Structural Engineer CV Example & Writing Guide

A powerful CV is like a well-built bridge: it connects you to potential employers and puts you ahead of the competition! 

While a solid structural engineer CV can get you noticed and hired faster, a poorly formatted CV can significantly undermine your chances, leaving you overlooked in a competitive job market.

With our comprehensive structural engineer CV writing guide, online CV builder, and structural engineer CV examples, landing your dream structural engineer job is just a few clicks away.

How to write a structural engineer CV

Understanding the blueprint is vital before laying the first beam of your CV. Your CV should include these essential sections:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (also known as a profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

To help ensure your CV stands out from the crowd, check out our top tips for creating a structural engineer CV: 

1. Discuss any outstanding projects, accomplishments or accolades that exhibit your structural engineering skills, expertise and industry experience.
2. Opt for a clean, organised, and professional CV layout to help capture the attention of employers.
3. Tailor your CV to match potential employers' unique goals and objectives, demonstrating your ability to solve diverse structural engineering problems.
4. Incorporate relevant keywords from the job description to enhance your CV's compatibility with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Choose the right CV format for structural engineers 

The most effective CV format for structural engineers is typically the reverse chronological format. In this format, your jobs are listed in order from most recent to least recent.

A reverse chronological CV format can help illustrate your involvement in infrastructural projects, underscoring your design and analysis skills and capacity to oversee complex structural engineering challenges. 

List your essential contact details

In the header of your CV, be sure to include the following contact details: 

• Full Name & Title: Include your full name and the position you’re applying for.
• Contact Email: Use an email address that conveys professionalism, for instance, cian.northey@live.ie.
• Contact Number: Provide a contact number with a polite and professional voicemail.
• Location: List your current location, specifying the city and county, and indicate whether you are open to relocating. For example, "Listowel, County Kerry (Open to Relocation)."
• Professional Websites: Provide links to your online professional profiles or portfolios, such as LinkedIn or other relevant career-focused websites.

Avoid including personal data that should remain confidential, such as your date of birth, government-issued identification numbers, and other non-essential personal information, including ethnicity, political affiliations or marital status. 

Build an impressive CV summary

A compelling structural engineer CV summary should showcase your unique engineering expertise. In 2-4 sentences, highlight your most relevant skills, accomplishments, and professional experiences that align perfectly with the role. 

Use dynamic language and action verbs to help convey your expertise. For example: "Successfully designed and delivered structural systems that exceeded client expectations and withstood extreme environmental conditions."

For more guidance, check out our related engineer CV example and civil engineer CV example, packed with expert tips and insights to help you stand out from the crowd, or browse our structural engineer CV examples below:

Highlight your work history: building a solid foundation

To craft an effective work history section, it's important to list relevant responsibilities and accomplishments in brief bullet points that highlight your value in each position. Remember to list your positions in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent.

Using action verbs such as "engineered," "designed," and "developed" can help you effectively demonstrate your capabilities and showcase your ability to achieve successful outcomes. 

Focus on detailing tangible achievements with supporting data and statistics where possible.

Consider the following examples: 

• "Managed structural projects for clients."
• "Conducted periodic assessments of structural systems."
• "Collaborated with engineering colleagues on design assignments.”

These examples can be rephrased to emphasise achievements:

• “Developed innovative structural solutions for high-rise construction projects, improving overall project efficiency by 45%.”
• “Identified and inspected 50+ existing structures, conducting detailed seismic evaluations that enhanced structural integrity ratings by 25%.”
• “Collaborated with architects and contractors to integrate sustainable design principles into structural plans, resulting in a 15% improvement in sustainability ratings.”

These revamped examples transform ordinary job duties into compelling statements that effectively spotlight your structural engineering achievements and skills. 

Highlight essential structural engineering skills

When outlining your skills, it's important to showcase your structural engineering expertise, software proficiencies, and any applicable soft skills.

For structural engineering positions, skills may include structural analysis, seismic design, and proficiency in software like ETABS and SAP2000. 

More skills include: 

Detail your skills and highlight how they've contributed to positive outcomes in prior positions. For example: 

Structural Rehabilitation: Demonstrate your ability to lead rehabilitation projects, including the number of rehabilitated structures and the percentage of structural improvement achieved. 

Risk Assessment: Illustrate your expertise in risk assessment by discussing examples where you identified and mitigated risks, leading to improved safety records or cost savings. 

Seismic Retrofitting: Highlight your experience in seismic retrofitting by showcasing the number of structures retrofitted under your supervision and any seismic performance improvements achieved.

By emphasising these critical skills with quantifiable results, you can effectively demonstrate your value as a skilled structural engineer in the industry.

Detail your education & relevant structural engineering certifications

In the education section of your structural engineer CV, provide a thorough overview of your academic background, highlighting relevant qualifications and certifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. 

This can include the following: 

Relevant Degrees: Include information about your Bachelor's degree in Structural Engineering or a related field, specifying the university or institution where you obtained your degree.

Certifications and memberships: Highlight any additional certifications related to structural engineering, such as your EUR ING or CEng titles.

Memberships: Detail relevant memberships with networks such as IStructE (The Institution of Structural Engineers) to help highlight your commitment to professional development.

Selecting an appropriate CV layout and design 

For structural engineer positions, we recommend choosing a simple or professional CV layout. These templates offer clean formatting, subtle colour palettes and conventional fonts. 

Our simple and professional templates also allow candidates to showcase their qualifications, experience, and technical expertise clearly and professionally, enhancing their chances of making a positive impression on potential employers.

Simplify your job search with a professional CV that effectively showcases your structural engineering skills and expertise. 

With our innovative online CV builder, building the perfect structural engineer CV has never been easier.