Stop Saying You Lack Construction Experience

The fastest way to get overlooked in construction is to assume your military background “doesn’t count” because you haven’t worked on a civilian job site. We’re breaking that myth down and replacing it with something practical: a clear way to translate military experience into the kind of value construction companies actually hire for.

After nearly two decades in the industry, we’ve learned that the hardest part of construction is not concrete, steel, or equipment. It’s communication, accountability, planning, leadership, and decisions made under uncertainty. If you’ve worn a uniform, you’ve already trained those muscles. The challenge is learning to describe them in a language that makes sense to superintendents, project managers, and construction executives who are hiring solutions to business problems.

We also zoom out and show why “construction” is an entire ecosystem, not one job. We talk through paths in the field, project management, estimating, safety, and even business development, and how veterans can match their strengths to the right lane. Then we get tactical about the job search: why online applications often stall out, why construction is still a relationship business, and how networking and referrals create real momentum when you learn to translate your story.

Finally, we lay out what to focus on after you get hired: the humility phase, the first 90 days, and how dependability and consistency build a reputation faster than trying to impress everyone. If this helps you, subscribe, share it with a veteran who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.

If you're a military veteran in the construction industry, or you're in the construction industry and support our military vets, and you'd like to be a guest on the podcast you can find me at constructionvetpodcast@gmail.com , or send me a message on LinkedIn. You can find me there at Scott Friend. Let's share the stories and motivate others!

Transcript

Why This Message Matters

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Development in trouble are often the ones trying to prove they already knew about that. Instruction will handle those people very quickly. I am so excited about this show because I feel like this is what I've been trying to get at for the last three and a half years to do in this podcast. This directly applies to the best transition. Let's dig into it. One of the biggest lies that I hear veterans tell themselves, for those that are interested in the construction space, goes something like this. Well, yeah, I'd love to get into construction, but I don't have any construction experience. I've heard it from Marines, I've heard it from soldiers, from airmen, from sailors, I've heard it from special operations, I've heard it from logistics and mechanics and MPs. I've heard it from people who have led hundreds of people. I've heard it from people who manage millions of dollars in equipment, or from people who coordinated operations across multiple locations, and somehow they convince themselves they have nothing valuable to offer the construction industry. And I understand why. Because when most people think about construction, they think about a trade, they think about a hammer or a hard hat or a piece of equipment or a set of plans. They look at a job site and they see technical skills. And those technical skills do matter, don't get me wrong. But after spending nearly two decades in construction, I'm going to tell you something that some people may disagree with. The hardest part of construction isn't the construction. The hardest part of construction is people. It's communication, it's accountability, it's planning, it's leadership, it's making decisions, it's solving problems, it's dealing with uncertainty and handling pressure. And if you've worn a uniform, there's a very good chance you've already been doing all of those things for years. The problem is you've been doing them in a language that construction just doesn't understand. And

Experience Vs Translated Experience

SPEAKER_01 2:28

that's what this episode is really about. Not whether veterans have valuable skills, because you do. The question is whether you know how to translate them. Because there's a massive difference between experience and translated experience. Construction companies aren't hiring military resumes, they're hiring solutions to business problems. And if you can't connect your experience to their problems, they're not going to understand your value. That doesn't mean you don't have value. It just means you're speaking a different language. When I first got into construction, I didn't have the roadmap that exists today. There were podcasts out there, yeah, but they certainly weren't as accessible as they are today. There weren't veteran construction groups everywhere. There weren't countless LinkedIn posts explaining transitions. Most of us just figured it out as we went. You know, I came from the CB's, and while that gave me some construction exposure, it wasn't the same as civilian construction, not even close. The civilian side has different schedules. You have different types of clients. You have a completely different set of financial pressures and expectations. There's a much different type of liability. The politics are very different, and there's a different type of challenge. And there were moments where I felt completely out of place. Moments where I questioned whether I belonged or not. And moments where I realized there were people around me who knew things I didn't know, and that was a very humbling experience. That's humbling for vets because many of us leave the military after becoming very highly competent in what we do. We were leaders and experts and decision makers. And then we enter this new industry and suddenly we're beginners again. And that's uncomfortable. But here's the truth: being a beginner isn't a weakness. It's just the price of admission. Every successful superintendent was once new. Every successful project manager was once new. Every successful estimator or owner was once new. Nobody gets to skip that phase. The people who succeed are the people who embrace it. Let's talk about something I don't think the industry says enough. Construction needs veterans. And it's not because veterans are perfect, and it's not because we're superheroes, and it's not because military service automatically makes someone successful. But it's because veterans bring characteristics that are increasingly difficult to find. Reliability, accountability, adaptability, resilience, focus on the mission. Construction is full of uncertainty. The schedules change, the weather changes, owners change their minds. Subcontractors and vendors miss deadlines. Materials arrive late, inspections fail. Things go wrong constantly. And veterans tend to handle that uncertainty way better than most. And it's not because they enjoy it, it's because they're used to it. They've learned how to keep moving when the plan just falls apart. And if you spent any time in construction, you know exactly how valuable that skill is. Because plans fall apart every day. The question isn't whether something will go wrong. The question is how are you going to respond when it does? And veterans often bring that response naturally.

The Construction Career Ecosystem

SPEAKER_01 5:56

One of the biggest mistakes I think veterans make is thinking construction is just one job because it's not. We know that. Construction is an entire ecosystem. And if you don't understand the ecosystem, you're going to miss opportunities that might be a perfect fit for your background. Let's start with the field. When most people picture construction, this is what they see. It's crews and equipment and concrete and steel and dirt and tools. You know, the field side includes laborers and carpenters and operators and foremen and superintendents. And this is where projects physically get built. And for some veterans, this is exactly where they belong. They enjoy being outdoors. They enjoy the tangible progress. They like seeing something exist at the end of the day that wasn't there before. And then you have project management, project engineers, assistant project managers, project managers, senior project managers, these are the people coordinating the project. They manage the budget and the schedules and the subs. You know, schedules could be supers or PMs dependent. Uh, and same thing with the subs. But the PMs are maybe managing the owners, especially the documentation and the communication. And if you've ever coordinated multiple moving parts in the military, don't assume this path isn't for you. Then you got estimating. A lot of veterans don't even realize this exists. They're analyzing that project before they're built. They're reviewing the plans and calculating the cost and identifying potential risks and developing pricing. If you were analytical in the military, if you liked planning, if you enjoyed understanding systems, this could be a fantastic career path. Then you've got safety. Construction companies desperately need strong safety professionals. I've seen very successful veterans go into that space. A lot of us already understand risk management better than you realize. Vets understand procedures and accountability and standards and situational awareness. Then you have business development and sales. A lot of veterans hear sales and immediately say, oh, no, thanks. But hear me out. Construction sales isn't always what people think. It's relationship building and problem solving and trust, helping clients solve challenges. Some of the best salespeople I've ever met were veterans. And it's not because they were smooth, it's they were authentic. You got quality management, you got all these different things you can go into, but the point is this don't limit yourself because of your image of construction being too narrow. Construction is much bigger than most people realize. So

Relationships Beat Online Applications

SPEAKER_01 8:37

now let's talk about what happens when vets start looking for jobs. Most veterans do exactly what they've been told to do. They update a resume, they submit applications online, they wait for the phone to ring, then they get frustrated. Construction doesn't always work that way. It's still a relationship business. It always has been, and I think it always will be. People hire the people they trust. They hire the people they know. They hire people who are referred by someone they respect. Yes, the other way does work, but I'm telling you, you're likely to get more opportunities going through relationships. That doesn't mean resumes don't matter. They do. But a resume by itself is rarely enough. If I could go back and advise my younger self, I'd spend less time submitting applications and more time meeting people, going to industry events or association meetings, having LinkedIn conversations, going to veteran groups, networking lunches, coffee meetings. Every relationship creates an opportunity. And every opportunity creates momentum. Veterans often underestimate how important this is. Because in the military, assignments often come through a very structured system. And construction doesn't always work that way. Relationships matter a lot. You got to learn to translate your experience, though, when you're building those relationships. This might be the most important section of this entire episode because this is where most veterans lose opportunities. Let's say you were a squad leader. That means something to the military, yes. It means almost nothing to a construction executive. And it's not because they don't care, it's because they just don't understand sometimes. You have to translate. Instead of I was a squad leader, maybe try, well, I supervised and developed a team responsible for completing time-sensitive objectives, and I maintained accountability and safety and performance standards. They understand that. Let's try another one. Maybe military logistics. The construction translation of that is material management, equipment coordination, supply chain planning, scheduling, allocation of resources, operations planning, project execution, risk management, team leadership, training, maintenance, all these things, quality control. The military and construction have more overlap than most people realize. Your job is not to explain the military terminology. Your job is to explain the value. I think some veterans struggle in what I call the humility phase. And I understand why. You've spent years becoming competent. You've led people, maybe. Maybe some people look to you for answers. Maybe you were the expert. And then you enter construction and suddenly you're learning again. It can feel frustrating, but it shouldn't. Because humility is not a weakness. Humility is just understanding where you are. I've seen veterans accelerate their careers incredibly fast, but almost all of them had that one thing in common that they were willing to learn and they asked questions and they listened and they observed. They stayed curious. The veterans who struggled were often the ones trying to prove they already knew everything. Construction will humble those people very quickly. The goal is not to prove yourself immediately, it's to become valuable. And those are very different things.

Humility And The First 90 Days

SPEAKER_01 12:07

Okay, so let's let's hypothetically say you landed the job. Well, now what? Your first mistake is going to be thinking you need to impress everyone because you don't. You need to learn. The first 90 days should be about observation, learning how projects flow, learning who actually influences decisions, learn the terminology and the systems, learn the expectations. Watch people, watch how successful people communicate and how they solve problems and how they handle conflict. But most importantly, you need to become dependable. You need to show up and follow through. You gotta do what you say you're going to do. You'd be amazed how far that alone will take you. There are a lot of talented people out there, but not everybody is dependable. Construction values dependable people. You also need to start building your reputation. Because your reputation starts immediately, not after six months, not after a year, but immediately. People are paying attention. They notice do you show up on time? Do you follow through? Do you ask good questions? Do you own your mistakes? Do you help other people? Do you keep your word? Construction is a very small industry. It's smaller than people think, and your reputation travels good or bad. And here's something important. Your reputation is built more through consistency than brilliance. People remember the person who can always be counted on. Be that person.

Reputation, Hiring Advice, And Send-Off

SPEAKER_01 13:44

Now I wanna I want to speak to directly to construction leaders for a moment. If you're hiring veterans, look deeper than the resume. Look deeper than direct experience. Ask yourself, can this person learn? Can they communicate? Can they lead and solve problems? Can they adapt? Because if the answer is yes, you can teach the construction. You can't easily teach character or accountability or resilience. Many veterans have spent years developing those characteristics. Give them an opportunity. You might be surprised by what they become. There are things I wish somebody had told me earlier. I really wish someone had told me I didn't need to know everything immediately. I think I put that pressure on myself. So a lot of this I'm really just preaching to the choir here because I've said in the past it took me probably five years or so before I kind of started to feel comfortable with the industry and like, okay, I'm kind of getting the hang of this. I wish someone had told me that asking questions wasn't a weakness. I wish someone had told me that construction careers, they're marathons. They're not sprints. And most of all, I wish somebody had told me that my military experience had more value than I realized. Because for a while, I just thought I was starting over, but I wasn't. I was starting from experience. Those aren't the same thing. And if you're listening to this right now, you're not starting over either. You're starting from experience. You just got to learn how to apply it in a new environment. So if you're listening to this and you're considering construction, I want you to hear this. The industry needs good people. The industry needs leaders. And we need problem solvers. The industry needs people who know how to work through adversity. We need people who understand accountability. And many veterans already possess those qualities. Don't talk yourself out of opportunities because you don't have direct experience. Don't assume you're unqualified because you've never worked on a commercial project. Don't count yourself out before someone else does. You got to be willing to learn and to start. That's the hardest part. Be willing to ask questions. Be willing to be uncomfortable because that's where the growth happens. Construction changed my life. It gave me opportunities I never expected. It gave me friendships I never thought I'd have and mentors and challenges and a purpose and a career that's provided for my family for many years. Could it do the same for you? Maybe. But you're never going to find out if you convince yourself you're not qualified before you even begin. The construction industry is not looking for perfect people. It's looking for people who are willing to learn. The people that show up, the people who can solve problems, the people who keep moving forward when things get difficult. Veterans have been doing those things for a long time. The challenge isn't whether you have value. The challenge is learning how to communicate that value. So if you know a veteran who's considering a career in construction, send them this episode. You never know what conversation might change someone's future. This is the Construction Veteran Podcast. I'll see you next time.