Structural Engineer Resume + Tips + Example
Take your structural engineer career to the next level with a professional resume. This guide will help you create a professional structural engineer resume to highlight your skills and experience.
Start by editing this structural engineer resume sample template or explore our 40+ resume templates to find the best one for you.
Structural engineer resume example (text version)
Annie Fenton
Great Neck, NY 11021
555 555 555
example@example.com
Summary Statement
Goal-driven licensed structural engineer with five years of bridge design experience. Successful at working with clients, providing technical knowledge and supervising design teams to accomplish projects under tight deadlines. Looking to further expand production and structural engineering experience.
Professional Skills
Design
- Conducted research to test and analyze the feasibility, design, operation and performance of equipment, components and systems from six projects.
- Recommended design modifications to eliminate machine and system malfunctions, reducing risks by 25%.
- Developed and tested models of alternate designs and processing methods to assess feasibility, operating condition effects, possible new applications and necessity of modification.
Project Management
- Developed monthly cost estimates, procured equipment and tracked construction progress to efficiently complete large-scale projects.
- Selected manufacturing methods, fabrication and operations to develop and coordinate production.
- Identified suitable materials for production use that aligned with environmental concerns and budget constraints.
Problem-solving
- Identified mechanical problems and determined the best solutions for correction.
- Implemented monthly preventive maintenance measures to decrease emergent issues.
- Applied mechanical problem-solving skills to develop creative solutions for 10 quality products.
Work History
January 2020 – Current
Acme Technologies – Broadlands, NY
Structural Engineer
February 2017 – July 2019
Danal Inc. – Broadbent, NY
Apprentice Structural Engineer
March 2015 – September 2016
J Company – Rialto, NY
Site Engineering Intern
Summary of Qualifications
Excellent communicator with the ability to explain complex design ideas and concepts effectively.
Knowledge in various aspects of hardware and software design, theories of operation, system integration, installation and commissioning.
Results-oriented with a hands-on approach to tackling projects and accomplishing goals.
Skills
- Ability to read blueprints
- Ability to perform inspections
- Seismic analysis
- Safety awareness
- Proposal development
- AutoCad, L-Pile, ETABS, SAP2000
- Analytical skills
- Time management
Education
New York Career Institute New York, NY
Bachelor of Science Engineering Mechanics
5 essentials of a top structural engineer resume
Contact details
Start your resume with your contact information. The standard goes: full name, city, state and ZIP code, phone number and email address. Include your LinkedIn profile or any other professional networking profile. If you have an online portfolio of your work and projects, include it in this section.
Personal statement
This is your introduction to the hiring manager or recruiter, where you’ll present your best attributes and how you are as a candidate. Also called a professional summary, it should always be tailored to the job at hand. In no more than five sentences, you’ll state your strongest qualification, years of experience and a professional accomplishment.
Skills
Show your strength as a candidate and what you bring to the table with a balanced skills section. Include a mix of hard skills, like finite element analysis and building code knowledge, and soft skills, like your collaboration, teamwork and excellent communication. As always, use the job description as a guide to match your skills to what the employer is seeking.
If this is your first official job as a structural engineer, you can include transferable skills from other employment.
Work history
Build your employment history in reverse-chronological order. Using a bulleted list, include: the employer’s name, location and dates of employment. Add three measurable achievements under each position you’ve held. For example, leadership tasks you’ve performed, amount of evaluations completed and any process you streamlined in order to improve a project’s timeline.
If this is your first job as a structural engineer, you can include other relevant work experience, like volunteer experiences, community service, and more.
Education
In the education section, include the educational institution’s name, degree conferred and graduation year. If graduation was over 10 years ago, you can omit the year. You can include special projects, awards, memberships and internships under each academic institution, if applicable.
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Action words for a stand-out structural engineer resume
Action words can strengthen your structural engineer achievements. Their directness adds confidence to your resume’s work history. Combine them with your measurable achievements to build an effective resume for a structural engineer.
This is a short list of action words for a structural engineer resume:
- Performed
- Supervised
- Evaluated
- Detailed
- Reported
- Completed
- Developed
- Provided
- Led
- Presented
- Advanced
- Designed
- Analyzed
Building a professional structural engineer resume can be quick and easy with the help of our Resume Builder. The builder has the necessary tools to create an effective resume, like step-by-step guidance and industry-specific expert suggestions. You can change the template, add the information and the Builder will automatically update the resume content. Once you’re satisfied with your resume, you can download it in multiple formats
Top skills for a structural engineer resume
Review the structural engineer job description and carefully match their required skills to the skills and traits that fit you.
Your skills might include:
- Teamwork
- Structural modeling
- Collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Analytical skills
- AutoCad
- L-Pile
- ETABS
- SAP2000
- SAFE Structural Engineering
- RISA 3D
- MathCad
Certifications for a structural engineer resume
Add confidence to your skills by including certification in your resume. Certifications can back up your expertise and prove your commitment to the profession. Certifications can also help you stand out from the pool of applicants.
These are a few examples of certifications for a structural engineer resume:
- Structural Engineering Licensure (ASCE)
- Structural Engineer (SE)
- Project Management Professional (PMP)
Include the completion or expiry date, according to each certification. And, if you’re still working towards one, add the expected completion date. See how it could look on your resume in our 800+ resume examples.
Pair your resume with a matching cover letter
Structural engineer resume FAQ
1. How much does a structural engineer make?
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) places structural engineers under the civil engineers’ umbrella. According to their Occupational Outlook Handbook, their median pay per year is $88,050, at $42.33 per hour. Remember that this amount will vary according to the area, employer and sector. BLS projects that this profession will grow 7% in the next decade.
2. How to write a structural engineer resume with no experience?
Applying to your first structural engineer job means you have to build a resume with fewer tools. Get creative and think outside the box by considering skills and experiences outside the industry.
- Choose a format that highlights your strength. If you’re starting out, consider the functional format to highlight your skills and, if you have a few years of experience, a combination format will balance skills and experience.
- Tailor your skills section and personal summary to the job description. Remember to save the job description in case it is deleted.
- Include experience relevant to the position you are applying for, even if it’s not directly related to the role.
- Highlight education beneficial to the role, like courses, certifications and other training.
- Play up your internships, which also count as employment experience.
Always tailor your structural engineer resume to the job description by including the skills and experience that match the ones the employer is seeking.
3. What does a resume for a structural engineer look like?
A resume for a structural engineer should look professional, organized and clean. Most importantly, the information should be readable. Pick a professional font and a template that can hold your information. In need of inspiration? Check out our resume template collection, which shows you how a resume could look.
It’s perfectly acceptable to use tools to create your resume. Our Resume Builder can help you build your resume with step-by-step guidance and editable content suggestions for your industry and career level. And you don’t have to worry about the layout; the Builder will adjust it automatically.
Do’s and don’ts for building a structural engineer resume
- Use measurable achievements to describe your structural engineer skills and experience.
- Use action words to make an impact on your structural engineer resume.
- Tailor your CV to your target structural engineer job.
- Use keywords from the job description throughout your structural engineer resume.
- Format your structural engineer resume so that it is easy to read by ATS software and human eyes.
- Lie about your structural engineer experience and skills.
- Boast about your “incomparable” structural engineer abilities.
- Include irrelevant personal information such as your ethnicity and age.
- Add skills and experience that do not pertain to a structural engineer.
- Forget to proofread. A structural engineer resume with errors is unprofessional.
Top 4 tips for acing a structural engineer interview
Research the employer before your interview.
Once you start looking into structural engineer positions, research the employers. Use their official channels, the news and, if you know a previous or current employee, ask them about their experience. Your knowledge will help prepare you for the interview. Plus, it’ll show your potential employer your commitment. It’ll also help you feel more confident to have knowledge before arriving at your interview.
Practice at home.
Ease your nerves by preparing and practicing your answers. Check out a few of the most common interview questions, like:
- What Have You Accomplished That Shows Your Initiative and Willingness to Work?
- How Do You Determine Priorities in Scheduling Your Time?
- Describe a Situation in Which You Found That Your Results Were Not Up to Your Supervisor’s Expectations
Ask a trusted person to perform a mock interview. Use these questions as examples or look up other possible interview questions. Write down your best answers, and then practice with your partner. Once finished, ask for feedback and work with them to improve your answers, tone and body language. Preparation will add confidence to your interview style. Plus, practicing will help you for future interviews.
Pro tip: Practice in front of a mirror and pay attention to your facial expressions and body language.
Be proactive and ask questions.
Gain more inside knowledge and impress interviewers with your interview questions. Build questions that will help you learn more about the employer, the role you’re interested in and how this company could fit in your career. Prepare three to five questions and expect to think of new ones during the interview.
Here are a few examples of questions to get you started:
- Why did you choose to work here?
- What issue are your engineers dealing with?
- What is your ideal candidate for this role?
- What is the career path for this structural engineer role?
Remember to ask open-ended questions and give time to the interviewer to answer before moving on.
Gather your references.
Before you even start applying for new jobs, reach out to previous managers and mentors to be your reference. They should vouch for your skills and work experience. Let them know when you are in the process and alert them when they could expect a phone call or email. Remember to also request two letters of recommendation.
If this is your first job as a structural engineer, you can request references from a mentor, former professor or community leader that can vouch for your skills.
CV examples for the next step in your civil engineering career
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Structural Engineer Resume Example
Nilda Melissa Díaz is a Career Advice Writer. She has worked for the Washington Post, Stringr, and Latina Style Magazine. She has a master's in journalism from Columbia University and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
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