Identifying communication knowledge and skills for construction management graduates using content analysis of entry level job descriptions from the southeast United States

An analysis of 53 entry level job postings from companies recruiting from a large construction management program in the southeast United States was conducted to identify the communication knowledge and skills required of graduates. Content analysis was used to determine not only the frequency of certain words, but also the context in which words were used. Results identified the most frequently used words related to communication tools were meetings, drawings, submittals, documents, contracts, and reports. Selected results for the type of "meeting" identified "project" and "weekly" as the most frequent types of meeting, with "minutes" being mentioned after meeting in a third of the observations. "Attending" or "participating" in meetings were the most frequently observed action verbs. Additional results of the keyword-in-context analysis of the remaining communication phenomenon provide useful information for identifying the knowledge and skills construction management graduates need as they transition into industry.