As a civil engineer, you will typically work in the field of infrastructure. Examples of things civil engineers design and plan include highways, sewer systems, bridges, tunnels, and airfields. Your civil engineer resume should reflect your experience in these areas. If you recently graduated from college, your resume should also showcase any pertinent coursework.
A chronological civil engineer resume format is popular in this field. This style of resume details, in chronological order, your past jobs and education experiences. If you have held many jobs in recent years, switch from a chronological civil engineer resume format to an accomplishment format to downplay your recent job-jumping activities. Accomplishment formatting lists what you have done without highlighting how long you held each position.
In listing your various jobs, be sure that each job duty included can pertain to civil engineering work, even if the job was not as a civil engineer. For example, if you worked in a government planning department, highlight any projects you worked on that dealt with the city's sewage system. If you worked in the codes enforcement office, include the time you discovered a structural crack in the foundation of an overpass. This alerts potential employers to your long-held interest in civil engineering.
For jobs that were in civil engineering, choose to highlight the most important projects first. For example, if you headed up a team that designed an entire airfield, place that first in your itemized list of duties for that job. Any supervisory roles you filled should also be listed, as civil engineers are often expected to oversee construction on a project.
Provide a space for self-promotion. This is where you use bullet points to illustrate exceptional past performances that dovetail with the duties of civil engineering. If you were instrumental in getting design plans completed ahead of schedule in your last position, make note of it here. List any trade show or industry awards that you have received.
Education is important in this field. Be sure to include your engineering degree information as well as any civil service exams you have passed. This is one of the fields where class rank can make a difference in job offers. If you graduated with honors, be sure to mention it on your civil engineer resume.
