As with most professional fields, the number of qualified Civil Engineer candidates is vast and diverse, so the key is leveraging your ability to stand out even amongst the most qualified. Showcasing your skills and aptitude is great, but demonstrating your value through tangible accomplishments, productivity, and success is what will really set you apart. That's what we're here for!
Expert Tip
You should never use a creative resume
Many job seekers think that an eye-catching resume template will help them stand out to hiring managers and increase their chances of landing an interview. This is a myth put out by resume builders that value design over content.
The truth is that most hiring managers prefer a traditional resume format.
Creative resume templates, like the one pictured here, can actually hurt your chances of landing an interview. Instead, you should use a basic resume format that quickly communicates your basic information and qualifications–like the one included below.
Civil Engineer resume (text format)
How confident are you feeling about your resume? If you need more help, you can always refer to the following resume sample for a position.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
CIVIL ENGINEER PROFESSIONAL
Analytical and intuitive civil engineering leader with expertise in multi-million-dollar project management, financial strategy, and innovative design. Repeated success guiding cross-functional teams in project execution with specializations in safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Commanding presenter and negotiator with expertise gaining favorable contract outcomes. Able to build consensus with stakeholders and across organizational levels. Excellent communication skills.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Strategic & Site Planning
Performance Monitoring
Quality Management
Process Optimization
Graphic & Conceptual Design
General Dimensioning & Tolerances
Contract Management
Regulatory Compliance
Cost Reduction & Avoidance
Leadership Development
Talent Acquisition & Training
Project Management
Budget Management
P & L Accountability
Process Optimization
Change Management
Digital Plan Review
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CIVIL ENGINEER
City of Creve Coeur, Creve Coeur, MO | mm/yyyy to Present
Responsibilities
Deliver expert oversight and leadership to city project management strategic planning, comprising plan reviews, permit acquisition, pre-inspections, report optimization, and financial stewardship.
Spearhead cross-functional meetings in order to empower and inform all stakeholders, including residents, architects, engineers, and contractors, and ensure proper adherence to and enforcement of city ordinances.
Developed innovative permit tracking system to streamline permitting processes, in collaboration with IT department; integrated paperless plan review and permit process system to drive sustainability initiatives.
Adeptly managed diverse public, commercial, and residential projects including scheduling, coordination, submittals and close out documentation, as well as land development and stormwater impediments.
Distinguished for exceptional management of numerous special projects, including complex design and development phases for constructing the City’s new police station building.
Optimized project budgets ranging from $1,000 to $18 million, ensuring thorough cost containment measures.
CIVIL ENGINEER
Bower & Bailey Inc., Clayton, MO | mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy
Responsibilities
Continuously managed a diverse project load across different locations and within different phases of development within aggressive schedule and budgetary constraints. ▪ Routinely met budget and time project demands leveraging precision scoping, budgeting, and scheduling; fostered operational excellence and cultivated positive relationships with key project stakeholders. ▪ Managed all construction activities following project approvals and coordinated work with property management to include phasing, staging and site logistics. ▪ Built contractor relationships in order to support bid solicitation, review and award of contracts ▪ Developed scope of work (SOW) and other related contract files; optimized project binders and resources, including budget spreadsheets and estimation documents. ▪ Reviewed and analyzed blueprints and specifications to determine and analyze project requirements and to prepare various estimates. ▪ Prepared and maintained construction schedules working with field operations to ensure timely completion and timely close-out of projects, including punch list completion and final submission of all close-out documents. ▪ Project budgets range from $1.8M to $12M.
PROJECT MANAGER
Bower & Bailey Inc., Clayton, MO | mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy
Responsibilities
Collaborated with diverse stakeholders and guided sizeable, cross-functional teams comprising engineers, architects, and subcontractors in order to coordinate innovative project strategy, designs, and builds.
Coordinated project close-out with the project team drive efficient project completion of projects with budgets spanning $150K to $450K.
Maximized client satisfaction in order to establish long-term relationships and client retention.
Scrutinized all contract documents for accuracy of referenced plans, specifications, timelines, and project scope.
Strategically applied for project permits through governing entities, arrange security deposits, and permit fee payments as required to expedite permit acquisition.
Negotiated and awarded highly favorable subcontracts and material supply orders; draft project schedule and subcontract agreements.
Coordinated project timelines with owner, superintendent, and vendors; orchestrate preconstruction meetings to confirm all requirements and expectations.
Monitored and update stakeholders on project progress through owner and superintendent communication, job site visits and frequent review of field reports, budget administration, and job cost reporting.
EDUCATION
Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)
Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on
Everything you need to write your civil engineer resume
Now that you’ve seen an example of a job winning Civil Engineer resume, here are some tips to help you write your own. You should always begin with a summary section. Remember to use basic formatting with clear section headings and a traditional layout. Finally, be sure to include top skills throughout your resume. We’ve included several examples common for Civil Engineer below.
Let’s start with your resume summary section.
1. Summary
The resume summary replaces the out-of-date resume objective. A summary outlines the most impressive parts of your resume for easy recall by your potential employer, while also serving to fill in personal qualities that may not appear elsewhere on the page. Remember that summaries are short and consist of pithy sentence fragments! You can check out the Civil Engineer resume example for more information!
Expert Tip
Always start with your most recent positions at the top of your resume. This is called reverse-chronological format, and keeps your most relevant information easy for hiring managers to review.
2. Formatting
Our experts recommend you start your resume with a resume summary, like the one above. Other common sections are Work Experience, Education, and either Skills or Core Competencies. Here are some guides from our blog to help you write these sections:
Some resumes will include other sections, such as Volunteer Experience or Technical Skills. When it comes to what sections you need to include on your resume, you will know best!
Other sections for you to consider including are foreign language skills, awards and honors, certifications, and speaking engagements. These could all be relevant sections for your resume.
3. Appropriate skills
Strategic & Site Planning
Performance Monitoring
Quality Management
Process Optimization
Graphic & Conceptual Design
General Dimensioning & Tolerances
Contract Management
Regulatory Compliance
Cost Reduction & Avoidance
Leadership Development
Talent Acquisition & Training
Project Management
Budget Management
P & L Accountability
Process Optimization
Change Management
Digital Plan Review
MS Office
SolidWorks
MATLAB
AutoCAD
ProE
NX
ANSYS
C++
SAE
PDM
3D Printing
Visual Basic
4. Experience section
Your Work Experience section should make up the bulk of your resume. This section should include your relevant job titles, companies that employed you, and the dates you were employed.
The bulk of your Civil Engineering resume should be the Work Experience section. To be most effective, this section should also include your accomplishments and key skills. Let's take a close look at two examples from the resume sample above: • Optimized project budgets ranging from $1,000 to $18 million, ensuring thorough cost containment measures. This shows a range of monetary value this candidate brings to the table, an ability to successfully lead projects of all scopes. • Developed innovative permit tracking system to streamline permitting processes, in collaboration with IT department; integrated paperless plan review and permit process system to drive sustainability initiatives. This shows attention to big-picture and potentially mission-critical concepts, such as efficiency and sustainability, as well the ability to take initiative on a large scale, and collaborate cross-functionally.
Let’s wrap it up!
Standout resumes will include a resume summary, a traditional reverse-chronological layout, and the skills and experience relevant to your job target. This resume example shows how to include those elements on a page. It’s up to you to insert your personal compelling qualifications.
Keep your resume format easy to scan by both humans and computers; our resume template is designed by our experts to satisfy both audiences. And be sure to include your own skills, achievements, and experiences. Job-winning resumes are resumes that successfully market you, leading recruiters and hiring managers to want to learn more!
Finally, emphasize your interest with a customized cover letter. When writing, remember that the resume and cover letter should support each other. Check out our cover letter tips and examples for more advice.
Didn’t get the specific answers you were looking for on this page? Hire a professional resume writer to get the advice you need to land your next job.
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