Applying in construction and the trades: find jobs, prepare your documents

Trades and qualifications: what companies ask for in the job ad

Construction and the trades are not one single job but many trades: bricklayer, carpenter, joiner, electrician, plumber, painter, plasterer, tiler and more. Companies almost always look for a specific trade and a specific level. So say in the very first sentence which trade you learned or work in and at what level you work: as a labourer, as a trained tradesperson or with supervisory duties.

Taking the main construction trade as an example, the path looks like this:

• Bricklayer EBA (Maurerin or Maurer EBA, federal VET certificate): two-year basic training, called Baupraktiker/in EBA until 2024. After that, a shortened apprenticeship as a bricklayer EFZ is usually possible.
• Bricklayer EFZ (Maurerin or Maurer EFZ, Swiss federal VET diploma): a three-year apprenticeship, working in building construction and civil engineering, for example on bridges.
• Professional examinations (BP) after a few years of practice, such as site foreman BP (Baupolier/in), construction materials tester BP or building protection specialist BP.
• Advanced professional examinations (HFP) for managing building sites and companies, such as master builder HFP (Baumeister/in) or site manager in the main construction trade HFP.

Where construction and trade jobs are advertised

Construction companies of every size are hiring, as are small trade businesses, general contractors, municipalities and their maintenance depots, and companies that install windows, kitchens, facades or systems. Large companies advertise on the big job portals and on their career page. Small businesses, on the other hand, often only advertise on their own website, in the Job-Room of arbeit.swiss or on cantonal job boards.

In construction, temp agencies also place people, and some assignments turn into a permanent job if the company is happy. If you have worked as a temp, list the companies you worked for individually in your CV, with the trade and the type of building site. Just “various temporary assignments” tells the next company nothing.

In construction, there is usually more work in summer than in winter. That affects the job search too: if you notice in autumn that your assignment is ending, it is better to keep searching straight away instead of waiting until spring. Say in every application when you can start and whether you are also open to a fixed-term job.

What belongs in your application file in construction

Trade businesses want to see quickly what you can do and what you are allowed to work with. A short, complete file is better than a long one. Save it as one PDF or as clearly named separate files.

• Cover letter, one page, with your trade, experience and availability.
• CV with the companies, the building sites or projects and your role in them.
• Certificate of proficiency or federal VET certificate; for further training, the professional examination certificates.
• Arbeitszeugnis (Swiss reference letter), including from temporary assignments.
• Licences you need for the work: driving licence with category, crane operator licence, courses for forklifts, lifting platforms or scaffolding, welding courses.
• A few photos of work you carried out yourself, if it suits your trade, for example for joiners, painters or tilers.

The cover letter in construction: four points that count

Site foremen and bosses often read applications in the evening after work on site. Write the way you talk on site: clearly, briefly and without empty phrases. These four points belong in it:

• Trade, qualification and experience in the first paragraph, for example “bricklayer EFZ with six years in building construction, most recently as team leader”.
• Machines, tools and techniques you handle confidently, and which licences you have for them.
• Driving licence and mobility: whether you can drive yourself to changing building sites and drive a company vehicle with a trailer.
• A concrete project you are proud of, and exactly what your part in it was.

Machines, occupational safety and changing careers

In construction, what counts is what you are allowed to work with. Many machines require training, and for some a licence is mandatory: cranes of categories A and B, meaning mobile cranes and tower cranes, may only be operated by people who hold a Suva crane operator licence (Suva is the Swiss accident insurance fund). Write every training of this kind into your CV by name. For the company, it means it can deploy you without further courses.

Occupational safety is not a side issue. Together with the industry associations and social partners, Suva has drawn up life-saving rules, separate ones for building construction, civil engineering and building services, and employers instruct their people in them. A hard hat, steel toe cap shoes and gloves are part of the job. If you have already introduced apprentices or new colleagues to safety rules, mention it. For jobs with supervisory duties, this is exactly what you will be asked about in the interview.

If you work in construction without an apprenticeship, you can catch up on the qualification. In Switzerland, adults have four routes to an EFZ or EBA: validation of prior learning, direct admission to the final examination after several years of work in the trade, or a shortened or regular basic training. The careers advice service of your canton can show you which route is open in your trade. In an application, a sentence like “I am preparing for the final examination as a bricklayer EFZ” looks stronger than a gap.

Trial day and interview

Many trade businesses first invite you to a short interview and then to a trial day on site or in the workshop. Bring your work clothes and safety shoes, and ask beforehand whether you need your own tools. On the trial day, punctuality, clean work, a tidy workplace and how you talk with the team count for more than speed.

Practical questions often come up in the interview: How do you proceed if a plan does not match the situation on site? What do you do if a colleague does not follow a safety rule? How far are you willing to travel? Answer them with examples from your last building sites.