Career profile for Construction Foreman

What does a Construction Foreman do?

Construction Foremen directly supervise and coordinate activities of construction or extraction workers.

What kind of tasks does a Construction Foreman perform regularly?

Construction Foremen are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

Inspect work progress, equipment, or construction sites to verify safety or to ensure that specifications are met.
Read specifications, such as blueprints, to determine construction requirements or to plan procedures.
Supervise, coordinate, or schedule the activities of construction or extractive workers.
Assign work to employees, based on material or worker requirements of specific jobs.
Coordinate work activities with other construction project activities.
Estimate material or worker requirements to complete jobs.
Analyze worker or production problems and recommend solutions, such as improving production methods or implementing motivational plans.
Order or requisition materials or supplies.
Train workers in construction methods, operation of equipment, safety procedures, or company policies.
Locate, measure, and mark site locations or placement of structures or equipment, using measuring and marking equipment.
Confer with managerial or technical personnel, other departments, or contractors to resolve problems or to coordinate activities.
Arrange for repairs of equipment or machinery.
Provide assistance to workers engaged in construction or extraction activities, using hand tools or other equipment.
Record information, such as personnel, production, or operational data on specified forms or reports.
Suggest or initiate personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, or hires.

The above responsibilities are specific to Construction Foremen. More generally, Construction Foremen are involved in several broader types of activities:

Activities	Importance	Details
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates		Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
Making Decisions and Solving Problems		Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials		Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
Getting Information		Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others		Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates

Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials

Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.

Getting Information

Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others

Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

What is a Construction Foreman salary?

The median salary for a Construction Foreman is $67,840, and the average salary is $72,990. Both the median and average roughly describe the middle of the Construction Foreman salary range, but the average is more easily affected by extremely high or low salaries.

Many Construction Foremen earn significantly more or less than the average, due to several factors. About 10% of Construction Foremen earn less than $43,570 per year, 25% earn less than $54,270, 75% earn less than $87,570, and 90% earn less than $109,980.

Between the years of 2020 and 2030, the number of Construction Foremen is expected to change by 6.2%, and there should be roughly 70,700 open positions for Construction Foremen every year.

Median annual salary: $67,840
Typical salary range: $43,570 - $109,980
Projected growth (2020 - 2030): 6.2%

What personality traits are common among Construction Foremen?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Construction Foreman are usually higher in their Enterprising, Realistic, and Conventional interests.

Construction Foremen typically have very strong Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Also, Construction Foremen typically have strong Realistic interests. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Lastly, Construction Foremen typically have moderate Conventional interests. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Construction Foreman tend to value Independence, Relationships, and Achievement.

Most importantly, Construction Foremen strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Second, Construction Foremen strongly value Relationships. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Lastly, Construction Foremen strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Construction Foremen must consistently demonstrate qualities such as attention to detail, leadership, and dependability.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Construction Foremen, ranked by importance:

Demands	Importance	Details
Attention to Detail		Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Leadership		Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Dependability		Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Self-Control		Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
Integrity		Job requires being honest and ethical.

Attention to Detail

Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.

Leadership

Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.

Dependability

Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.

Self-Control

Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.

Integrity

Job requires being honest and ethical.

What education and training do Construction Foremen need?

Construction Foremen often have training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Construction Foremen usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with this occupation.

Educational degrees among Construction Foremen

15.5% did not complete high school or secondary school
42.8% completed high school or secondary school
23.6% completed some college coursework
6.9% earned a Associate's degree
9.2% earned a Bachelor's degree
1.6% earned a Master's degree
0.3% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Construction Foremen

Construction Foremen may benefit from understanding of specialized subject areas, such as administration and management, building and construction, or mechanical knowledge.

The list below shows several areas in which most Construction Foremen might want to build proficiency, ranked by importance.

Knowledge areas	Importance	Details
Administration and Management		Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
Building and Construction		Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
Mechanical		Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
Customer and Personal Service		Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Design		Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Administration and Management

Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Building and Construction

Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

Mechanical

Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

Customer and Personal Service

Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Design

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Important Abilities needed by Construction Foremen

Construction Foremen must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Construction Foremen need abilities such as oral comprehension, oral expression, and problem sensitivity in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Construction Foremen, ranked by their relative importance.

Abilities	Importance	Details
Oral Comprehension		The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Oral Expression		The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Problem Sensitivity		The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
Information Ordering		The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Near Vision		The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Oral Comprehension

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

Information Ordering

The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

Near Vision

The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Critical Skills needed by Construction Foremen

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Construction Foremen frequently use skills like coordination, active listening, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Construction Foremen, ranked by their relative importance.

Skills	Importance	Details
Coordination		Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Listening		Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking		Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking		Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Management of Personnel Resources		Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

Management of Personnel Resources

Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

If you have any questions or suggestions about this information, please send a message.

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