Property developer to construction general contractor
A property developer already meets 37% of what the construction general contractor role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.6/ 100
1 How much of what a construction general contractor is expected to do is already part of a property developer’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 8 of its required skills as things a property developer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- audit contractors
- contract law
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- keep records of work progress
- manage contracts
- monitor contractor performance
What stands in the way is 10 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 12 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 property developer background worth leading with.
- already held audit contractors information skills
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
- already held monitor contractor performance management skills
- already held coordinate marketing plan actions management skills
- already held real estate market business, administration and law
- already held building codes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the construction general contractor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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
- optional, not held communicate with construction crews optional
- optional, not held advise architects optional
- still to learn perform quality control of design during a run required
- still to learn monitor construction site required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- optional, not held review construction projects optional
- still to learn green building practices 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
- still to learn ensure compliance with construction project deadline required
- optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held plan shifts of employees optional
- still to learn construction product regulation required
- optional, not held project commissioning optional
- optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
- still to learn check construction compliance required
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards 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 green building practices study this
- 03 identify customer objectives 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 12 skills that carry over
- already held audit contractors skill
- already held contract law knowledge
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held monitor contractor performance skill
- already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
- already held real estate market knowledge
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held coordinate marketing plan actions skill
- already held energy performance of buildings knowledge
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held design principles optional
17 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 advise architects optional
- optional, not held design principles optional
- optional, not held inspect construction supplies optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards 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
- optional, not held review construction projects optional
29 held skills the construction general contractor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role building systems monitoring technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role compare property values skill
- not needed by the target role create a financial plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop energy saving concepts skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role investment analysis knowledge
- not needed by the target role leasing process knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with quality assurance skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with shareholders skill
- not needed by the target role maintain financial records skill
- not needed by the target role manage maintenance operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role market research knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate land acquisition skill
- not needed by the target role oversee planning of security systems skill
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on properties skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role value properties skill
11 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 green building practices 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 property developer become a construction general contractor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A property developer already covers 37% of what a construction general contractor is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the construction general contractor role treats as required.
What skills does a property developer need to become a construction general contractor?
10 required skills are missing, plus 17 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 property developer to construction general contractor?
Its learning distance is 64.6 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.