Careers in Construction Contracting by Institute For Career Research

Author:Institute For Career Research
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Institute For Career Research
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Personal Qualifications

Anyone involved in carpentry and contracting should have a variety of personal qualifications that will enable you to become successful in this career field. If you are unsure of whether or not you have these types of qualifications, speak with a trusted teacher or guidance counselor at your school. Your guidance or career counselor can help you assess your strengths and weaknesses and may have you take a personality inventory test to confirm their advice.

Carpentry work is physically demanding, and people interested in pursuing this line of work should strive to attain and maintain high levels of physical fitness. This is not just because of the strenuous nature of the work itself, but to develop stamina for the conditions in which the work is done. Being able to work in both hot and cold climates will require good health and fitness.

Along with fitness is perseverance. People who can commit to a project and stay with it, even if it's difficult or must be done under poor working conditions, will be more successful than those who are more inclined to give up. The ability to honor commitments is an important one in this field.

Attention to detail is critical. Carpentry and building projects can involve hundreds even thousands of measurements and highly technical calculations and specifications. Hurrying through a project or making assumptions rather than studying the details carefully can lead to results that are costly and even dangerous, and ultimately such errors could result in the loss of future work for the carpenter. Working on construction projects requires the ability to thoroughly examine the directions for the job, making sure you clearly understand them and can deliver them precisely. The woodworker's phrase ("Measure twice, cut once") is an important philosophy in this line of work.

Being able to work under pressure and tight deadlines is another important factor. Often building projects come with specific deadlines, and there may be penalties, such as lost revenue, for missing those deadlines. Yet the quality of the work must not be compromised, which leads to pressure to produce high quality work at a fast pace. Learning how to manage stress and work within it is a key factor in the success of a carpenter.

Because working with people is a part of this work, the ability to get along with others is a factor in a carpenter's overall success. Even independent contractors who work on their own, will still require good people contact skills as the carpenter first bids, then delivers, the work to the customer's specifications. Larger projects require crews to work as teams under supervisors. While some contact with other people can be rewarding, sometimes a carpenter may encounter an angry customer or supervisor, and the ability to remain calm and focused will be essential.

Professionalism on the job, which incorporates all these attributes as well as a pride in one's work, is perhaps the best determinant of potential success in this field. Carpenters who treat their work as an important and valuable service, and offer that service with respect to contractors and customers will enjoy the most success.

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