The Importance of Attitude and Aptitude for Construction Cadets
By Todd Richardson
If you’re looking for a varied and rewarding career path, construction may be the right choice for you.
Development paths such as construction management, quantity surveying and property development are just some of the options open to you as you step forth into the professional arena. What’s more, it’s an expanding market; in Feb 2016 there were 1.06m people employed by the nation’s construction industry, a 2.3% rise on the previous year.
However, with such a high level of opportunity comes a similarly high level of competition. If you’re to be noticed in the job market, if you’re to stand out from the crowd – you need to display attitude and aptitude in your approach to gaining industry experience and knowledge.
It’s a topic of discussion that often comes up in the Construction People office when we’re trying to narrow down a list of potential candidates to put forward to our clients, particularly when looking at cadet roles. In fact, we place a lot of emphasis on what attitude and aptitude our cadets embody.
Here are a couple of reasons why –
A proactive attitude will set you apart.
Upon leaving university, you are just one of the 100s or even 1000s of students graduating with similar qualifications, so some hands-on experience is necessary to set yourself apart.
Take on a proactive attitude during education and search out opportunities for work placement and internships within organisations that are relevant to your degree.
Picking up a job in a clothing store or bar will net you a few extra dollars a month and provide you with some real-world experience, but it won’t arm you with specialist industry skills.
And there are plenty of avenues available for you to gain this experience.
Familiarise yourself with your university job board which post regular work experience opportunities for students, reach out to industry personnel via LinkedIn or simply pick up the phone and start making calls to organisations in your field of study to see what hands-on experience they can offer you.
A good aptitude shows a natural ability to learn fast and work hard.
But practical experience alone is not enough; you also need to embody a high level of theoretical knowledge.
Yes, “P’s get degrees” but do they get jobs? This motto isn’t always a good thing to live by, good grades most definitelymatter, especially if an employer is trying to narrow down a list of potential candidates for a job.
Anyone can go to university and obtain a degree. But it takes a good attitude and aptitude to really apply yourself to your studies and nail it.
A set of strong grades could be the defining factor between you landing the job over someone else. Why? Because not only does it show potential employers you have a strong theoretical knowledge of the industry it also shows you have an aptitude for working hard which has allowed you to achieve those grades.
Attitude and aptitude cannot be taught, it is innate to a person and it’s important for cadets to remember that companies will be evaluating you on who you are as a person, not just on the basis that you went to university and obtained a degree. Demonstrating a strong attitude and aptitude whilst studying will open doors for you as you transition into the industry.
So, use your time at university wisely and show your future employers that you’re willing to go the extra yard and embody the right attitude and aptitude to be a valuable member of their team.
Todd is a Director at Construction People, a specialist recruitment consultancy connecting people with opportunities in the built environment. Since joining the business in 2010, he has been managing the day to day operations of the Construction People team and servicing the recruitment needs of many large and small construction businesses across Queensland.
Coming from a financial planning background, Todd has always had a desire to help people and businesses achieve their personal and professional goals.”