The beginning of your career in construction may be a difficult part of your professional life, as you probably won’t be particularly experienced with the tools and haven’t been around a lot of heavy machinery before. While the usual advice you get when you start any new job is useful, like the importance of getting to know your co-workers and making sure you bring some lunch, there’s a lot of things to think about that are specific to construction work. Here are our top tips to succeeding in your first week on site.
Show up on Time, Every Time
This is probably the most obvious rule, but the number of people that still turn up late and try on any excuse they can think of is incredible. Excuses don’t cut it because the people on site have heard it all before; yes, your alarm did wake you up and no your tire didn’t suddenly go flat. Being punctual lets everyone on site, including your boss, know that you’re going to take your job seriously.
Bonus points for making sure you’re 15 minutes early and using the extra to get to know some of your co-workers before the job starts!
Dress Appropriately
Knowing what to wear to a construction site is a little bit trickier than a typical office job – Tidy shoes, a collared shirt and trousers won’t cut it here.
As a bare minimum you will need to make sure you have sturdy steel toe boots, jeans or thick cotton pants, and a hat if it’s summer. Different work sites need to abide by different health and safety regulations however, so it’s important to talk to your employer about the exact dress requirements of the site you will be working on. If you’re working with OneStaff as a temp we will provide you with a full set of personal protective equipment so you won’t have to worry about buying a pile of expensive gear.
Don’t Under-Do It
You’ve turned up on time and you’re wearing all the right gear – so what do you do now? If you’re new to construction and don’t have much experience or knowledge in the field, it’s hard to know where to start.
Most of the time you will be working closely with one of the more experienced workers who will be able to show you the ropes. Sometimes however, everyone will be too busy and won’t have time to show you what to do. It’s important that you don’t take this as a cue to take a break. There is always something that needs doing on site. If you can’t think of something to do there are always floors to sweep, tools to be put away cups of tea to be made for the boss.
Don’t Overdo it
Work smarter, not harder. As important as it is to work hard, you must make sure you don’t overwork yourself. Construction work can easily wear you out if you aren’t used to it, so while it’s important to make a good impression try not to wear yourself ragged on your first day. Don’t lift things that are too heavy for you, just ask for a hand. Take plenty of small breaks to keep hydrated, especially if it’s a hot day.
Stay Safe; Stay Alert
Construction sites have numerous potential hazards that could arise at any time, so you have to be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times. Using your phone at work is usually a bad look anyway, and being distracted by your friend’s latest status update on Facebook can be downright dangerous if you’re on a construction site. We would recommend just leaving your phone in your car, you can still grab it if you need to make an important phone call or during your lunch break. It’s also important to listen to your surroundings and be aware of what’s happening everywhere on the construction site, so that you don’t wind up standing somewhere you shouldn’t be.
Taking the Next Step
Surviving your first week is a good start to life in the construction industry, but if you want to advance your career simply turning up and working isn’t going to get you anywhere very quickly. Your greatest resources are the experienced people that you work with. Take the time to listen to them and you will learn the tricks of the trade in no time.
And of course, you should keep in touch with us. Now that you’ve landed a job and begun your career in construction we want to help you make your career a great one and we have a wealth of advice that could help you.
