Construction recruitment references — professional references for site and project placements

What construction sector references should cover

Construction sector employment references should address health and safety leadership and safety culture on site, project management competency and delivery track record, management of subcontractors and supply chain, budget management and commercial awareness, relationships with clients, consultants and main contractors, and any accidents, incidents or enforcement actions on sites the candidate managed. For senior construction professionals, references should also address business development, client relationship management and tendering track record. Generic employment reference questions about attendance and general performance provide almost no useful information for a site management placement.

CSCS and professional accreditation in construction references

Construction placements frequently involve candidates with CSCS cards, SMSTS, NEBOSH or other professional accreditations. References for construction professionals should address not just employment history but professional conduct within a safety-critical environment — whether the candidate demonstrated appropriate safety leadership, whether there were any incidents or near-misses during their tenure, and whether the referee would have any concerns about the candidate's approach to health and safety on site. RefAssure construction templates include these safety-specific questions as standard fields.

Construction agencies placing professionals across different contract types — main contractor, subcontractor, client-side, consultancy — may need slightly different reference templates for each. A site manager working for a main contractor has a different reference profile to a project manager working client-side. RefAssure's unlimited template library accommodates all of these variations. From 99p per reference with no subscription.