Civil Engineering Resume Examples
Build a Resume NowFeatured Resume Examples
Among our most requested civil engineering resume examples, you can find resumes for geotechnical engineer, structural engineer and mining engineer. For more job titles, browse our list below!
Search Job Titles
Civil Engineering Roles By Type
You can also search for a civil engineering resume example by type: managerial roles, engineering roles and support roles.
Managerial Roles
Engineering Roles
Support Roles
Cover Letters
Job Outlook
Civil engineers and related professions can expect job growth of 2%-3% up until 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The constant need for repairing and maintaining infrastructure will keep these occupations in demand for the coming years.
Submitting a remarkable resume will give you an edge over other candidates, and JobHero has irrefutable resume-writing tips and resources to help you achieve an impeccable resume.
3 Tips for Writing a Civil Engineering Resume
1. Choose the right format for your resume
There are three standard resume formats that organize your professional information in the most optimal way according to your work experience.
Civil engineering professionals can use any of the following formats depending on what stage they are in their careers.
The chronological format works best for professionals with five or more years in the same role. A structural engineer who has had consistent work for some time will be able to showcase all their impressive experience with this format.
The hybrid format is ideal for professionals with two to five years of relevant experience, or for those looking for a promotion. If you’re a junior civil engineer who’s gained the leadership skills and knowledge needed to advance into a civil project manager position, this format is the one for you.
The functional format is geared towards individuals with little to no experience and prioritizes skills over work experience. Civil engineering technologists that haven’t yet worked in long-term construction projects can use this format to display the technical skills they learned in school.
2. Promote your skills
Civil engineers are extensively trained professionals that need a solid foundation of technical skills and soft skills to advance in their career.
Try to include six-to-eight useful skills in your resume.
Here are a some of the most indispensable skills you should consider including in your resume:
- Organizational skills
- Problem-solving
- Analytical thinking
- Decision-making
- Detail oriented
- Written and verbal communication
- Strong presentation skills
- Technical training
- Mathematical skills
- Map reading
- Blueprint reviewing
- Knowledge of engineering fundamentals
- Design techniques
- Sketching
- Proficiency in CAD softwares, e.g., AutoCAD Civil 3D, Microsoft Project, HEC-HMS
- Equipment maintenance
- Project management
- Technical report writing
- Knowledge of OSH guidelines
- Knowledge of AASHTO guidelines
- Deed research
- Experience with electrical and hydraulic systems
- Soil testing
- Land surveying
- Estimates
- Assessment of environmental impact
- Experience with reinforced concrete
- Experience with steel design
- Experience with public work projects
- Experience in stormwater management
Besides the basic skills any civil engineering professional should have, some employers might be looking for individuals with specialized skills in certain areas like bridge construction, hydraulic systems, and public or private infrastructure.
Look at the job posting closely keeping your eyes peeled for key phrases and words to make sure you’re their ideal match, and that your resume reflects what they’re looking for in a candidate!
3. Use a template to make your resume look impressive
Starting a resume from scratch is sure to give you a headache from all the work choosing fonts, deciding on the right line-spacing and making sure it all fits perfectly on one page. JobHero’s resume templates simplify this process!
The templates were created with the input of resume experts, meaning you can bet you’re getting the most professional looking resume.
When applying to government projects or big engineering firms, presenting yourself professionally is imperative.
Think of our templates’ pre-formatted layouts like a set of blueprints: You’ve got the outline, now you can go in with your skillful knowledge. All you’ve got to do is fill in your information, and you’re good to go.
Our templates are time-savers, ideal for busy civil foremen and engineering technicians. JobHero takes care of the heavy lifting, so you can quickly finish your resume and apply to jobs in no time.
If you want to get more in-depth guidance into your specific resume requirements, try using our Resume Builder.
The builder allows you to choose from our wide variety of templates, lets you easily customize the resume to your liking, and offers pro tips and auto-suggested phrasing written by certified resume writers relevant to the engineering industry.
For engineering professionals that like to be hands-on with their projects to engineers in training that want to impart experience, the builder will be your most valuable tool.
FAQ
What should I put on my civil engineering resume?
To start, all resumes should have these five main sections: contact information, professional summary, work history, skills and education.
The most important will be the work history and skills sections since it’s where you present your accomplishments as a professional.
To make these sections more attractive, we recommend you utilize numbers, statistics and dollar amounts to quantify your achievements.
For example, a civil engineer could have these metrics in their resume:
This strategy ensures your information is backed up with hard data, making your claims ironclad.
How much do civil engineering professionals get paid?
Civil engineering requires incredibly prepared professionals that have invested in their education to perform essential duties for our society, and their compensation usually reflects that.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a civil engineer has a median annual wage of $87,060, which is more than double the median wage for all occupations in the United States.
The highest-earning 10% of civil engineers made more than $144,560 per year, reports the BLS.
Civil engineering technicians work closely with civil engineers in the same projects and require only an associate degree and training in civil engineering technology.
The BLS states that the median annual wage for these technicians in May 2019 was $53,410.
The highest paying industries for civil engineering technicians are in local government with a median salary of $60,510, whereas the lowest paying industry is in state government with a median wage of $45,440, reported the BLS.
How do I list education on a civil engineering resume?
Civil engineering occupations will require some type of advanced education. Engineers should have completed a bachelor’s degree, and for higher-level positions, a master’s degree and licensure will be expected.
To list this education in your resume, you should first include your most recent degree. If you have postgraduate studies, list those first, followed by your bachelor’s degree.
You need to include the name of the institution you attended, the city and state of its location, and your major.
Go by this example:
University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science, Civil Engineering
It’s advised not to include your high school education if you have graduated college.
Also, don’t list your graduation date. Although including those dates in your resume used to be standard, that’s no longer the case.
Only include dates if you have not graduated from university but want to show hiring managers how long you attended.
For civil engineering technicians, land surveyors, civil drafters and other professions that require an associate degree and sometimes a certificate, you can add another section called “Certifications.”
For example, some engineering technicians acquire the EIT, which is an Engineer in Training certificate.
The EIT validates your ability to perform most civil engineering tasks excluding offering services to the public, bidding government contracts, consulting and more. These can only be executed by licensed engineers.
What kind of work experience should I put on a civil engineering resume?
Your work history should be centered around the civil engineering industry, such as roles in construction, consulting, civil drafting, design and some technician occupations.
Keep in mind that for civil engineering occupations it’s fundamental you have a degree, a certification or solid training at the very least. Make sure you’re professionally qualified before applying to any job.
Civil engineers fresh out of school and without a license can’t publicly offer their services, but they can be hired by companies for roles where, by law, they have no decision-making authority.
In these cases, having impactful and quantifiable achievements in your work history is vital, as well as any internships you might have done with a government agency or private firm.
In the case of how your work history should look, add three bullet points that display your most impressive achievements below each role.
There’s no need to include every single responsibility you have. Pair your accomplishments with what the employer is looking for in a candidate according to the job description.
If you have a lot of experiences you still want to highlight, you can use a cover letter to fully express your professional caliber.
Should I include a cover letter in my civil engineering resume?
Yes! Including a cover letter with your resume is the professional standard, and it’s an excellent way to improve your chances of getting a job interview.
In a cover letter you can expand upon any achievements you had to cut short in your resume and instead express a compelling overview of your experience.
Showing your career progression as a civil engineer can mean noting how you began as an intern that produced blueprints, used CAD softwares to create dimensional drawings, and assembled documents for contractors, which in turn prepared you to efficiently supervise these tasks as senior civil engineer.
To help you craft this stellar document, JobHero has a library of cover letter examples you can check out.