How To Become A Construction Manager/Site Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a construction manager/site manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Becky Serbin

The average construction manager/site manager salary is $116,694. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an business major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a construction manager/site manager. Construction manager/site managers with a OSHA Safety Certificate certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 8% and produce 36,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a construction manager/site manager?

Becky Serbin

Director of Education and Curriculum, National Tile Contractors Association

Skill requirements are stated on our recruitment flyer, attached, but will ultimately be decided on by the hiring contractor. Beyond our flyer, many also require a valid drivers license.

ScoreConstruction Manager/Site ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $116,694

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.8

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.56%

Asian 2.85%

Black or African American 3.74%

Hispanic or Latino 17.64%

Unknown 4.45%

White 70.77%

Gender

female 5.12%

male 94.88%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

7.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a construction manager/site manager

Explore construction manager/site manager education requirements

Most common construction manager/site manager degrees

Bachelor's

55.1 %

Associate

21.4 %

Master's

10.6 %

Start to develop specific construction manager/site manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Site Safety	12.61%
OSHA	12.51%
Construction Management	11.06%
Project Management	8.65%
Construction Sites	8.41%

Complete relevant construction manager/site manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New construction manager/site managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a construction manager/site manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real construction manager/site manager resumes.

Research construction manager/site manager duties and responsibilities

Manage design and supervision of HVAC, automatic sliding doors and assembly of steel construction of military aircraft shelters.
Manage third party contractors, including safety oversight, control inspection and environmental design specification compliance, and also direct consultants.
Update all information in RFI log.
Write and submit RFI s. Confer with and direct contractors to allow concurrent activities to prevent delays.

Prepare your construction manager/site manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your construction manager/site manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a construction manager/site manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable construction manager/site manager resume templates

Build a professional construction manager/site manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your construction manager/site manager resume.

Apply for construction manager/site manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a construction manager/site manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do construction manager/site managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

4 stars

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2 stars

1 star

Construction manager/site manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2022

Pros

In the field, hands on, working with trades. More custom oriented

Cons

Office work, did not like doing commercial construction and been building custom homes for 35 years.

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019