This example is for site engineers, structural designers, contract engineers, cost estimators and civil engineering graduates looking for their first job on site or at a design office.
We show you how to describe your projects, building licences and software so the recruiter can judge your experience straight away.
Civil engineer with 7 years of experience with a general contractor building residential and office buildings. I hold an unrestricted building licence to manage structural and building works. I coordinate subcontractors, run inspections and works valuations, and work with drawings in AutoCAD and Revit.
Work experience
Site engineer
05.2021 - present
General contractor for buildings, Gdansk
A housing estate: 3 buildings, 186 flats, contract value about PLN 90 million.
Coordinating 14 subcontractors, checking the quality and timing of structural and finishing works.
Preparing quantity take-offs, inspection reports and monthly valuations with the client.
Reviewing design drawings, reporting clashes and proposing alternative solutions.
Making site diary entries for the works in my scope.
Assistant site engineer
07.2018 – 04.2021
Construction company, industrial buildings, Gdynia
Supervising reinforced concrete works and steel frame erection for a warehouse.
Ordering materials and checking concrete and steel deliveries.
Measuring works and preparing as-built documentation.
Education
Master of Engineering, civil engineering, building structures
2013 – 2018
Gdansk University of Technology
Skills
AutoCAD, Revit (BIM basics)
Cost estimating: Norma PRO
MS Project, works schedules
Inspections and works valuations
Reading structural drawings
Coordinating subcontractors
Licences and membership
Unrestricted building licence to manage structural and building works
Member of the Polish Chamber of Civil Engineers
Health and safety training for managers
Languages
English: B2 (technical documentation)
Additional information
Category B driving licence
I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).
How to write a civil engineer CV
Professional summary
Say whether you work on site, at a design office, in client-side supervision or in tendering, which types of buildings you know (housing, warehouses, infrastructure, roads) and which licences you hold. A construction recruiter checks these three things first.
Civil engineer with 3 years of experience designing reinforced concrete structures for residential buildings. I carry out structural calculations, construction drawings and steel schedules. I am preparing for the design licence exam.
Experience: duties and achievements
Describe each role through specific projects: type of building, scale, contract value or floor area, and your area of responsibility. Instead of a general "supervising works", say which works and with how many subcontractors.
Weaker: Supervising building works.
Better: Supervising reinforced concrete works for a 12,000 m² warehouse, coordinating 6 crews.
Weaker: Site valuations.
Better: Monthly valuations with the client and subcontractors on a contract worth about PLN 90 million.
Weaker: Working with drawings.
Better: Found a clash between services and the structure before works started, which avoided rework.
Skills worth listing
Separate software from professional skills. For software, say what you use it for, for example AutoCAD for construction drawings or Revit for model coordination.
Professional skills
Reading and checking design documentation
Measurement, cost estimates and works valuations
Works scheduling
AutoCAD, Revit, structural analysis software
Building law and inspection procedures
Quality control and site health and safety
Personal skills
Coordinating many crews and subcontractors
Making decisions under deadline pressure
Negotiating with suppliers and the client
Accuracy in documentation
Clear communication on site and in the office
Building licences on a CV
In this profession, licences are one of the most important points on a CV. Give the exact scope from the decision: type (design, managing works or both), specialism and whether it is unrestricted. If you are still doing your professional practice or are before the exam, say so honestly, because employers often help candidates get their licence.
Civil engineering graduate CV
After graduation, describe placements, internships and summer jobs on site, even short ones. Add your thesis topic and course projects where you designed or calculated something on your own.
List the software you really know and say that you want to gain practice towards a licence. For many companies this is a good argument, because they look for people for the long term.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
A general contractor looks for site experience and coordination skills, a design office for structural software, and a client for people with supervision and cost control experience. Order your projects so buildings like those in the job ad come first.
A project list on an engineer's CV
With a few years of experience, a separate short list of your main projects works well. For each, give the type of building, location (the city is enough), year, scale and your role. If your contract does not allow you to name clients, describe the building in general terms, for example a class A office building, 8 storeys.
The most common mistakes on a civil engineer CV
Licences described vaguely, without specialism or scope.
No project scale: floor area, contract value, number of storeys.
A long list of software with no information about what you use it for.
Duties instead of results, for example deadlines or savings.
Giving clients' confidential data that may not be disclosed.
Questions and answers
How do you put building licences on a CV?
In a separate section: type of licence, specialism, scope (restricted or unrestricted) and membership of the chamber of engineers. You can give the decision number at the interview; it does not need to be on the CV.
What should an engineer with no experience put on a CV?
Placements and internships, summer jobs on site, your thesis, course projects and the software you know. Also say that you want to gain professional practice towards a licence.
Does this example suit other engineering specialisms?
The layout does. A mechanical, electrical or production engineer will use the same sections but with different tools and projects. See also the examples for site manager, land surveyor and automation engineer.
How many pages should a civil engineer CV have?
Two pages with a few years of experience is a good standard. If you have many projects, choose the most important ones and those similar to the job ad.
Create a civil engineer CV in the builder
In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.