Starting off in construction? Build your construction career!

Keen to build a construction career?

Our top three tips to getting started

1.       Attitude:

This seems like a very generic tip, but we cannot stress how far a positive attitude towards work and a willingness to learn can take you. If you’re starting your construction career out as a Labourer, be patient. We’ve all heard that patience is a virtue and it is very true when it comes to construction. A baby doesn’t learn how to walk without learning the skills and taking the time to figure out how they can advance from crawling.

The same is for you starting out; take the time to learn, ask questions and absorb as much knowledge as you can while you’re working as part of a team.

When people ask, “What do you do?”

Answer “Whatever it takes!”

2.       Build your soft skills:

With the majority of construction jobs, there are very specific hard skills that are required like previous experience operating an excavator, having W, T, R licenses or having 5+ years framing experience but when starting out as a Labourer, sometimes you don’t have these hard skills to showcase.

This is where your soft skills come in and by the way, these are as valuable if not, more valuable! Soft skills include:

• Strong work ethic – are you motivated to get the job done to the best of your ability?
• Good communication skills – are you asking as many questions as you can to get a better understanding of exactly what needs to be done? Are you listening carefully to the instructions given to you by your colleagues?
• Are you listening carefully to all health and safety procedures?
• Time management – are you on time every day for work?
• Team player – can your team count on you? Are you reliable?
• Problem-solving – are you looking at problems as challenges and thinking of ways that you can take part in solving them?

3.       Site Safe Passport:

Health and Safety is embedded in our culture and thankfully, due to work the many talented professionals and organisations in the New Zealand construction sector, it is the priority of this industry that we all go home safe every evening.

Getting yourself up-skilled with the minimal requirements from a health and safety capacity is vital. Site Safe has just launched a new course called ‘Passport Plus – Flexi (online and classroom) Users have access to modules online in addition to a two-hour classroom session. This is a great cost-effective solution for anyone who wishes to renew their Site Safe passport too.