Skills
Construction Manager Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in construction managers, and how to build and show them.
Construction Managers need technical skills such as cost estimating, scheduling (cpm), and contract management, plus people skills like leadership and negotiation. They also use tools such as Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud or similar platforms and Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project.
Technical (hard) skills
- Cost estimating
- Scheduling (CPM)
- Contract management
- Blueprint reading
- Construction safety
- Project management software
People (soft) skills
- Leadership
- Negotiation
- Communication
- Decision making
Tools, equipment and technology
- Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud or similar platforms
- Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project
- Estimating software
- Bluebeam for plan review
- Drones and photo documentation tools
- Spreadsheets
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how construction managers put their skills to work:
- How to run a weekly subcontractor coordination meeting
- How to process a change order
- How to build a three-week look-ahead schedule
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Cost estimating” and “Scheduling (CPM).”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “leadership,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Certified Construction Manager (CCM) near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our construction manager glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Construction Manager training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.