Jobsite Supervisor or Foreman

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers and their helpers. May perform both supervisory and management functions, such as accounting, marketing, and personnel work and may also engage in the same construction trades work as the workers they supervise.

Tasks

• Supervises and coordinates activities of construction trades workers.
• Directs and leads workers engaged in construction activities.
• Assigns work to employees, using material and worker requirements data.
• Confers with staff and worker to ensure production and personnel problems are resolved.
• Suggests and initiates personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, and hires.
• Analyzes and resolves worker problems and recommends motivational plans.
• Examines and inspects work progress, equipment and construction sites to verify safety and ensure that specifications are met.
• Estimates material and worker requirements to complete job.
• Reads specifications, such as blueprints and data, to determine construction requirements.
• Analyzes and plans installation and construction of equipment and structures.

Knowledge

• 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.
• Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures.
• Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Skills

• Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.
• Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
• 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.
• Teaching others how to do something.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Obtaining and seeing to the appropriate use of equipment, facilities, and materials needed to do certain work.
• Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
• Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities

• The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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).
• The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
• The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
• The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Work Activities

• Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

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.
• 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.
• 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.