Question:
will be graduating from college in a year with a degree in Building
Construction Management and I am looking for advice/info. What kind of advice
would you give to a new employee? What are some of the more common mistakes
that new employees make?
Answer:
i've been in architecture & construction & facility mgmt for 33 years
- now manage all alterations and planning for $3.5 million s.f.
hospital.
i'm not sure i'd assign anyone w/ no experience to a job that is that
size
but if you think u can handle it, and if u think there is good
supervision of you & your managers would be open to questions,
watching out for u, etc., I'd go for it!
My first CM job was for a large public U. They were very
bureaucratic, but actually quite good and it was an excellent training
ground.
Better, however, if you can get it, would be with a mid sized
contractor or CM firm who had a well-organized training program - but
I know that'd be hard to find.
I think your advisor is wrong. With your 12 years carrying the tools,
you don't need any more experience in that. Prospective employers will
consider that experience positive (it gives you great credibility in
the field as well as in the office), but you have enough. What
employers will look for next is your ability to supervise people and
your ability to manage a construction process.
The real advantage of a constuction internship is the potential of
both parties getting a look at the other to see if they would mutually
like to make the relationship permanent after the intern graduates.
There is a tremendous advantage to both parties with this kind of
arrangement. Because of this, I would suggest that you be particular
in the companies you pursue for internship opportunities (although my
guess is that you are late for opportunities for this summer). Look at
them as a long-term employment potential rather than as a summer job.
A company I consult with has been working hard on their intern
program, and has had great results. They extend offers to 70-80% of
the people they hire as interns, and well over half of those accept
the offers. I believe that this is similar to experience by most
companies.
