What does a Construction and Building Inspector do?

Inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Day to day that includes work like approve building plans that meet required specifications and Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations.

What skills should a Construction and Building Inspector put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Construction and Building Inspector list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Arc Second PocketCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD, Automated permit system software, Calendar and scheduling software, and Database software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Construction and Building Inspector work?

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Building Code Administrator, Building Inspector, Building Official, and Construction Inspector. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Construction and Building Inspector need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 36% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Construction and Building Inspector role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Construction and Building Inspector resume example

A resume for a Construction and Building Inspector needs to show the work itself: inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Day to day that means work like this: approve building plans that meet required specifications; review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Building Code Administrator
Building Inspector
Building Official
Construction Inspector
Code Enforcement Officer
Code Inspector
Combination Building Inspector
Electrical Inspector
Plumbing Inspector
Public Works Inspector
Infrastructure Tech
Locator Tech
Site Damage Prevention Tech
Steel Field Tech
Amusement Ride Inspector
Architectural Examiner
Architectural Inspector
Boiler Inspector

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Approve building plans that meet required specifications.
Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations.
Issue permits for construction, relocation, demolition, or occupancy.
Inspect bridges, dams, highways, buildings, wiring, plumbing, electrical circuits, sewers, heating systems, or foundations during and after construction for structural quality, general safety, or conformance to specifications and codes.
Monitor installation of plumbing, wiring, equipment, or appliances to ensure that installation is performed properly and is in compliance with applicable regulations.
Inspect and monitor construction sites to ensure adherence to safety standards, building codes, or specifications.
Confer with owners, violators, or authorities to explain regulations or recommend remedial actions.
Measure dimensions and verify level, alignment, or elevation of structures or fixtures to ensure compliance to building plans and codes.
Maintain daily logs and supplement inspection records with photographs.
Conduct inspections, using survey instruments, metering devices, tape measures, or test equipment.
Train, direct, or supervise other construction inspectors.
Monitor construction activities to ensure that environmental regulations are not violated.

19 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Approve building plans that meet required specifications, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Issue permits for construction, relocation, demolition, or occupancy, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect bridges, dams, highways, buildings, wiring, plumbing, electrical circuits, sewers, heating systems, or foundations during and after construction for structural quality, general safety, or conformance to specifications and codes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Arc Second PocketCAD
Autodesk AutoCAD
Automated permit system software
Calendar and scheduling software
Database software
Email software
ESRI ArcView
Inspection Depot Home Guide System
Internet browser software
Intuit QuickBooks
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft Office software

33 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

10-key calculators
Adjustable widemouth pliers
Adjustable wrenches
Air sampling devices
Air sampling pumps
Air velocity and temperature meters
Airflow meters
Arc receptacle testers
Architects' scales
Asphalt thermometers
Automatic levels
Axes

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Reading Comprehension
02Critical Thinking
03Active Listening
04Speaking
05Complex Problem Solving
06Judgment and Decision Making
07Systems Evaluation
08Time Management
09Active Learning
10Persuasion

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Building and Construction
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Customer and Personal Service
Design
Law and Government
Mathematics
Administration and Management

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

36%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
36%Post-Secondary Certificate, awarded for training completed after high school
16%Bachelor's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Construction and Building Inspector do?: Inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes, and other regulations. Day to day that includes work like approve building plans that meet required specifications and Review and interpret plans, blueprints, site layouts, specifications, or construction methods to ensure compliance to legal requirements and safety regulations.
What skills should a Construction and Building Inspector put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Speaking, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Construction and Building Inspector list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Arc Second PocketCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD, Automated permit system software, Calendar and scheduling software, and Database software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Construction and Building Inspector work?: O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including Building Code Administrator, Building Inspector, Building Official, and Construction Inspector. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Construction and Building Inspector need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 36% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Construction and Building Inspector role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.