Contractor Resume Example

A contractor resume is usually written by someone who has been their own boss and now wants a role with a larger builder, a property owner or a public agency. The reader needs to see a license, the size and type of jobs you have run, and proof that you can manage money, subcontractors and inspections as well as swing a hammer.

The Sample resume below belongs to a licensed general contractor who has run a residential remodeling business for five years after four years as a site lead for a custom home builder. The business is written up like a job, with revenue, project counts, crew size, permits pulled and repeat clients. That framing turns self-employment into the management experience a hiring manager is actually looking for.

Be specific about what you personally handled: estimating, scheduling, subcontractor contracts, client communication and closeout. If you are applying for a project management role, the construction project manager example shows the commercial version of this work, and the carpenter example shows the trade side. The Vista template keeps a business summary and work history clear.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample resume are fictional.

Contractor sample resume

Wes Thornquist

Licensed General Contractor, Residential Remodeling

Boise, IDwes.thornquist@example.com(208) 555-0138

Summary

Licensed general contractor with nine years in residential construction, including five years running my own remodeling company. Grew the business to about $1.6 million in annual revenue with a crew of four and a steady bench of subcontractors. Strong at estimating, scheduling trades and keeping clients informed from contract to final inspection.

Experience

Owner and General Contractor, Thornquist Home Renovation LLC

– Present

Boise, ID

  • Run a residential remodeling company completing 25 to 30 kitchen, bath, addition and whole-house projects a year, with annual revenue of about $1.6 million.
  • Estimate every job from site visits and plans, and hold final costs within 5 percent of the contract price on most projects.
  • Hire and schedule subcontractors for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, drywall and tile, and manage four employees on carpentry and site work.
  • Pull permits and schedule inspections for every project, passing final inspection on the first visit on almost all jobs.
  • Earned most new work from referrals and repeat clients, with no marketing spend beyond a simple website.
Site Lead, Stillpoint Custom Homes

–

Meridian, ID

  • Led day-to-day construction on custom homes from foundation to finish, coordinating up to ten trades on site.
  • Kept schedules on track through two busy seasons of material shortages by reordering the build sequence with the project manager.
  • Walked homeowners through the site weekly and handled punch lists before closing.

Education

Associate of Applied Science, Construction Management

Sagebrush Valley Community College, Nampa, ID

Skills

  • Estimating and bidding
  • Scheduling trades
  • Subcontractor management
  • Permitting and inspections
  • Budget control
  • Client communication
  • Residential building codes
  • Change orders
  • Framing and finish carpentry
  • Job costing (QuickBooks)
  • Project scheduling software
  • Jobsite safety

Certifications

  • Idaho Contractor Registration, Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses,
  • OSHA 30-Hour Construction, OSHA Training Institute Education Center,
  • EPA Lead-Safe Certified Renovator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,

Start yours from this example

Bring your own resume or start blank, then tailor it to each posting in about two minutes.

Use this example

Templates for the contractor resume

All templates

How the resume changes with experience

The same contractor resume, written at three levels: a summary and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first role in the title

Carpenter and site assistant with three years of residential experience, now taking on small remodeling jobs of my own and preparing for a contractor license.

  • Completed ten small remodeling jobs such as decks and bathroom updates, from estimate to final walk-through.
  • Worked alongside a general contractor on site, learning scheduling and subcontractor coordination.
  • Passed the business and law exam required for a state contractor license.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

General contractor with six years of experience running residential projects and a small team, handling estimates, permits and subcontractors.

  • Run eight to twelve remodeling projects a year with two employees and trusted subcontractors.
  • Write estimates, contracts and change orders, and track job costs in accounting software.
  • Manage permits and inspections with the local building department.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programs

General contractor with eighteen years of experience building custom homes and light commercial projects, managing multiple superintendents and multimillion-dollar budgets.

  • Oversee a company completing custom homes and commercial build-outs with three superintendents.
  • Set bidding, scheduling and safety standards for all projects.
  • Negotiate with suppliers and key subcontractors on annual pricing agreements.

Skills to put on the contractor resume

Hard skills

Estimating and bidding
Accurate bids decide whether a job makes money, and employers want contractors who know their numbers.
Subcontractor management
General contractors are judged on how well they schedule and hold trades accountable.
Permits, codes and inspections
Passing inspection without delays is one of the clearest signs of a well-run job.
Budget and job cost control
Keeping final costs close to the contract shows financial discipline that transfers to any construction role.
Scheduling
Sequencing trades and materials well keeps a job on time, a result both builders and clients remember.
Hands-on trade skills
Contractors who can step in on carpentry or site work solve problems on the spot, which employers value.

Soft skills

Client communication
Homeowners and building owners want to be kept informed, and it is often why they refer you or hire you again.
Problem-solving on site
Hidden damage and late materials are normal in construction, and a calm fix is a good interview story.
Business judgment
Running a business shows you understand margin, risk and cash flow, which larger employers appreciate.

Mistakes that cost contractor interviews

  1. Hiding self-employment

    Some contractors worry that owning a business looks unstable. Present it like any job, with a title, dates and results. It shows management experience most applicants lack.

  2. No license information

    State the license or registration, the state and the year. Employers and public agencies often check it before an interview.

  3. No project size or count

    Give the number of projects per year, typical budgets and project types so the reader can compare your work to theirs.

  4. Listing trades instead of management

    If you are applying to manage work, lead with estimating, scheduling and subcontractor results, and keep hands-on skills lower on the page.

  5. Vague results

    Satisfied customers is hard to check. Use repeat clients, referrals, inspections passed and budgets met instead.

Questions about the contractor resume

How should a self-employed contractor write a resume?

List your company as an employer, with your title, dates, the kinds of projects you ran and results such as revenue, project count and repeat clients.

Should I include my contractor license number?

Listing the license type, state and year is enough. Share the number if the application asks for it, since it is easy to verify.

Can a contractor move into a construction project manager role?

Yes. Estimating, scheduling, subcontractor management and client communication are the core of the role. Show those skills with numbers and learn the employer's project software.

What if my projects were small?

Say so plainly and show volume and quality instead: many projects completed on time and on budget with good inspection results reads well at any size.

How do I tailor a contractor resume for each job?

Match the type of construction in the posting, residential, commercial or public, and move the most similar projects and skills to the top.

Related resume examples

All examples

Every application goes out fitting the job.

Paste a posting, get a resume rewritten for it in two minutes.

Tailor your resume — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.