I always enjoy getting the invitation to guest lecture in CM 10. Thanks for the invitation Henry Meier!

CM 10 is a fun class because for many of you it is the first glimpse into a rewarding career. However, since many students are new to construction, a lot of terms used by guest lecturers are unknown to the audience. I will try to catalog those terms here as an easy and ever-growing reference.

ORGANIZATIONS
Owners: like their name implies, owners "own" the structure that architects design and constructors build. Owners come in so many different varieties that defining them adequately and in detail would require a lot more than a simple blog post. To simplify things, I'll just provide some examples of owners:

• Developers: developers invest and/or borrow money to build commercial spaces (e.g. retail stores, restaurants), residential buildings (apartments, single-family homes, condos), office buildings, etc.
• Corporate owners: These are companies that own facilities so that they can conduct business. Examples include Kaiser, Sutter Health or Dignity owning their hospital buildings, car manufacturers owning factories, entertainment companies owning movie studios, etc.
• Government agencies: these are organizations like Sac State, UC Davis, CalTrans, a branch of the military, etc. "owning" facilities on behalf of taxpayers. Sac State is the designated owner of facilities on our campus.

Designers: develop plans and specifications for structures. They also perform design calculations to ensure that structures will remain operable under normal situations and will survive extraordinary conditions (e.g. earthquakes, fires, etc.).

• Architects: in CM 10, when guest speakers use the word "designer", they are most likely referring to the architect. Architects, simply stated, prepare plans for buildings. While it takes more than architects to design buildings, the architect is typically the leader of the design team.
•  Civil engineers: civil engineering has many specialties, but putting it simply, civil engineers are responsible for designing the infrastructure of a structure such as getting water to the building, removing sewer water from the building, developing plans to ensure the site is graded so that the building will be level and much more. In infrastructure projects, such as freeway, dams and bridges, the civil engineer may be the lead designer.
• Other designers: this is a very incomplete list. Mechanical engineers (design mechanical systems like heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems), electrical engineers (design electrical systems that deliver power and lighting to buildings), structural engineers (a subset of civil engineering; they design the concrete, steel and/or timber systems that support structures), geotechnical engineers (design systems that interact with soil like foundations and retaining walls), landscape architects (design landscaping and irrigation systems), and interior designers (design the interior finishes for buildings such as room layouts, furniture, color coordination, etc.). I will expand on this list as the class progresses.

​Builders/constructors: these are the teams that take the plans and specifications and turn them into physical structures. 

• General contractors: owners hire the general contractor (GC) to assemble a team that will deliver a completed project. The contract between the owner and general contractor almost always specifies the amount of time the GC has to deliver the project (the schedule) and the amount of money they will be paid. While some GCs perform some of the work required to build a project (an act called "self-performing"), they tend to rely on subcontractors to perform most of the work. Heman Chand's company, S+B James, is a GC.
• Subcontractors: GCs hire subcontractors (sometimes called trade partners or simply subs) to perform specific types of work and will specific the time and budget for each type, or scope, of work. Rob Clark's company, Rosendin Electric, is an electrical subcontractor. Other types of subcontractors are mechanical subs (construct heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems), plumbing subs (install sinks and toilets and the pipes that connect them), structural steel subs (erect steel structures), glass and glazing subcontractors (install windows and glass storefront doors), concrete subs (install concrete for building structures and concrete for sidewalks and curbs and gutters). There are dozens of types of subs and I'll add to this list as the class progresses.

PEOPLE AND POSITIONS
Since this is a construction management class, I'm going to focus on the people who work on the constructor side of things (that is, we will not discuss the specific people involved in being owners or designers). In most cases, these people/positions exist with general contractors and subcontractors. I will further define these roles by "field" and "office". Field staff tend to spend most, if not all, of their time on the project site. Office staff tend to spend a lot of their time at the company's main or regional offices, although they do spend plenty of time on project sites. While some of these terms contain the term "man or men" in them, many women successfully hold those positions.

Field  staff:

• Journeymen and apprentices: these are the people that actually use tools, equipment and labor to turn materials into finished structures. They include laborers, cement masons, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, etc. People start as apprentices and become journeymen once they prove capable at performing a trade.
• Foremen: foremen lead crews of journeymen and apprentices. While not necessarily considered management, foremen are the first layer of leadership on a construction site. Foremen are typically promoted from journeyman.
• Superintendent: Superintendents lead foremen. For a subcontractor, the superintendent leads multiple foremen for a particular trade, possibly on multiple projects. For general contractors, superintendents may provide leadership to foremen and superintendents working for subcontractors. Superintendents typically come from the ranks of foremen although many GCs are hiring superintendents with CM degrees. No matter where you learn to be a superintendent, you need to know how to build structures. Superintendents are the eyes and earn or the project site and are responsible for maintaining a safe and productive project site.

 
Office staff: 

• Project engineers and senior project engineers: typically the entry-level management position for GCs and subs. Most project engineers (or PEs) are hired with CM degrees. PEs are usually responsible for knowing the plans and working with subs to ensure they have completed required paperwork (submittals) and ensuring subs are installing work properly.
• Assistant  project managers and project managers: typically called PMs, they are responsible for managing the contract (ensuring the project is on time and on budget) and working with the owner to ensure they are satisfied with the project. Rob Clark is a PM for Rosendin Electric.

*I'm a little reluctant to refer to PEs and PMs as office staff. They spend a lot of time on project sites (PEs may spend all of their time on a project site). But they are responsible for paperwork and contracts and are almost always college educated (whereas field staff oftentimes learn their trades from apprenticeship programs and experience). 

• Project Executive: often referred to as the PX, the project executive leads multiple PM, often on several projects. Before being an owner at S+B James, Heman was a PX at Whiting-Turner.
• Estimators: these are the people who take the plans and specifications drafted by architects and engineers and figure out how much the project should cost. Estimators at GCs receive bids prepared by estimators at subs and create a completed bid that the GC will send to the owner. The owner then selects the GC they want to work with.

DELIVERY METHODS
While it is early in the term, we've already heard our guest speakers mention design-bid-build and design-build so I will briefly describe them below. In summary, the delivery method defines the relationship between the owner, architect and GC and how they will be organized. If these terms do not make complete sense by the end of CM 10, don't sweat it--they will be discussed in great detail throughout several future CM classes. The descriptions below come from a graduate-level class I teach, so it is a fairly advanced description of the delivery methods presented. 

Design-bid-build: In D-B-B, the owner has a separate contract with the designer and GC. The designer designs the project in total and then gives the plans to the owner. The owner then provides the plans to GCs who, in turn, create bids for the work that state how much each GC thinks the project will cost and how long the project will take. The owner selects the best bid and awards the project to the selected GC who then builds the project.

Design-bid-build is the most traditional delivery method.

• The owner has one contract with the designer (typically an architect for a building project, typically and engineer for infrastructure projects) to provide design services.
• The owner has one contract with a general contractor to provide construction services.
• Therefore, the owner has two total contracts.
• General contractors hold contracts with subcontractors.
• Usually, the general contractor is not involved with the project design. The general contractor will typically bid for the project when the design is complete.
• There is risk to the owner and/or general contractor take on risk if the project is bid before the design is “complete”.
• “Complete” is a relative term. It is common for design documents to contain errors and/or omissions. The owner is typically responsible for those errors.
• To manage the design and construction phases, the owner might hire an agent construction manager (agency CM). Very commonly (always by definition), the Agency CM is NOT contractually responsible for delivering a constructed project. Rather, they provide management services to the owner.

Pros:

• Owner may select the designer and builder based on separate criteria. In theory, the owner may hire the best designer and the best general contractor (best being a relative term that may include least expensive, best value, and/or other metrics).
• There are checks and balances between the designer and builder.
• For straight forward projects where the designer delivers a complete set of plans and specifications, competent and qualified general contractors should be able to accurately bid the project. Therefore, the owner should (in theory) have a good idea of what the construction costs of the project are going to be.
• In that same vein, with complete plans, the owner can competitively bid the project and expect the bids received from the general contractors can be compared like-to-like with each other.

Cons:

• Low bid does not always equal lowest cost. If the plans are incomplete of the owner introduces changes, the cost of the project can increase.
• Because the designer and builder have separate contracts and may be vying for the favor of the owner, design-bid-build may foster adversarial relationships between the designer and builder.
• Because of the contractual separation between designers and builders, not all project information makes it to the builder prior or after bid. This may lead to change orders and increased project scope and duration.
• Taking all of the above cons together, design-bid-build may make it difficult to accurately track project construction costs. 

Design-build: In D-B, the owner has a single contract with a design-build team that is usually a joint venture between an architect and GC. The key is that the owner is dealing with a single team responsible for both designing and building the structure.

Design-Build is considered and alternative delivery method. 

• The owner has one contract with a firm that provides both design and construction. This is also considered single source procurement. This means the owner has a single contract and point of contact. It also means that a single firm, the design-build group, is responsible for BOTH design and construction.
• More commonly, a general contractor will enter into a joint venture with a design firm to create a temporary (for the specific project) design-build firm of the general contractor will hire another firm to perform design services for the design-build firm.
• Less commonly (at least for the west coast) integrated design-build firm may have designers (architects and engineers) on staff.
• Design-Build the project can be phased so that construction begins prior to a complete design. With design-build, construction can typically begin before the design is complete. In theory, construction activities (such as mobilization) can start at the same time as the beginning of design. The total construction duration should be shorter that D-B-B.
• Owners can hire a Bridging Architect or Engineer to create a preliminary design that can be used for the basis of selecting a design-build firm. Bridging documents can range from conceptual drawings to partial construction documents.
• Sector expertise is important in design-build.

There are other delivery methods that D-B-B and D-B, but this is a good starter for CM 10 for now.

SPECIFIC TAKEAWAYS FROM SPEAKERS

Heman Chand:

• Your reputation follows you and is more important than the companies you have worked for.
• Construction management is a tough career for people who procrastinate or are shy.
• You're late if you're on time. Be early.

Rob Clark: 

• The construction industry is a small world. Your reputation is important.
• Look at the entire company when selecting a place to work. Look at all of the benefits (Is it employee owned? How stable is it? What are the promotion opportunities?)

I'm grateful to be a part of Henry Meier's dream team of guest speakers. Best hour of the semester. Slides can be viewed below:

I hate to be Debbie Downer, but every college student should read this chart and understand what's going on in it. First, yes, the cost of text books is outrageous. That's why I do not make them mandatory (you're welcome). When possible, buy used books, share them or find an outlet (Amazon?) that will allow you to get the best deal.
Secondly, and more importantly, check out the delta between College Tuition and Wages. Tuition is growing much faster than wages, meaning the ability to work your way through college is getting harder and harder every year. While it's great that internships are abundant in Construction Management, your internship should not take precedence over graduating as quickly as you can.  
Thirdly, I know it's relatively easy to get student loans, but don't stupidly use that debt to buy a car or consumer electronics if you can absolutely help it. You would be using debt, which comes with interest you will have to pay, to purchase something that is getting less expensive over time. Wait to buy it with the wages you get from your high-paying full-time post-graduation Project Engineer salary.

(Originally posted 11/28/12)

Lord, and when I get the paper I read it through and through
I, my girl never fail to see if there is any work for me
I got to go back to the house, hear that woman's mouth
Preachin' and a cryin' tell me that I'm lyin' about a job
That I never could find

Neil Young -- "Get A Job"

I frequently get asked by students to read their resumes and provide feedback.  I have my own biases as to what a good resume contains (which I will interject below), but I thought this was a topic worthy of getting some professional advice to pass along.  Without further ado, here's your all star cast of resume advisors:

Joe Bean, Human Resources Manager, Teichert Construction
Sue Dyson, Human Resources Manager, Swinerton Incorporated
Nicole Sunseri, Human Resources Manager, Rosendin Electric

Each of these people have extensive experience hiring CM students for full-time positions and internships, so they know what they're talking about.  I called each of them to get their feedback regarding the good, bad, and ugly issues with resumes.  Ignore their advice at your own peril.

First things first, all of the all stars agreed on this:  your resume is a tool to get you an interview, not a job.  Don't think your resume alone will get you a job.  That won't happen nor is that the point.  Use your resume and cover letter to get a job interview.

If you're thinking "what's a cover letter?", it's the letter that accompanies your resume.  It's a narrative that explains who you are, why you're interested in a career in construction, and why the company you sent your cover letter and resume to should hire you.  Both should be brief and to the point.  The resume is bullet points that lay out your professional experience while the cover letter is the narrative.  The two should complement each other.  However, the cover letter plays an additional role: it shows how well you can communicate with the written word.  You don't need to be Shakespeare, but your cover letter should demonstrate your written communication skills.  For both the resume and cover letter (cover letter on top), typos, grammatical errors, and misspellings are detrimental to your job acquisition effort.  Let me repeat that:  TYPOS, GRAMMATICAL ERRORS, AND MISSPELLINGS PRETTY MUCH KILL YOUR CHANCES OF GAINING EMPLOYMENT.  Have someone proofread your cover letter and resume.  I have never turned down this request, assuming you give me enough time and I'm not slammed with other work.

Another important point: tailor your cover letter and resume to each company you send it to.  You might be thinking "Wow, I have to print out different cover letters and resumes for each company I meet with, which means I will have to research each company and tailor how my experience will benefit them?  That sounds like a lot of work."  Yes, it is, but that's part of the process.  Nothing worth having comes easy, so prepare to put the work into this process.

There's one other document you need to consider.  If you are fortunate to get an interview, send a note thanking the interviewer for their time.  This serves three purposes: 1) it shows you're considerate and that you were raised with good manners; 2) it's a chance to reiterate what your strengths are and how you would be a good hire for the company you interviewed with; and 3) it shows that you want the job.  This last point can be amplified.  99% of the time, people want an offer after an interview (or series of interviews).  That's a given, assuming you like the company.  But how you thank someone shows how much you want the job.  Anyone can send an e-mail.  That's the minimum that's expected.  Now, if you send a hand-written letter, that show's you really want the job.  It takes effort to write a sincere letter, address it, and put it in the mailbox (compared to writing an e-mail).  And that's exactly the point.  Writing letters is not a quaint practice from a foregone era, it's a show of respect and desire. Former students of the CM department told me that they have done this, and guess what?  They got the dream jobs they wanted.  

There is one way to screw the thank you note: sending a text.  First, texting is social, not professional.  Secondly, if you send a text like "Thx for the interview. Ur company seems like a g8 place 2 work" you will never get a job that isn't located in a mall and pays minimum wage.  To become a professional, act like a professional.

Ok, now for some resume-specific advice:

Going in order of how your resume will be read (top to bottom), let's start with your contact info.  PUT YOUR CONTACT INFO ON YOUR RESUME!  One of the all stars told me it's very common for people to forget this.  Don't be the person that doesn't get an interview because it was impossible to get a hold of you!  Also, get a normal email address that contains your name.  if your email is badassballer209beyoch@hotmail.com, you will look like a tool to HR professionals.  It's fine to use an address like that with your homies, but take the 5 minutes to set up an address like justin.m.reginato@gmail.com.

Next, have a objective statement, but it should be one sentence and be customized for the company you're going to give your resume to (nothing kills your chances like handing a resume to someone at Turner that says you're trying to get a job at DPR...).  This sentence doesn't have to sound like it was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but it does need to express if you're looking for a full-time position or an internship with the specific company you're handing your resume to.  If you're looking for a specific non-PE or intern job (e.g. scheduler, BIM engineer, etc.), then you want to make that clear, but be brief.

What comes next depends on what your strengths are, but whatever your strengths are, put them near the top of the resume (don't make people hunt for the reasons that set you apart!).  When listing your strong suits, use more bullet points and fewer (preferably no) paragraphs.  For those of you with construction work experience, start with this and put it in chronological order with the most recent experience first.  Make sure you list the dates of your employment (one all star stated that the right side of the resume is best).  In terms of describing your experience, one all start said "be accurate, brief, and clear."  In other words, describe what you DID, don't describe the project.  Clearly describe the actions you took, the impacts of those actions, and the ultimate results.  Use numbers to tell the story.  Even if all you did as part of an internship was process RFI's, say "I processed 10,000 RFI's in a ten-week period, ensuring that all were received and processed by the appropriate party on time."  Showing that you performed specific tasks well, no matter how mundane, is important.  (BTW, most HR pros know that some internships can be mundane exercises in pushing paper or other menial tasks.  Just show that you did whatever tasks you were given well.  There's no need to convince them your job was sexier than it really was.)

If you don't have any work experience in the construction industry, then lead with your education.  Hopefully, you can draw some attention to academic achievement (Dean's list, scholarships received, etc.).  Some of you likely have work experience that's outside of the construction industry and want to highlight that.  I hate to rain on your parade, but it was pretty unanimous that such experience matters very little to construction HR managers.  It's not that it's bad, it just has very little relevance.  A lot of people like to list non-construction experience to show that they worked while carrying a full load of classes at Sac State.  Well, that lumps you in with pretty much everyone else on campus, so it's not much of a differentiator.  However, in the absence of any construction experience, if you put non-construction experience on your resume, the same rules above apply.  Use numbers to show that your actions led to measurable results.  If you were in a management position, definitely state that.  Use that experience to show you have the skills that can translate to construction.  Resist every effort to state that you worked at Jamba Juice for 6 months if you don't have anything really good to say about that experience.

Regardless of where you put your education experience (before or after your work experience), include a graduation date or expected graduation date.

Next, list your accomplishments and activities.  Again, be specific and show actions and results.  List only the important accomplishments and activities and the time of your involvement/accomplishment.  If you are/were on a Reno team, state what your role was.  If you are an officer in a club, describe that role and your accomplishments.  Listing that you were a member of CMSA or a Reno team does not help your cause (it probably hurts it--everyone is a member of CMSA and 100 students are a part of Reno teams, so if you list those simply as accomplishments, you look pretty unaccomplished).  If you are an alternate on a Reno team, describe the position you were a backup for:

• Alternate on the Design-Build Team; focused on learning scheduling techniques and software to fill that role next year.  Competed in the Alternate Problem and was part of the 3rd place team.

Don't list hobbies.  This was considered normal when I was a student, but the all stars said this is no longer very relevant (one emphatically said to not include them!). Unless your hobbies include pouring concrete or digging holes with backhoes.  But if that's the case, you really need psychiatric help.

One thing I asked each of the HR all stars about was including a picture (head shot) on your resume.  I thought this was a good idea, as your resume will likely end up in a pile with hundreds others and the picture will remind interviewers as to who you are.  Well, it turns out it's a bad idea.  The HR all stars like it in concept, but unfortunately, pictures can trigger biases and prejudices, so they ask that students not include pictures of themselves on resumes. It's a legal issue, so don't put a potential employer in a bad position.

One last issue that needs to be discussed in depth:  the proper length of a resume.  Two of the all stars were pretty firm on the one-page limit (and I wholeheartedly agree with them).  The three of us separately came to the conclusion that if a PX can summarize his/her experience on one page for a project proposal, so can you.  The other all star said two pages is ok, but only if your experience is worthy of two pages.  Content is key.  If the second page is random job experience or accomplishments that have no bearing on your ability to work in construction management, it's hurting your cause as opposed to helping it.

So let's summarize the basic resume tips:

• Be brief and use bullet points; make your strengths very clear to the reader
• Include contact info (with a professional-looking email address)
• Your objective statement should be one sentence, list the position you're seeking, and be directed to a specific company
• Lead with your professional experience if you have it.  Describe what you did (the actions you took and their results)
• List other non-construction-related experience at your own risk.  If you do list it, show actions and results; focus on managerial tasks if possible.
• Include your academic experience, including honors (and GPA if > 3.0).  Include a graduation/anticipated graduation date
• List relevant accomplishments and affiliations.  Provide dates, roles, responsibilities, and results.
• No pictures
• One page max

Bonus techniques:

So how do you really make your resume stand out?  Here are some hints:

• If you can be clever without being cheesy, do so.  One HR manager told me about an applicant, whose last name was Greene, typed his last name in green font.  Sounds goofy, but it was a hit among the several people that read his resume (and he got the job!).  Get noticed without being overly or outwardly lame.
• Express a passion for construction.  This is huge.  Construction can burn people out. It's hard work--even the management side.  If you don't have a passion for building, then employers will question your resolve.  The cover letter is an excellent place to describe your passion for building.  If you grew up in a construction family, definitely make that known.  If not, find someway to sincerely demonstrate that you're sold on a career in the construction industry.
• Use the job description as the guide for your resume.  Most companies list descriptions of open positions on their webpages.  As one all star said, those descriptions are the answers to the test.  Most HR professionals will run your resume through a key word search.  Make sure your resume includes a description of experience that meets the traits the company you're trying to get a job with is looking for.  This may mean that you have to have tailored resumes for specific companies.  It's worth the effort.
• Do you have more experience that can easily fit on a one-page resume and want to show it:  provide a link to your personal webpage or LinkedIn profile and put more info there.  If you don't have a LinkedIn profile, build one.  Seriously, all HR pros check LinkedIn.  And remember, LinkedIn is professional.  Use it to list professional skills.  Add pictures of projects you have worked on or have visited.  Don't add pictures of that mammoth beer bong you killed during spring break (those are for Facebook, but take them off Facebook if you're looking for a job.  HR pros look at Facebook profiles too).  But seriously, build a professional-looking LinkedIn profile (or webpage if you have the skills).
• Super-awesome bonus point: if you have a webpage or LinkedIn profile, include a QR code  on your resume so that a potential employer can quickly pull up your webpage or LinkedIn profile. You're making the HR professional's job easier and showing off how tech savvy you are.

​Keep in mind that this is just an example. But it shows that opening salary is not the only variable to look at. Particularly your 2014 salary. If you're reading this, there's a decent chance you won't even be full time in 2014 until you graduate in May. But that's why you need to evaluate other items (interning until May will likely improve your financial situation). Fore example, the salary plus bonus for Company 2 is much better that Company 1 ($62k vs. $56k). But living in San Jose is a lot more than Sacramento, so that increased salary is probably a wash. I cannot over emphasize that you need to look at the big picture. Do you like the people you work with? Do you like the career path they want from you (field vs. office; commercial vs. heavy-civil; GC vs. sub). Do you like the vibe? Go deep on your due diligence. If you love to travel, then maybe Company 2 is the only offer you entertain because it provides the most vacation time. If you have kids, maybe medical and the offer closest to the best school district matter most. Use the variables that work best for your lifestyle.

One last note: this process can be used for internships and positions AFTER your first full-time position. A lot of people talk to me questioning their current job trajectory. If your current job isn't satisfying you, refer back to this leveling sheet and use it to help you decide to move on or stay.

I know this makes a lot of you nervous, but try to have fun with it and stay relaxed. You're about to enter a very lucrative business. Happy job hunting!

​Largent was a flawless pass route runner. He was fearless running routes across the middle. His hands were soft--he rarely dropped passes. Anyone who watched football in the 1980s knew this. Yet, take a look at the back of his football card:

Notice it says nothing about his hands, his route running or his toughness? It's because while those were known, the only way to really show how good you are is with numbers. And Steve Largent has numbers. Each of the numbers on his card gives strong proof that Largent was the best receiver of his era. "Soft hands" and "toughness" are debatable. 10k receiving yards and 78 touchdowns are not.

By now you should be thinking "I get it...put numbers on my resume to show how good I am at my job." Bingo! Some of you might be saying, "Of course Steve Largent has great numbers. He was in the league for 10 years before he had those numbers." True, so let's consider a rookie. ​