Jobs In Construction - A Day In The Life Of A Construction Superv

By Monster Contributor

By the Monster Career Coach

Make sure those tons of cement arrive on time. Coordinate the plumbers and HVAC crew. Tour the site with your local Safety Inspector. And, oh yeah, order donuts and coffee for the afternoon meeting with those newly hired tradespeople.

All in a day's work for your average commercial Construction Supervisor. Take Joseph Wong, who's managing the site of an office building erection in Vancouver, B.C. To him each week brings an additional floor of height and complexity. It also involves an increasing number of specialty trades and materials.

Joseph took time from his busy schedule to speak with Monster.ca. He told us about what his fascinating job involves. Meanwhile here are all the construction supervisor (and construction superintendent or manager) jobs currently posted on Monster.ca.

Monster.ca: Being a construction supervisor requires you to wear many hats. How do you start off your day?

Joseph Wong: Before we start to work on a new building we put together a master schedule for all phases of construction. This includes every resource to complete each stage (tradespeople, inputs such as concrete and steel) and how long it will take.

So every morning I sit down with the key members of my crew to review the schedule. We look at which pieces of the project plan need to get done, and who will be on site that day. I assign tasks such as greeting the concrete mixers and guiding them to their appointed spot. I also appoint workers to troubleshoot as required.

Monster.ca: How much are you expected to know about each specialty area?

Joseph Wong: Good question. Some days it seems like I need to be a framing expert, drywall installing specialist, electrical technician and foundation layer just to understand all the things that are going on on my site.

But really I rely on each of my crew forepeople to stay on top of their respective teams. They report to me daily and we consult on any important matters. If I don't know the exact terminology or procedures (they change as new technologies are introdced), they'll spell them out to me if necessary, but more or less my job is to have an all-round knowledge of commercial construction, not to hold my journeyman tickets in every area.

Monster.ca: What do you see as the best part of your job?

Joseph Wong: Have you ever had a job where you build something from scratch and got to watch it take shape as it got completed? I love to visit a site before the first shovel digs into the dirt. I look at the barren landscape and picture in my mind the finished building. It's like we're reshaping a piece of the world into something truly useful.

Also I've always liked the challenge of putting together puzzles. That's what a construction site is to me: a series of puzzle pieces waiting to be put together. It's a privilege to work with so many trained trades people too. They're a dedicated bunch who really know what they're doing.

Monster.ca: Are there any areas of your job that you find more stressful than others?

Joseph Wong: You bet. Erecting a building costs a fortune these days. Do you know how much those giant cranes alone rent for on a daily basis? Never mind the construction crews we pay regardless if the project is on schedule or not, the insurance premiums and overtime wages that get stretched out if delays occur.

I'd have to say the most nerve-wracking part of my job is keeping to the schedule without compromising on quality. One without the other is a guarantee for disaster.

Monster.ca: How did you get your start as a construction supervisor?

Joseph Wong: Back in college I worked summers in construction to help pay my tuition. It was sweat-producing work but great training and pay. Actually I was studying something completely different (to be a police officer). Except I could see a real opportunity in the construction sector. It seemed to me a bunch of the older guys in supervisor positions would be retiring soon.

I was told by some of those same supervisors that young people like me would be in real demand. One of my bosses in particular took me under his wing. He showed me all the different aspects a construction manager has to deal with. To me it meant my job would never be boring, and I liked the thought of that.

Monster.ca: We appreciate your comments, Joseph. Do you have any parting advice for people who are considering getting into your field?

Joseph Wong: Don't be afraid to start at the bottom. Summer jobs in construction are a perfect way to begin. Sure you do all the grunt work: carrying heavy equipment, sweeping the building's dirt away, hammering in nails and helping the tradespeople. In doing so you get exposed to who does what and how it gets done.

Get out to meet people in the construction unions while in school for a related program. They'll be glad to explain career paths because they want new workers who can rise into supervisor positions. One more thing is to be sure you like being a generalist and not so much a specialty trades person.

Most of your time as a supervisor is spent on project and people management, not on the nuts and bolts of a particular trade.