Civil Engineer CV Guide + Tips + Example
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Seeking a job as an engineer? A well-written CV is a great place to start! We’ve created this guide to help you write a new civil engineer CV or update your existing one. We’ll show you how to make the most of your problem-solving and critical thinking skills and display your innovative and creative sides so you can get the job you want.
Start by editing this civil engineer CV example template or browse through our 40+ CV templates to find the best one for you.
Civil engineer CV example (text version)
Allison Smith
Denver, CO 80230
555 555 5555
example@example.com
Summary Statement
Skilled civil engineer with eight years of experience in a variety of engineering aspects, such as preparation, drawings and specifications to complete construction engineering tasks. Professional presence with the ability to work independently with very little supervision. Motivated individual who is committed to delivering the highest quality service in challenging environments. Focused on environmental, safety and health issues.
Core Qualifications
- Regulatory review
- Safety rules enforcement
- CAD drafting
- Blueprint interpretation
- AutoCAD proficiency
- Construction management
- Estimation accuracy
- Communication
Education
- January 2008
University of Colorado At Boulder Boulder, CO
Master of Science
Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering - University of Colorado At Boulder Boulder, CO
Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering
Work Experience
November 2019 – Current
HBK Engineering – Denver, CO
Civil Engineer
- Manage the operations and construction of over five project sites.
- Provide technical guidance regarding structural repairs, construction and design.
- Use computer-assisted drawing tools to design structures and transportation systems.
- Train 10 new employees to supervise projects in order to expand the company.
September 2016 – October 2019
CAGE Civil Engineering – Denver, CO
Assistant Civil Engineer
- Directed activities to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
- Analyzed manufacturing byproducts to discover engineering solutions to reduce the output of pollutants.
- Designed systems to dispose of biological and chemically toxic waste material, reducing 95% of safety risks.
- Tested soils and different materials to determine the strength of steel, asphalt and foundations.
June 2014 – August 2016
Feature Consulting, LLC – Denver, CO
Surveyor Technician
- Assessed job tasks to identify potential risks and applied mitigation techniques, improving 75% of workplace safety.
- Estimated the needs and costs of equipment and materials to determine project budgets.
- Prepared monthly reports on deeds, bid proposals and environmental impact statements.
- Analyzed maps, survey reports and aerial photography to determine project direction.
Conference Attendance
- Hydraulic Sciences and Water Resources Engineering – University of Colorado – (2022)
- International Conference on Civil, Architectural and Environmental Sciences, Las Vegas, NV – (2022)
- International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering, Science and Technology, Chicago, IL – (2022)
- 2021 SEAC Fall Seminar, Denver, CO – (2021)
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
- American Council of Engineering Companies of Colorado (ACEC Colorado) – (2022)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – (2021)
- Structural Engineers Association of Colorado – (2019)
Certifications and Licenses
Professional Engineer (PE) certification – (Updated 2022)
Profession Relevant Skills
- Excellent critical thinking skills to identify alternative approaches and solutions to complex problems.
- Strong ability to manage material resources in order to determine the appropriate use of facilities and equipment.
- Skilled in coordinating projects and keeping all parties on the same path in order to stay on schedule.
- Good negotiation skills when coordinating between clients and management.
- Strong ability to communicate by listening and asking the right questions as well as writing effective reports.
- Experience with analytical and scientific software, such as Minitab and MathWorks MATLAB.
- Ability to identify system performance indicators and the appropriate actions necessary to correct performance in order to keep project goals on track.
Languages
- English
Native or Bilingual - Spanish
Professional Working
Hobbies and Interests
There are a variety of hobbies and interests that fill my spare time. I love working with computers in different capacities and I also enjoy spending time in my wood shop. My love of the outdoors includes day-long hikes and cycling trips on the weekends and my interest in the environment leads to multiple volunteer opportunities in the community.
5 essentials of a top engineer CV
Contact details
Create a section at the top of your CV for your contact information. This section is important for the recruiter or hiring manager to reach you for an interview. The standard way to display your contact information is as follows: your full name, then your city, state and ZIP code, followed by your phone number and professional email address. If you have a LinkedIn profile and professional website, add those as well.
Personal statement
A personal statement, also called a professional summary, is a compelling paragraph consisting of up to five sentences that introduce you to the hiring manager and pitch your best skills and related work experience. Include job-relevant skills, how long you have been in the industry, and one or two of your most notable professional accomplishments.
Skills
The skills section of a CV is one of the most important pieces of your job application. Display your job-relevant skills with bullet points to make them easy to read. Include a mix of hard and soft skills that range from business operations software to your impeccable ability to work with people, as demonstrated by our civil engineer CV example. If you are applying for your first engineering job, include transferable skills. These are a must-have addition to a first-time civil engineer CV.
Work history
Whether or not you have work experience, a CV for an engineer must have a detailed employment history section. In reverse-chronological order, display your current and previous employers, along with company names, locations and the dates you worked for each. Add three bullet points of measurable achievements for every job you list. If you don’t have work experience in the field or if this is your first job application, mention relevant extracurricular activities, volunteer experience, community service and professional and personal projects.
Education
Hiring managers want to see your education credentials, so a CV of an engineer in civil engineering must include an education section. Use bullet points to list all the educational institutions you’ve attended after high school, and display the name of the school and the year you graduated. Skip the year if you graduated more than a decade ago. List your high school information and any post-high school classes taken if you did not attend college.
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Action words for an effective CV for an engineer in civil engineering
Action words add impact to a CV because they tell the hiring manager exactly what you have done in your role in past experiences.
Here’s a short list of great action words for a civil engineer CV:
- Evaluate
- Develop
- Resolve
- Create
- Supervise
- Inform
- Advise
- Troubleshoot
- Coordinate
- Compile
- Improve
- Maintain
- Gather
- Support
- Built
- Oversee
Need to create the perfect CV now? Our CV maker has all the tools you need to craft a professional civil engineer CV in minutes! You can make edits on the fly, download your finished CV and save it as a PDF, .doc or plain text. It just doesn’t get any easier!
Top skills for a civil engineer CV
Review the job description carefully and match the required skills to the ones that fit you.
Your skills as a civil engineer might include:
- Problem solving
- Engineering design
- Blueprints
- Cost estimation
- Safety and compliance
- Analysis
- Data modeling
- Attention to detail
- Deductive reasoning
- Adaptability
- Mathematics
- Creativity
- Technology
- Project management
- Building
Certifications for a civil engineer CV
You don’t have to be certified for a job as a civil engineer, but having one or more certifications can improve your chances of getting a job or stepping up the job ladder.
A certification from a respected organization demonstrates a level of commitment and proficiency in engineering management that non-certified job seekers don’t have.
A CV of an engineer that lists at least one certification stands out from the rest, so consider adding one to your professional toolkit.
There are several certification options for civil engineers, including:
Pair your CV with a matching cover letter
Civil engineer CV FAQ
1. What to include in a CV for an engineer job in civil engineering?
An engineer CV must always include five primary sections:
- Contact information
- Personal profile
- Skills
- Job history
- Education
After that, your CV can include any number of sections, including:
- Professional memberships or associations
- Presentations
- Publications
- Certifications and licenses
- Volunteer experience
- Related hobbies and interests
The easiest way to determine what sections to add to your CV and how to fill them out is by reviewing the essential requirements of the job description. Match the job requirements to your qualifications and add them to your CV. If you’re unsure where to start, use the engineer CV sample on this page for guidance. Our experts have also put together an extensive guide to making a CV that hiring managers will love.
2. What’s the best format for the CV of an engineer?
A CV for an engineer can be displayed in any format that fits the industry, job and your work experience and goals. For instance, if you’re applying for your first engineer job or are changing careers, it’s best to use a CV format that emphasizes your education or skills. However, if you have a steady career in engineering and have progressed through the ranks, you might want to showcase your work experience.
3. What are some tips for creating an excellent CV for a civil engineer job?
Not all CVs are created equal. Here are our top tips for crafting a perfect engineer CV:
- Add separate sections for extra training, certifications, awards and honors.
- If you have given presentations or speeches at conferences, highlight those experiences in a separate section.
- Showcase volunteer and community service activities that focus on serving people.
- Create subcategories for your skills under the skills section of your CV. For example, you might have to group your soft and technical skills separately to let each type shine.
- Add a separate category for your managerial skills and give specific quantifiable examples of how you have used them in other jobs.
Do’s and don’ts for building an engineer CV
- Use measurable achievements to describe your engineering skills and experience.
- Use action words to make an impact on your engineer CV.
- Tailor your CV to your target engineer job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your engineer CV.
- Format your engineer CV so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your engineering experience and skills.
- Boast about your “incomparable” engineering abilities.
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience not pertaining to engineering.
- Forget to proofread. An engineering CV with errors is unprofessional.
Top 4 tips for acing an engineer interview
Learn about the company before your interview.
It’s vital to take the time to learn about the company’s history, goals, values and people before the interview. Being able to show that you have in-depth knowledge about your potential employer shows real interest, dedication and commitment — traits that hiring managers look for in every job candidate they talk to. Plus, having a glimpse of the company culture before will give you an idea of what to expect on arrival so that you can feel confident.
Practice at home.
Practice! Practice! Practice! It really does make a difference. Start by reviewing the most common interview questions, such as:
- What Attracted You to This Company?
- How Do You Determine Priorities?
- What Is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made?
Write down possible answers as you review potential questions, then ask a friend or relative to help you perform a mock interview so you can get comfortable with the questions and keep the answers in your mind. Ask your interview partner for a review and work on improving your weaknesses. You’ll feel confident and ready when it’s time for the real thing.
Be proactive and ask questions.
Your interviewer will ask if you have any questions at the end of your session. You should always have at least three questions ready to ask; job candidates who don’t ask questions are not as likely to get hired because hiring managers assume they aren’t interested in the role or won’t put much thought into it.
Some questions you might ask for an engineer job are:
- What are the prospects for growth in this position?
- What are the team’s strengths?
- What are the biggest challenges someone in this role can expect?
Gather references.
You’ll need professional references quickly if the hiring manager offers you the job after the interview. Having them ready will save you stress and time, so prepare a list of two former colleagues and a former manager who are willing to speak to your abilities and give you an exceptional review. And if they can write a letter of recommendation for you, even better!
If you are applying for your first full-time job and don’t have former colleagues or a manager for reference, ask a former instructor, volunteer coordinator, classmate or community leader who can vouch for your character and skills.
Resume examples for the next step in your civil engineering career
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Civil Engineer CV Example
Kellie is a Certified Professional Resume Writer with 20+ years of experience in digital media and is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She earned a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.