The top 100 home builders in the country are not only excellent general contractors that build top-quality, beautiful homes, but they also offer many fulfilling career opportunities at all levels of management.
Career opportunities with some of the largest home builders, such as NVR, PulteGroup, Taylor Morrison, Lennar, D.R. Horton, KB Home, and more, provide almost limitless growth opportunities for entry-level, mid-career, and executive-level candidates.
It’s not unheard of, or even uncommon, for an entry-level construction or salesperson to move their way up in any of these organizations and become a manager, director, vice president, division president, or key executive. The challenge, however, is finding the homebuilder that provides the best fit and opportunity for career growth based on your background, years of experience, and passion.
At MatchBuilt, over the last 17+ years, we’ve worked on search assignments and helped place candidates with many of the best home builders, including all of the top 10 new home builders in America. We know first-hand how incredible a career in the industry can be. Here we’ll explore the top home builders, how to find and apply for jobs that interest you, and tips on how to get noticed and master the interview process.
It’s important to note that jobs in the new residential construction industry aren’t limited to high-volume production builders and that there are also great jobs available with leading custom home builders on a primarily local level. Smaller in the number of annual units produced but higher, perhaps in price, the best custom home builders can provide opportunities to wear more hats and get exposure to more disciplines in the business at a faster rate. Further, each construction company may specialize in a particular segment, such as single-family homes, move-up or first-time homes, modern homes, active adult homes, townhomes, and multi-family or single-family homes for rent.
What are the top 10 builders in America?
- D.R. Horton
- Lennar
- PulteGroup
- NVR
- Taylor Morrison
- KB Home
- Meritage Homes
- Clayton Properties Group
- Century Communities
- LGI Homes
-Based on closings per BuilderOnline
Where can I find homebuilder jobs?
- Job search engines
- Executive recruiting firms
- Builder career pages
- Your network
This article will explore the great ways to find jobs with the best new home builders in the country by using career portals, job boards, recruiters, and more. In addition, we’ll dive into leveraging the annual Builder Online top 100 home builders list to research prospective employers and prepare for your next residential construction interview. Finally, we’ll suggest strategies to button up your LinkedIn profile to get noticed, suggest ways to stand out with a great resume, and interview tips that’ll leave a lasting impression. So the next time you seek a job with market leaders like Davidson Homes, Clayton Properties Group, or Toll Brothers, you’ll be well-prepared to be at your best.
Home Builder Career Paths
There are many paths to move up, earn more responsibility, and increase your compensation within the residential construction industry.
Below are a few common career paths within a homebuilding division of a leading homebuilder. We’ve linked each position to a corresponding job description for further review.
Construction
Construction Manager < Project Manager < Area Construction Manager < Director of Construction < VP of Construction or Operations < VP in another discipline < Division President
Sales
Salesperson < Sales Trainer < Sales Manager < Director of Sales < VP of Sales < VP in another discipline < Division President
Purchasing
Purchasing Agent or Estimator < Sr. Purchasing Agent < Purchasing Manager < Director of Purchasing < VP of Purchasing or Operations, VP in another discipline < Division President
Land Acquisition
Land Analyst < Land Acquisition Manager < Director of Land Acquisition < VP of Land Acquisition < VP in another discipline < Division President
Land Development
Land Project Manager < Land Development Manager < Director of Land Development < VP of Land Development < VP in another discipline < Division President
Finance
Financial Analyst < Financial Manager < Director of Finance or Controller < VP of Finance < CFO < Division President
Where to Find Homebuilding Jobs
There are many online job sites to browse openings with the top home builders in the United States. The best job boards and search engines have easy-to-use, fast search tools that allow you to search based on the type of home builder job you’re looking for, your location, and other criteria.
Job Search Engines
Some of the best job sites for searching for home builder jobs are traditional job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder. Others, like Indeed, allow you to explore the results and feeds of many job boards, company career sites, associations, and other sources of job postings. Some sites focus on sales, construction, or purchasing positions to match you with employers. They are worth incorporating into your job search because not all employers list their home builder jobs on every website, even though it may seem that way.
Builder-Focused Executive Search Firms
At MatchBuilt, many of our home builder job opportunities are confidential and exclusive to us. In many cases, they cannot be found elsewhere, online or off. Homebuilding job seekers can submit a resume, apply for full-time positions, and subscribe to job alerts to stay updated on brand-new opportunities. We also offer job search and career advice on our residential construction jobs blog, a robust library of research into workplace trends, and tips.
Builder Career Pages
The top home builders have a career page on their websites, and they’re a great place to find background information on what it’s like to work there and what kinds of opportunities they provide.
Your Network
If you already know someone in the industry, it may be best to begin your networking effort there.
How to Stand Out and Get Noticed
Maximize LinkedIn
Choose a Good Photo
Choose a professional photo for your LinkedIn profile, whether actively employed or between jobs. Your photo should be a high-resolution image, and your face should take up at least 60% of the frame. Further, you should be the only person in the picture, choose an appropriate expression, and avoid distracting backgrounds.
Create a Headline that Pops
A LinkedIn headline allows you to describe your work in 120 characters or less. A best practice is optimizing this brief description next to your user name to your role and industry. The headline aims to entice your network or recruiters to click on your profile to learn more about your experience and background.
Highlight Accomplishments in the Summary
It’s essential to revisit your LinkedIn summary section routinely to ensure it provides you with a crisp and professional online presence. Effective LinkedIn summaries should be brief, informative, and engaging. Think of the summary as your elevator pitch. You must be as descriptive as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Promote Your Personal Brand
To engage people, you should make your brand valuable – not through money, but with content. Think of your social media outlets as being like magazines or TV channels. You want to fill them with programming that draws readers and viewers. Your content should showcase you and what you have to offer to an employer or client and friends and followers.
Optimize Your Resume
Reduce Your Resume to One Page
When considering these resume-building tips, the first thing to do is reduce it to one page. A single-page resume is a popular preference for most recruiters and HR leaders. Back in the day, we used to think of a long resume as proof of professionalism, and that’s no longer true. You can still include all the bright moments of your career and the many different jobs you progressed through.
Maximize the Use of Format Spacing, Margins, All-caps, and Bolded Font for Readability
Use practical resume formats found online for inspiration, and choose a clearer and more concise outline than your outdated resume. The aesthetics should first please you, but it should also be straightforward to read without exuberance. Choose a theme that’ll fit the image of your industry and a potential employer.
Tailor Your Credentials with Pertinent Keywords, the Job Requirements, and the Industry
Lastly, as you consider these resume writing tips, do your best to tailor your credentials to the job requirements to show you’re a good fit. We recommend updating your resume for each job if different and focusing on keywords and notable topics in your industry.
How to Prepare for the Interview
Master Common Interview Questions
Many home builders will utilize behavioral questions when interviewing job candidates. Typical behavioral interview questions and answers for management positions require candidates to share examples of situations in which they had to use particular skills. They are considered the most effective interviewing technique in nearly any organization.
In the answers to these questions, you should provide valid and concrete evidence about how you, as a candidate, have dealt with these types of issues in the past. Answering appropriately to these interview questions by letting your past work performance and experience prove what you’re capable of doing in the future for this potential employer.
Here are a few common questions and tips that will help you prepare for your next interview:
- Tell me about yourself
- What makes you unique?
- Why do you want to work here?
- Why should we hire you?
- How to talk about your weaknesses
- How to answer what you are passionate about
Research the Company
There is something extraordinary about helping a customer build a new home. Whether you are the salesperson selling new builds from the model homes or a project manager guiding customers through the building process, being a part of it is very fulfilling. If you are considering a new job in the homebuilding sector, you’re definitely in for a treat as the hardworking people that comprise the industry list of the top 100 home builders are what set it apart. Be sure to do appropriate research on any company you will be applying to.
Utilize the Top New Home Builders List
Below is a briefing of the top 100 home builders providing some background about the companies within it. Builder Online annually releases the list and organizes it based on closings and revenue. We believe you’ll find the list beneficial during your next residential construction job search as a guide and reference. If you are new to the industry, utilize the list of the top home builders to give you perspective on their size, how fast they are growing, and how they compare to others. While the numbers will not tell you much about what it is like to work at these companies, understanding their size may help create some interesting questions as you prepare for an interview.
Review Builder Career Pages
The top home builders have a career page on their websites, and they’re a great place to find background information on what it’s like to work there and what kinds of opportunities they provide.
Leverage Your Network
For more information on what it’s like working with one of the best home builders, consider connecting with their employees on LinkedIn or connecting with a leading residential construction recruiter.
Research on Builder Online
Backed by over 40 years of tradition of journalism excellence, Builder Magazine seeks to inspire readers by chronicling success through innovation in homebuilding. Builder’s mission is to identify best business practices, new products, cutting-edge technology, innovative construction techniques, and ground-breaking design innovation to help you succeed. You have a lot to gain when seeking employment in the residential construction field by browsing topics on builderonline.com.
Research on Professional Builder
Published in 1936, Pro Builder is a leading business content provider for the U.S. housing industry and is the official publication of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). It is published by SGC Horizon and serves more than 120,000 homebuilders, design professionals, and other industry stakeholders through print, digital, video, email, social media, and events. Pro Builder’s various platforms deliver actionable content on key industry issues and trends, best business practices, design, construction how-to, innovation and technology, sales and marketing, and the latest building products.
Home Builder Career Opportunities FAQs
What’s the difference between a public and a private home builder?
Based on Builders’ data, 16 of the top 20 best home builders are public companies based on total closings. Furthermore, 18 of the top 100 home builders are public.
Public Home Builders
A public home builder is a corporation whose ownership is distributed amongst general public shareholders via the free trade of shares of stock on exchanges or over-the-counter markets. Although a small percentage of shares are initially floated to the public, daily trading in the market determines the entire company’s value. It is considered “public” since shareholders, who become equity owners of the company, are composed of anybody who purchases stock in the firm.
Private Home Builders
While public companies are always corporations, private companies can be corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, or sole proprietorships. While private companies are usually smaller, that is not still the case.
How will autonomy and structure differ for the best home builders?
With private home builders, there tend to be fewer policies and fewer levels of management. Organization charts like this can mean faster decisions and less micromanagement, with less red tape. However, less structure isn’t always favorable, particularly for employees who prefer stability and clear-cut policies for almost every situation.
If you like picking up a project and seeing it through from start to finish, you’re more likely to have this opportunity in a private company. A public company may be a better option if you want to know that you have a team around you and won’t be asked to do more than you can handle.
What is career advancement like at the top home Builders?
Public home builders, usually more prominent and with more management positions than private firms, can generally offer faster promotions. They also tend to have more resources to help employees train and further their education while on the job.
If you work for a private company, you may have to wait for your manager to retire before you can become a manager yourself. In a public company, not only are there more managers above you, there are more opportunities in other departments.
Which new home builder is the best to work for?
Deciding which home builder is the best can be challenging if you buy a home or choose to work for one. When purchasing a new home, you’ll consider square feet, floor plan, home design features, price range, quality, and customer service reputation. When considering which homebuilder is best for your career, you’ll want to consider the long-term and short opportunities, the compensation, and the company’s culture. Below you’ll find a list of the top 100 homebuilders. Browse our blog for information and jobs with real estate investment trusts.
The Top 100 Home Builders
2021 RANK
|
COMPANY
|
TOTAL CLOSINGS
|
GROSS REVENUE
|
RANK
|
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | D.R. Horton (p) | 52,569 | $15,728 | 1 |
2 | Lennar Corp. (p) | 48,856 | $18,811 | 2 |
3 | PulteGroup (p) | 23,107 | $9,818 | 3 |
4 | NVR (p) | 18,447 | $7,004 | 4 |
5 | KB Home (p) | 11,317 | $4,534 | 6 |
6 | Taylor Morrison (p) | 8,760 | $4,115 | 7 |
7 | Meritage Homes (p) | 8,531 | $3,475 | 8 |
8 | Toll Brothers (p) | 8,265 | $7,143 | 9 |
9 | Century Communities (p) | 7,092 | $2,260 | 16 |
10 | LGI Homes (p) | 6,512 | $1,504 | 11 |
11 | M.D.C. Holdings (p) | 6,197 | $2,982 | 12 |
12 | M/I Homes (p) | 5,778 | $2,234 | 14 |
13 | Beazer Homes (p) | 5,767 | $2,077 | 13 |
14 | Hovnanian Enterprises (p) | 5,758 | $2,491 | 10 |
15 | TRI Pointe Group (p) | 5,071 | $3,263 | 15 |
16 | David Weekley Homes | 4,687 | $2,153 | 17 |
17 | Habitat for Humanity International | 4,334 | $492 | 21 |
18 | William Lyon Homes (p) | 4,186 | $2,082 | 19 |
19 | Ashton Woods Homes | 4,057 | $1,600 | 20 |
20 | Clayton Properties Group | 3,999 | $1,336 | 29 |
21 | Shea Homes | 3,839 | $2,396 | 18 |
22 | Mattamy Homes | 3,313 | $1,194 | 23 |
23 | Highland Homes | 3,074 | $1,236 | 22 |
24 | Perry Homes | 2,615 | $1,034 | 26 |
25 | Dan Ryan Builders | 2,217 | $654 | 28 |
26 | Brookfield Residential Properties | 2,196 | $1,336 | 31 |
27 | The Related Group | 2,125 | $2,400 | 40 |
28 | Woodside Homes | 2,058 | $890 | 25 |
29 | Drees Homes | 1,971 | $936 | 30 |
30 | Fischer Homes | 1,901 | $637 | 37 |
31 | The Villages of Lake Sumter | 1,866 | $577 | 27 |
32 | Mungo Homes | 1,768 | $510 | 33 |
33 | MHI-McGuyer Homebuilders | 1,721 | $751 | 34 |
34 | True Homes | 1,559 | $403 | 38 |
35 | Stanley Martin Homes | 1,482 | $706 | 57 |
36 | Dream Finders Homes | 1,408 | $530 | 48 |
37 | CBH Homes | 1,348 | $371 | 53 |
38 | Bloomfield Homes | 1,346 | $438 | 42 |
39 | Chesmar Homes | 1,343 | $435 | 43 |
40 | Smith Douglas Homes | 1,307 | $329 | 54 |
41 | First Texas Homes | 1,306 | $535 | 47 |
42 | Green Brick Partners (p) | 1,287 | $571 | 56 |
43 | GL Homes | 1,260 | $821 | 45 |
44 | The New Home Co. (p) | 1,244 | $806 | 41 |
45 | Epcon Communities | 1,236 | $481 | 39 |
46 | Long Lake Ltd. | 1,172 | $273 | 50 |
47 | Edge Homes | 1,159 | $363 | 51 |
48 | Neal Communities | 1,148 | $464 | 46 |
49 | Ivory Homes | 1,121 | $498 | 60 |
50 | Eastwood Homes | 1,105 | $320 | 44 |
51 | View Homes | 1,071 | $304 | 52 |
52 | Betenbough Homes | 1,013 | $192 | 61 |
53 | Castlerock Communities | 986 | $287 | 58 |
54 | Great Southern Homes | 947 | $200 | 68 |
55 | Minto Communities | 856 | $402 | 99 |
56 | McBride & Son, Cos. | 848 | $282 | 63 |
57 | American West Homebuilding Group | 814 | $313 | 77 |
57 | HistoryMaker Homes | 814 | $229 | 59 |
59 | Highland Homes | 813 | $180 | 75 |
60 | Saint Aubyn Homes | 791 | $298 | 67 |
61 | Robson Communities | 790 | $339 | 80 |
62 | American Legend Homes | 767 | $354 | 77 |
63 | Milestone Community Builders | 766 | $223 | 65 |
64 | Essex Homes Southeast | 753 | $251 | 72 |
65 | Stylecraft Builders | 745 | $155 | 73 |
66 | H&H Homes | 726 | $215 | 82 |
67 | Ole South Properties | 708 | $179 | 64 |
68 | Rocklyn Homes | 693 | $154 | 87 |
69 | Allen Edwin Homes | 692 | $182 | 69 |
70 | Westport Homes | 686 | $181 | 62 |
71 | Fulton Homes | 685 | $245 | 66 |
72 | HHHunt Corp. | 680 | $271 | 76 |
73 | Ball Homes | 675 | $232 | 71 |
74 | Lombardo Homes | 661 | $293 | 79 |
75 | Saratoga Homes | 658 | $144 | 84 |
76 | Van Metre Cos. | 637 | $436 | 86 |
77 | John Houston Custom Homes | 615 | $221 | 81 |
78 | Westin Homes | 603 | $244 | 74 |
79 | Elite Properties of America | 597 | $286 | 89 |
80 | Anglia Homes | 592 | $138 | 94 |
81 | Homes by Westbay | 554 | $247 | 100 |
82 | City Ventures | 553 | $385 | 85 |
83 | Caviness and Cates Communities | 541 | $208 | 83 |
84 | ICI Homes | 532 | $266 | 96 |
85 | Trumark Cos. | 526 | $495 | 90 |
86 | Signature Homes | 505 | $230 | 91 |
87 | Bill Clark Homes | 500 | $151 | 91 |
88 | Kerley Family Homes | 497 | $121 | 104 |
89 | Garrett Walker Homes | 496 | $131 | 136 |
90 | Knight Homes | 478 | $110 | N/A |
91 | Carefree Homes | 475 | $98 | 97 |
92 | Park Square Homes | 467 | $155 | 105 |
93 | United Built Homes | 458 | $82 | 105 |
94 | Home Creations | 448 | $100 | 98 |
95 | Eastbrook Homes | 437 | $162 | 107 |
96 | John Mourier Construction | 436 | $233 | 126 |
97 | Grand Homes | 435 | $235 | 102 |
98 | Pacesetter Homes | 422 | $114 | 93 |
99 | William Ryan Homes | 409 | $153 | 110 |
100 | Arthur Rutenberg Homes | 405 | $365 | 101 |
New to the home building sector? If so, here’s an inside look at the International Builder’s Show, the largest trade show in America, hosted annually by the NAHB. The best home builders in America often visit Orlando or Las Vegas annually to find the latest products, trends, and construction practices to grow their business.