Your work as a structural engineer is vital to the safety of everyone who uses buildings, tunnels, and bridges around the community. Fortunately, the job prospects for civil engineers (a group that includes structural engineers) are steady, growing at about eight percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A well-written resume gives you a way to draw attention to your most desirable skills and contributions.
Our structural engineer resume sample provides you with a standard for measuring your own resume. Use it as a guide for choosing the most effective format, word choice, and best practices. It may also serve as inspiration for your writing, helping you recognize areas where mistakes are most likely to occur. If you need further guidance, use the resume builder to further perfect your document.
Mason Vale
123 Fake Street | City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com
Professional Summary
Detail-Oriented Structural Engineer that has extensive experience working directly with a wide variety of building materials. Adept at doing an accurate stress analysis on a structure, planning strong bridge construction and assisting in long-term infrastructure planning. Specializes in bridge and tower construction.
Core Qualifications
- Certified professional structural engineer
- Computer drawing and productivity software
- Meets every deadline
- Strong field technician
- Reads complex drawings
- Mathematical expert
Experience
Structural Engineer, December 2010 – February 2015
Company Name, City, State
- Designated as part of a team that did all structural surveys on towers prior to demolition.
- Worked with several contractors on refurbishing large bridges.
- Assisted in the planning of the construction of one of the largest cell signal towers in the country.
Structural Engineer, June 1991 – November 2003
Company Name, City, State
- Part of the planning team for the construction of several large water towers.
- Monitored bridge projects looking for possible issues.
- Audited bridge rehab drawings for ongoing projects.
Education
1991 Bachelor of Science, Structural Engineering
Hallow College – City, State
Why Is This a Good Structural Engineer Resume Sample?
You need your entire resume to be engaging and filled with the right content. However, the section that might have the most impact on hiring personnel is the professional summary. Throughout this short synopsis of responsibilities and qualifications, use those skills and characteristics most likely to impress potential employers. For example, we know from the structural engineer resume sample that the applicant is detail-oriented, experienced, and skilled in many pertinent areas. This applicant also draws attention to a specialization in bride and tower construction.
When creating a core qualifications section, it is easy to get caught up in listing all the skills you’ve worked hard to develop. However, it is a much better practice to choose between five and eight qualities that are most likely to impress hiring personnel. One way to do this successfully is to look for skills addressed in the job posting. This resume sample includes specific hard and soft skills, including “computer drawing and productivity software,” “reads complex drawings,” and “meets every deadline.
Action verbs and specific details hold the attention of hiring professionals who read this structural engineer resume sample. Action verbs create strong sentences, and this is crucial to resume success. The author of the sample resume draws attention to personal achievements (“Assisted in the planning of the construction of one of the largest cell signal towers in the country.) The listings below the job headings describe multiple responsibilities and achievements, showcasing those accomplishments and skills hiring managers want to see.
As you can see in the structural engineer resume sample, you don’t need to include all your school experience. The jobseeker behind this resume lists completion of a structural engineering college degree. Notice the absence of any details about high school career, grade point average, or similar accomplishments. However, if you’ve earned summa cum laude or similar honors, feel free to add these details.
Why You Need a Strong Structural Engineer Resume
Although the economy and job openings fluctuate, you can consistently improve your chances of employment by upgrading your resume. A strong resume, such as our structural engineer resume sample, is critical for jobseekers. This document may be the one chance you have at gaining the attention of a specific employer, and it could be the only access you have to interviews.
Hiring professionals typically spend fewer than 10 seconds on each resume, so you need to work hard to ensure your document creates the right impression. Whether the job market gets more intense or opens up to include a younger candidate pool, you need the assurance of a resume that has the right information and an easy-to-read format.
Costly Structural Engineer Resume Mistakes To Avoid
You probably already know you should guard against mistakes such as spelling and punctuation errors, incorrect contact information, and typos. You should know that any falsehoods or exaggerations are also damaging to your chances of resume success. However, there are some additional mistakes that are easy to overlook yet may have a huge impact on your chances of getting an interview.
One mistake many jobseekers make is to incorrectly format their resume. In the past, these documents extended beyond today’s on-page guideline and were often written in paragraph form. Today, the best practices call for a shorter, more compact format. Bulleted statements are easy to read and offer quick access to the most valuable information.
Another mistake to avoid is using abbreviations and acronyms that aren’t familiar to hiring professionals. While other civil engineers may recognize these shortcuts, you should use full names or include explanations. Use the structural engineer resume sample as a guide.
Structural Engineer Resume Questions
How do you make a structural engineer resume?
You have several options when it comes to writing a resume. All you need to write it is a text editor, word processor, or our effortless resume builder. Use a high-quality structural engineer resume sample as a template to create a polished and professional resume easily, for applying for any position.
Once you have decided which application or tool you would like to use to create your resume, it is a good idea to lay out the major sections of the document. These include a header with complete contact information, a summary or objective statement, a list of qualifications, and the sections in which you describe your experience and educational background.What’s the best resume template to use for a structural engineer resume?
The best resume templates make it easy for you to present your qualifications in ways that respond to the requirements of the position you want. Some templates have additional sections for accomplishments, certifications, professional affiliations, training, or even projects.
Depending on the other application materials you plan to submit, you may want to customize a career-specific template to fit your needs. Our structural engineer resume sample corresponds with the general priorities of jobseekers interested in this career.What should you include about your accomplishments on your structural engineer resume?
You should include professional accomplishments relevant to structural engineering in prominent places on your resume for a position in this field. Depending on how relevant an honor or award is to the role you are seeking, you might mention it in your professional summary statement.
What’s the best way to include digital skills on a structural engineer resume?
Bring up recognition in past positions in the appropriate entry in the experience section. You also have the option to add a section for accomplishments to a template based on the structural engineer resume sample.
Digital skills have become increasingly important for structural engineers. The candidate in our structural engineer resume sample references his software proficiencies in the qualifications section. You might bring up your familiarity with AutoCAD or similar planning and visualization software in this list on your resume. You could also mention your digital skills in your summary statement if they are a priority for the position you want.What’s the best length for a structural engineer resume?
One to two pages is the standard length for a resume, depending on the extent of your work experience. The candidate in our structural engineer resume sample has worked for two engineering firms for long stretches of time, and his resume fits on one page.
Depending on how you list work experience, namely whether you present projects under an affiliation with an engineering firm or list them out separately, your resume may spill onto a second page. In this case, you may want to consider submitting a portfolio or some other form of supplemental documentation regarding past projects on request. It is generally not advisable to exceed two pages unless an employer requests otherwise.
Conclusion
Writing up an effective resume requires a clear focus and well-defined intent. As you can tell from the structural engineer resume sample, even small details can change the value of a resume. Gain an edge by crafting a powerful summary. Choose the most marketable skills for your core qualifications section, and carefully format your skills section, making sure you leave out unnecessary information here and in the education section.