Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Quantity surveyor to construction general supervisor

A quantity surveyor already meets 24% of what the construction general supervisor role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From quantity surveyor
24 % overlap
Distant match
To construction general supervisor
12 You already bring
17 Still to learn
48 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

77.8/ 100

1 How much of what a construction general supervisor is expected to do is already part of a quantity surveyor’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 supervisor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A construction general supervisor role treats 5 of its required skills as things a quantity surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • communicate with construction crews
  • coordinate construction activities
  • ensure compliance with construction project deadline
  • keep records of work progress
  • monitor construction site

What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

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 supervisor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quantity surveyor background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held monitor construction site information skills
  • already held communicate with construction crews communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held quantity surveying engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held coordinate construction activities communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held liaise with financiers communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held real estate market business, administration and law

All 12 carried skills, including the 5 the construction general supervisor role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 36 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn prepare building site required
  • still to learn work in a construction team required
  • still to learn liaise with managers required
  • still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
  • optional, not held liaise with architects optional
  • optional, not held design spatial layout of outdoor areas optional
  • optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
  • optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
  • optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
02 information skills 4 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn check compatibility of materials required
  • still to learn process incoming construction supplies required
  • still to learn execute feasibility study required
  • still to learn inspect construction supplies required
  • optional, not held evaluate integrated design of buildings optional
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
03 assisting and caring 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
  • still to learn manage health and safety standards required
  • still to learn use safety equipment in construction required
  • optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
04 management skills 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn evaluate employees work required
  • still to learn plan shifts of employees required
  • still to learn supervise staff required
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held recruit employees optional
05 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn green building practices required
  • still to learn building materials industry required
  • optional, not held integrated design optional
  • optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
  • optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
06 constructing 1 required
  • still to learn prepare site for construction required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a construction general supervisor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 12 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held communicate with construction crews skill
  • already held coordinate construction activities skill
  • already held ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
  • already held keep records of work progress skill
  • already held monitor construction site skill
  • already held advise on construction materials skill
  • already held contract law knowledge
  • already held cost management knowledge
  • already held liaise with financiers skill
  • already held manage contracts skill
  • already held quantity surveying knowledge
  • already held real estate market knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held construction product regulation optional
08 health and welfare 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held construction product regulation optional
  • optional, not held evaluate integrated design of buildings optional
  • optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
  • optional, not held integrated design optional
  • optional, not held liaise with architects optional
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
  • optional, not held design spatial layout of outdoor areas optional
  • optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations optional
  • optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
  • optional, not held liaise with shareholders optional
  • optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
  • optional, not held provide first aid optional
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
  • optional, not held recruit employees optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
29 held skills the construction general supervisor role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role advise architects skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role audit contractors skill
  • not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role building construction principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
  • not needed by the target role check construction compliance skill
  • not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
  • not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
  • not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
  • not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
  • not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
  • not needed by the target role identify customer objectives skill
  • not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor contractor performance skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
  • not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
  • not needed by the target role perform cost accounting activities skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill
  • not needed by the target role project management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
  • not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn green building practices required
  • still to learn building materials industry required
  • optional, not held construction product regulation optional
  • optional, not held integrated design optional
  • optional, not held zero-energy building design optional
  • optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
Index

Other moves recorded from quantity surveyor

Full index of moves from quantity surveyor

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a quantity surveyor become a construction general supervisor?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A quantity surveyor already covers 24% of what a construction general supervisor is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 5 of which the construction general supervisor role treats as required.

What skills does a quantity surveyor need to become a construction general supervisor?

17 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is prepare building site.

How hard is the move from quantity surveyor to construction general supervisor?

Its learning distance is 77.8 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.