Contractor Resume: Sample and Complete Writing Guide [20+ Tips]
Contractor Resume: Sample and Complete Writing Guide [20+ Tips]
A contractor pulls together teams with diverse skill-sets to get the job done well and fast. Prove you’ve got the resources to drive your crew with this sample contractor resume.
Licensed contractor with 8+ years of experience. Skilled in project management and residential construction. Seeking to deliver construction excellence for Hall Brothers Construction. At Belcher Construction Co., resolved project construction issues 18% faster than company average. Coordinated plans for construction of 100+ homes per year in the $1M–$2M range.
Work Experience
Contractor
Belcher Construction Co.
June 2013–May 2019
Coordinated all planning and construction of 100+ homes per year valued at $1M to $2M each.
Created budgets and followed through by qualifying competing subcontractor bids. Exceeded cost control targets by 10% or more in every quarter.
Resolved issues with project construction 18% faster than the company average.
Trained subcontractors on company quality standards during construction phase. Hit quality targets with 99.9% accuracy.
Contractor
Tall Contracting of Kentucky
April 2011–June 2013
Managed construction of 2 homes per month in upscale suburban neighborhoods.
Led planning, budgeting, and construction, saving $1M in costs per year through negotiating better deals with subcontractors and suppliers.
Education
2012 Spalding University
BS in Business Administration
Pursued a passion for project management coursework.
Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.
Here’s how to write a contractor resume that gets jobs:
1. Pick the Best Contractor Resume Format
Contractors work on behalf of others. In the construction world, general contractors manage subcontractors (including independent contractors) in the completion of projects, like building homes or industrial buildings. A contractor resume has to show leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as project management and budgeting.
You can prove you’re a good contractor at a glance.
How?
By writing a well-formatted resume for contractor jobs.
Those go in a resume objective. (Objectives for a resume are like professional summaries, but for new entrants to the workforce.)
Pro Tip: How long should your resume be for contract work? One page (unless you’ve built so many different kinds of structures you can’t possibly fit them all).
3. Cement Your Resume to the Contractor Job Description
You’re lost in the applicant pool.
Get found.
Do it by showing you’re the perfect contractor for this role.
Include only relevant work experience. That means showing you’ve done contracting tasks they mention in the online posting.
For each of your past jobs, list business job titles and dates, plus organization names.
Here’s the trick: add accomplishments that prove your worth.
Put numbers in those accomplishments to solidify your claims. Example: “exceeded cost-control targets by 10% in every quarter.”
Pro Tip: Want the hiring team to read more of your general contractor resume? Use strong resume verbs like resolved, created, and exceeded to make it happen.
4. Form Up Your Contractor Resume Education Section
That said, there’s a trick to use it so it gets you hired.
Everyone lists school name, degree, and dates.
But you’ll add accomplishments to prove contractor skills.
Did you lead a student organization? That shows leadership.
Or were you passionate about project management classes? That’s a nice independent contractor resume education win.
Pro Tip: If you’re new to the working world, consider lengthening your resume education section. In a pinch, you can list an area of study as its own section, with its own bullets.
Pro Tip: Don’t overdo it. Putting 25 skills in a resume for contractors makes you look dishonest. Seek the few technical skills and soft skills they target in the online ad. Then prove them in your bullets.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.
List language proficiency on a resume in your skills list—unless the online posting says it’s central to the role. If so, add it as a unique section with a bullet list.
Pro Tip: Don’t know how to describe volunteer work on a resume for contractor jobs? If you were doing contractor work for free, put it in “Volunteering” section. If not, put it in “Activities.”
7. Send a Cover Letter With Your Contractor Resume
Pro Tip: Here’s how to follow up on job application: Once a week, send a one-sentence note that says, “Dear [HIRING MANAGER NAME], I’m following up on my application for your open contractor position. Sincerely...”
That’s it!
That’s how to write a contractor resume.
Is your subcontractor resume too busy? Are you afraid they’ll skip your resume for contractor jobs? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d love to talk!
Tom Gerencer is a career expert who has published over 200 in-depth articles on Zety. Since 2016, he has been sharing advice on all things recruitment from writing winning resumes and cover letters to getting a promotion.
Applying for a job via email? You need a perfect email cover letter (No, copy-pasting your regular cover letter will NOT do.) Check out this guide to see an email cover letter sample that gets jobs. Plus, you’ll get an email cover letter template you can adjust and use, tons of expert advice, and actionable cover letter tips.