Building inspector to construction general contractor
A building inspector already meets 24% of what the construction general contractor role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
74.4/ 100
1 How much of what a construction general contractor is expected to do is already part of a building inspector’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the construction general contractor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A construction general contractor role treats 4 of its required skills as things a building inspector already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- check construction compliance
- green building practices
- monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects
- read standard blueprints
What stands in the way is 14 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A construction general contractor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a building inspector background worth leading with.
- already held review construction projects information skills
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
- already held check construction compliance assisting and caring
- already held green building practices engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held advise architects communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held building codes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 10 carried skills, including the 4 the construction general contractor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn identify customer objectives required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn coordinate construction activities required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- optional, not held communicate with construction crews optional
- still to learn perform quality control of design during a run required
- still to learn audit contractors required
- still to learn keep records of work progress required
- still to learn monitor construction site required
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn real estate market required
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with construction project deadline required
- still to learn monitor contractor performance required
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a construction general contractor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 construction product regulation study this
- 02 identify customer objectives practise this
- 03 perform quality control of design during a run practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held check construction compliance skill
- already held green building practices knowledge
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held advise architects skill
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held energy performance of buildings knowledge
- already held manage health and safety standards skill
- already held review construction projects skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held design principles optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held communicate with construction crews optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held coordinate marketing plan actions optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
26 held skills the construction general contractor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role building materials industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate problems to senior colleagues skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fire safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
- not needed by the target role construction legal systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role inform on workplace safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role inspect building systems skill
- not needed by the target role issue permits skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with local authorities skill
- not needed by the target role manage construction archive skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with stakeholders skill
- not needed by the target role perform field research skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role surveying knowledge
- not needed by the target role surveying methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role topography knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
12 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn real estate market required
- optional, not held decommissioning optional
- optional, not held energy efficiency optional
- optional, not held envelope systems for buildings optional
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held quantity surveying optional
- optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- optional, not held renewable energy optional
Common questions about this move
Can a building inspector become a construction general contractor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A building inspector already covers 24% of what a construction general contractor is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 4 of which the construction general contractor role treats as required.
What skills does a building inspector need to become a construction general contractor?
14 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is construction product regulation.
How hard is the move from building inspector to construction general contractor?
Its learning distance is 74.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.