anywhere in the resume. The primary purpose is to make the resume easily readable, outlined with comprehensive content.

Some construction-specific keywords are given below:

Construction Project, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), Critical Path Methods (CPMs), Project Management, Project Funding, Workflow and Project Scheduling, Budgeting and Pro-forma, Heavy Lifting, Residential/ Educational/ Religious/ Commercial Construction, Construction Laborer/ Foreman/ Manager/ Supervisor, Safety Compliance, Hand Equipments, Levers, Backhoes, Cranes, Trucks and Machines.

Managers can use job relevant keywords and subordinates, laborers and other employees can use their job-specific keywords.

Construction resumes should display adequate information about a persons quantifiable endeavors towards getting the previous company benefit, saving cost and increasing the companys efficiency. The point is to display your personal contribution in the field you belong to.

A typical construction resume would have the following template:

Personal Information: Full name, contact address, telephone number(s) and email address.

Objective: A short sentence, defining your objective in construction field.

Experience: Start with the most recent job giving position of your job, location, term of employment and responsibilities handled by you on the job.

Construction and Technical Skills: List your expertise, use action words such as Concrete Design, Hydro-analysis, power tools, equipment maintenance, crane operator, work breakdown structures (WBS) and other construction-specific terms.

Qualification: Mention the basic education, diplomas and degrees. Start with the most recent educational qualification, giving full detail about name of institute, city, state, the year of passing, GPA (optional).

Certifications: Certifications, training and relevant credentials.

Achievements: Achievements and accomplishments, starting with the most recent one.

Activities: Professional construction activities.

Employer Information: Name and contact number of the employer and previous employers.

The use of abbreviations should be avoided. It is best not to use short forms in the resume. Keywords emphasize on the description presented in a resume. They add importance to the sections present there and provide a brief definition to the description that follows. A resume should be put together for optimum assessment of the candidate on paper. It is a documented presentation of a persons skill and experience.