I only ever helped mix mortar and move materials — what do I write to still get called?

Write exactly the related work you did: mixing mortar to the mix, carrying bricks and materials upstairs, assisting bricklaying as the main worker directed, clearing the site after the day — one line per task stating your role. Do not invent bricklaying or tiling you never did.

Should I list every item I have ever heard of?

List only items you really built at work, and only to the level you can do. The contractor will hand you a real stretch to test on exactly that item — claiming one you never built and being found out on the test is a minus.

I worked in a team with a head worker — how do I state my part without misleading anyone?

State your role in each step: bricklaying, plastering, tiling, painting, formwork or tying steel. Claiming a whole item as built by you alone shows up at once when the contractor asks you about that stretch of wall in detail.

Where should my strongest item go in the CV?

Right after the role line, at the top of the CV, with the step you handle (bricklaying, plastering, painting or labouring). The contractor places you in a team by item before reading about character — an item left at the end is often never read.

I never read a structural drawing — should I write that?

Write plainly that you never read a structural drawing, and list the work you did instead: bricklaying to the line, plastering, tiling to the standard joint, painting to process. The team can place you on work that does not need drawing reading yet — claiming it and then building the structure wrong is the real minus.

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Job seekers8 min read

CV for construction workers, plasterers, painters and formwork and steel fixers: write it so the contractor sees at once that you can do heavy work on schedule

Keep it to 1–2 pages: one line with the role plus the item and work mode, 4–6 real construction tasks such as bricklaying, plastering, tiling, painting, formwork and tying steel, the items and project types you have worked on, the tools and machines you have used, the shifts you can work and whether you can travel to distant sites. Skip vague lines like “good at construction, strong, hard-working” with no real item attached — the contractor then has nothing to place you in the right team.

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How a contractor reads a CV

Unlike a vehicle mechanic's CV — diagnosing and fixing vehicles fault by fault — or a refrigeration technician's CV — installing and fixing equipment machine by machine — a construction worker's CV is judged in exactly three places: the items you really built, how durable and how straight and flat the finished work is, and how you keep site safety. The contractor looks for four answers: which items you can build, which step in the team you were responsible for, whether you can use the team's tools and machines, and whether you can work site hours (overtime, travelling, weekends). Missing any one of the four usually puts the CV behind others, even if you are genuinely strong and hard-working. So put the item and the step you handle right after the role line, then tools and machines, then site safety and site hours last in the main part. The faster you show a real item, the more likely you get the call.

One role line: title + item + work mode

Open the CV with exactly one line: the title you want, the item, and the work mode. Examples: “Bricklayer and plasterer for houses, working in a team, available for overtime when the site needs pace.” For a painter: “House and office painter, office hours, available on weekends.” For a labourer: “Construction labourer, site shifts, ready to travel to distant sites.” One such line tells the contractor at once whether you fit the team that needs someone, instead of forcing it to read the whole CV only to learn you only paint while the team needs a bricklayer, or only help mix mortar while the team needs a tiler. The most common mistake is writing it too generally (“looking for construction work”) or naming the title without the item and work mode — both force the contractor to ask, and when hiring urgently to meet a handover, people who need asking are usually skipped first.

Items and steps: one item per line, exactly what you did

This section is mandatory for construction CVs and is the biggest difference from other skilled trades. List the items you have built, one line each, written as concrete tasks. For bricklaying and plastering: building brick walls and plastering — your work was mixing mortar, laying walls to the line, plastering flat and checking plumb and straightness before handing over to the team. For tiling: tiling floors and walls — your work was screeding, cutting tiles, laying to the joint and checking even grout lines before delivery. For painting: painting houses — your work was preparing the surface, applying filler, rolling primer and top coat, checking for streaks and touching up before delivery. For formwork and steel: building formwork and tying steel — your work was measuring and cutting boards, assembling formwork to size, cutting, bending and tying steel to the drawing the team leader gave you. State clearly which items you only helped mix mortar or move materials for, and do not claim a whole item as built by you alone from start to finish. Claiming an item you never built to “make the CV look good” shows up at once when the contractor hands you a real stretch of wall to test — and costs you the place in that team.

Tools, machines and materials: only tools and machines you really used

Tools and machines are what set this CV apart from other CVs — state clearly: tools you really used (trowel, float, tape measure, plumb line, laser level — list the tools you really used, never a blanket “can use all tools”), machines you used (concrete mixer, tile cutter, grinder, paint sprayer — list the machines you really used, and state plainly any machine you have not used), and materials you handled (brick, cement, sand, paint, filler — list the materials you really worked with, never claim one you never handled). The contractor assigns items by skill level — overstating it and then doing a whole wall wrong wastes everyone's time. State your real level from the start, even if you are strong on bricklaying and plastering and only support on tiling, rather than writing vaguely and then struggling when the contractor needs someone to read a formwork drawing.

Site safety, tidiness and handing over: correct technique and on-schedule delivery keep you in the team

Each point on safety and handing over needs just one line stating the main task: safety (wearing a safety helmet and safety shoes, a harness when working at height, checking scaffolding before climbing — state the real method, not a vague “careful, safe”), site tidiness (clearing leftover materials and fallen mortar after each day, keeping site walkways clear — state the real method), and handing over (checking straightness, flatness and grout lines before handing to the team leader, delivering on the schedule the team agreed — state the real handover, and mention fixing faults only if you really did it). If you once built an item wrong (for example hollow plaster, tiles off the joint, or streaked paint), do not hide it: note it and what you changed afterwards (removing the hollow part and replastering to the right coat, taking off the off-line tiles and relaying to the standard joint, preparing the surface and re-rolling the top coat). One mistake fixed with a clear checking process is not an absolute weakness here; hiding it and being found out by the homeowner at handover is.

Experience, hours and how you take work: only what is true and checkable

State your experience clearly: years in construction (the true number of years), project types you worked on (houses, townhouses, offices, civil works — list the types you really worked on, never name a private homeowner), and your strongest item (the item you built most). State your hours clearly: site hours, overtime, travelling to distant sites, Saturdays and Sundays — and state plainly any mode you cannot do. Do not claim items you never built or machines you never used, and skip hobbies and elaborate portrait photos. The contractor mostly calls or messages — your phone number must be one you actually use and answer outside site hours.

Contact details and next step

At the end, only four things are needed: full name, phone number, title and strongest item, and the work modes you accept. No detailed home address, no hobbies, no elaborate portrait photo. Next, create an account and upload your CV so contractors can find it: register as a candidate on timviecde.vn (/register). Note: with an unverified email you cannot upload a CV or receive selection emails — verify your email right after registering, before uploading.

Do this next

One role line: the title you want + the item + the work mode.
Real items built, the step you were responsible for, tools and machines used, and how you keep site safety.
State plainly what you have never done; a phone number you actually use and answer outside site hours.

Common questions

I only ever helped mix mortar and move materials — what do I write to still get called?: Write exactly the related work you did: mixing mortar to the mix, carrying bricks and materials upstairs, assisting bricklaying as the main worker directed, clearing the site after the day — one line per task stating your role. Do not invent bricklaying or tiling you never did.
Should I list every item I have ever heard of?: List only items you really built at work, and only to the level you can do. The contractor will hand you a real stretch to test on exactly that item — claiming one you never built and being found out on the test is a minus.
I worked in a team with a head worker — how do I state my part without misleading anyone?: State your role in each step: bricklaying, plastering, tiling, painting, formwork or tying steel. Claiming a whole item as built by you alone shows up at once when the contractor asks you about that stretch of wall in detail.
Where should my strongest item go in the CV?: Right after the role line, at the top of the CV, with the step you handle (bricklaying, plastering, painting or labouring). The contractor places you in a team by item before reading about character — an item left at the end is often never read.
I never read a structural drawing — should I write that?: Write plainly that you never read a structural drawing, and list the work you did instead: bricklaying to the line, plastering, tiling to the standard joint, painting to process. The team can place you on work that does not need drawing reading yet — claiming it and then building the structure wrong is the real minus.

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