Amtec Hiring Guides

How to Hire Construction Project Managers in Tacoma

Amtec Hiring Guides

How to Hire Construction Project Managers in Tacoma

Current Environment

Construction Managers, also known as Construction Project Managers, oversee and allocate resources for various construction projects. Often, Construction Project Managers work for a larger company and travel from project to project, but they can also be subcontracted out for various projects.

The exact role of a project manager on a project will depend on the project. With some large projects, there could be multiple project managers. Each project manager could work for a different group on the project. For example, there could be a project manager with the electrical subcontractor and another from the HVAC subcontractor. In these instances, they will work under a project manager who will coordinate their efforts. The top construction manager is then responsible for the overall project’s health and well-being, but it frees them up from some smaller yet important details.

History

Construction management’s origins can be traced to several forerunners, and its development, although short, has seen many changes in both practice and attitude. Its cost-saving and quality management methods have been praised by most users but its inroads into the construction market has caused controversy among those concerned with holding their share of the market. Experience has made great strides toward a uniform understanding of Construction Management practices and qualifications and is still progressing in that direction.

How will Recruiting construction project managers Help Your Company?

How will Hiring construction project managers Help Your Company?

Hiring the right construction project manager is a crucial decision since that person will direct work, ensure compliance with building regulations, set schedules and manage the budgets that will make or break a construction project.

While internal communication between workers and the project manager is necessary, external communication to key stakeholders is crucial as well.

A Construction project manager’s responsibilities involve communicating the progress and health of the project with key stakeholders and clients.

A project manager can help execute a project more efficiently by expertly coordinating internal resources with outside vendors.

construction project manager Details

Responsibilities

Construction project managers must have excellent communication skills (verbal and written), be incredibly organized, execute good leadership skills, and be good at juggling multiple tasks at once. They must also understand accounting principles and be able to learn new skills/tools quickly. Many construction project managers are quickly learning to make the most of technology and using it to help to save both time and money.

Before we get to exactly how to recruit the best construction project managers in Tacoma, here are some of the responsibilities of the job …

  • Prepare cost estimates, budgets, and work timetables
  • Interpret and explain contracts and technical information to other professionals
  • Collaborate with architects, engineers, and other construction specialists
  • Select subcontractors and schedule and coordinate their activities
  • Monitor projects and report progress and budget matters to the construction firm and clients
  • Respond to work delays, emergencies, and other problems with the project
  • Ensure that the project complies with legal requirements, such as building and safety codes

Looking for another position? View other positions we place in Tacoma, Washington.

Education

Many Construction Project Manager positions require a Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, though candidates with significant construction industry experience may be able to use their years of experience to replace the degree. While candidates can complete a degree in Construction Management, a relatively wide variety of degrees can qualify someone for the role.

Here are the top schools for construction project management according to US News & World Report rankings.

Top Schools

  •

    Arizona State University

  • Wentworth Institute of Technology

  • Louisiana State University Agricultural & Mechanical College

2019 U.S. National Data

Salary Range

construction project managers in the U.S.

$56k
Low
$105k
Average
$164k
High

$k

Average
Salary

$

Average
Hourly
994k

Total construction project managers Employed in the U.S.

90%

Men

10%

Women

construction project manager Salary Comparison

National

The construction project management profession is a rapidly growing field, providing opportunities for a diverse pool of candidates. While there is much work still to be done to increase women and minorities in the field, there are new initiatives regularly popping up that are working to increase the overall representation of women and minorities in the field.

Construction Project Managers tend to be paid quite well. There is quite a salary range nationally. With positive job growth projections, there is plenty of room for growth and salary growth opportunities.

Washington

The average annual salary for construction project managers in Washington was k in 2019. The hourly wage averaged $.

For more detailed compensation information for construction project managers in Tacoma, download our free compensation/salary report below.

Working in Tacoma

Tacoma is a picturesque city in Washington on the banks of Puget Sound, located just north of its neighbor and “big sister” Seattle. But Tacoma is definitely a city with its own identity. Due to its thriving job market and progressive culture, Tacoma is also known as the City of Destiny.

Its natural beauty, ocean-front location, focus on arts and culture, and its proximity to the impressive Mount Ranier give Tacoma a ton of character.

Here are a few additional “pros” for living and working in Tacoma.

Pros

    • The crown jewel of Tacoma is Point Defiance Park, which some compare to  NYC’s Central Park as far as size and stuff to do.  The park has 760 acres of trails, gardens, forests, playgrounds, and waterfront activities like boating and swimming.
    • It’s also home to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.
    • Museums: The city boasts several world-renowned museums: the Museum of Glass, the Tacoma Art Museum, and the Washington State History Museum.
    • Tacoma Arts Live features three theaters, the Tacoma City Ballet, Tacoma Philharmonic, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, and Puget Sound Revels.
    • Tacoma gets good reviews on its food scene, and most locals would point to Ruston Way for the best seafood restaurants, or cross the Tacoma Narrow’s Bridge to the charming city of Gig Harbor for more waterfront dining options.
    • The cost of living is lower than in neighboring Seattle. This calculator estimates that Tacoma is 34% cheaper overall than Seattle, and the median home cost is 56% less.

While there are many good things people report about living and working in Tacoma, there are a few complaints.

Cons

    • When comparing Tacoma to Seattle schools, the school data shows that Seattle has better statistics for Pre-K-12 schools. Tacoma has more students per teacher and a lower high school graduation rate, and while 28% of students go on to get a 4-year degree, 62% achieve the same in Seattle.
    • The Tacoma Aroma. What?? It’s a rancid, unpleasant odor that occurs occasionally in the tidal flats. Describe it as that kind of sulfuric, rotten egg smell. It’s a byproduct of industrialization in the area.
Tacoma, Washington

Current Weather

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Demand for construction project managers in Tacoma

Demand for construction project managers in Tacoma

Construction Project Management is a good, important profession for those with the right qualities and skills. Given the fact that it plays such an important role in the construction industry, this isn’t a profession that is going away anytime soon. In fact, it is a profession that, according to the BLS, is primed to grow at a much faster pace than most positions. It is up to you to determine if you fit the qualities, skills, and knowledge of a successful construction project manager.

The supply of candidates and demand for open positions have a direct correlation to a company's ability to hire. Download a free Supply and Demand report for construction project managers in Tacoma, Washington below.

How to Hire the Best construction project managers

Finding and hiring the best construction project manager candidates can save you money right away and well into the future.

The costs of making a bad hire are well documented. The cost can run as much as 30% of the employee's first-year earnings according to the US Department of Labor. Bad hires can cost a whopping $240,000 in expenses related to hiring, compensation, and retention per The Undercover Recruiter. 74% of companies who admit they've hired the wrong person for a position lost an average of $14,900 for each bad hire according to CareerBuilder. These statistics support our long-held position that behavioral questions are the best way to get to know your candidates and past behavior is the best indicator of future performance.

Recruiting Best Practices

The information below comes from the best practices Amtec uses for finding the highest quality candidates.

Defining the Position

When defining the role you are creating, we recommend a position profile to fully evaluate the position you are hiring for. You must decide if the engineer can work remotely or must work in Washington. If working in Tacoma is essential, make sure you include that in your job posting so candidates can decide how many miles they can commute.

How to Source the Best Candidates

When you are looking to source the best quality candidates for your open positions, make sure you have done the legwork to hire an "A Player". You can do this by making sure your company's perspective is aligned with the current market, you have taken into account the job responsibilities, as well as what type of characteristics you are looking for to fit your company culture. Then proceed to write a job posting to attract high-quality candidates.

Characteristics of construction project managers

When you are looking to recruit construction project managers, look for individuals who demonstrate:

  • An understanding of how to build and leverage formal and informal networks to get things done
  • How to clearly define roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations for all team members
  • The ability to foster collaboration among team members and provide clear direction and priorities.
  • Lastly, the Construction Project Manager should be efficient enough to remove obstacles that hamper team progress, readiness, or effectiveness.

How to Screen Candidates

You wrote a job posting, posted the position online, and received a lot more resumes than you’d bargained for! Next comes the enormous task of sorting through those resumes to eliminate the ones that are clearly not a good fit. Now, you have a stack of resumes for candidates who have potential. So how do you go about screening the remaining candidates?

It starts on the phone! As a recruiter, the goal of your telephone screening is to learn more about your candidates. You can confirm that they have the educational qualifications and relevant experience, but you also need to determine if they would fit into your company's culture. To make this job easier, use a system to consistently evaluate results. This way you can equally and objectively compare candidates and evaluate their "soft skills", like communication and thinking process. Download Amtec's Professional Assessment Questionnaire below to help with screening candidates.

Free Professional Assessment Questionnaire

An individually customized questionnaire that helps assess a candidate's competence with written communication skills, thinking processes, and other relevant skills.

How to Interview Candidates

At Amtec, we believe in the power of behavoral interview questions to go beyond the experience and skills listed on the candidate's resume. Although you will want to confirm in the interview that the candidate does indeed have the experience listed on their resume, your assessment needs to go much deeper than that. An interview using behavioral questions can help you determine how well the candidate will fit with your company culture.

Download Amtec's best practices on conducting super effective interviews to find the best candidates and fill your open jobs.

Behavioral Interview Guide

Get the info you need to hire the best construction project managers

Free Interview Guide