Where to Skills Go on a Resume for Civil Engineering Student

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), engineering positions will increase 4% on average from 2019 to 2029. In other words, more than 140,000 job openings in the following decade.

Very tempting, especially considering that the average salary for an engineer is around $91,400.

That said, we crafted a guide to help you create the best engineering resume and improve your score for job recruiters.

Let's dive in!

What's the Best Format for an Engineer Student Resume Examples?

First off: the format. This is the first impression recruiters will have, the first glimpse through your attention to detail.

It's not a secret that this industry requires the highest technical skills and that candidates must have a myriad of organizational and numerical talents.

The engineer student resume must be clear and professional. The chronological and combination formats are the most suitable in this case. Check out our resume templates and pick the one that fits you best.

On the one hand, the chronological will let you detail your development in-depth, demonstrating you have the abilities and knowledge to take the job. On the other hand, the combination will let you point out your most relevant background and highlight your best skills for engineering.

That you don't have professional experience?

At this point, just by being a college student, you have plenty of experience and expertise in maths, physics, chemistry, and other subjects to showcase. So, both formats are an excellent bet.

As to formatting, remember these tips to write an excellent document:

• Try small –but readable– fonts
• Reduce as much space as possible
• Be succinct. If you can tailor a one-page resume, do it
• Use bullet points to organize your text

Check other tips on how to craft resume summaries and catch your reader with your first words.

Moving on.

What to Include in an Engineer Student Resume

The engineering student resume follows the classic structure, which includes the following elements:

• Summary (or professional objective)
• Work experience (if applicable)
• Education
• Skills

You could add other fields, such as achievements or references. However, you can highlight both throughout your education and work experience to get a beautiful, minimalist layout.

And if you have little or no experience in the professional field, the functional resume is your best alternative. Since this model prioritizes skills rather than experience, you can focus on the talents, capabilities, and potential you can provide to the company you apply for.

And now that you know what resume formats are the best, let's break each section down, beginning with the…

Summary

The summary is on the top or left side of the page and answers five questions in one paragraph: who you are, where you have worked, when, and why you're an excellent candidate for the job opening.

This is your first –and unique– opportunity to engage recruiters so they keep reading your resume. Generally, it has  four or five sentences explaining who you are, why you're an excellent candidate, where you have worked, and what accomplishments you have in your record.

Before we continue, bear in mind that the following examples are suitable for:

• Civil engineer
• Electrical engineer
• Mechanical engineer
• Industrial engineer
• Manufacturing engineer
• Chemical engineer
• Biomedical engineer
• Marine engineer
• Software engineer
• Environmental engineer

That being said…

Examples

CORRECT

Experienced civil engineering student at California Institute of Technology. Specialized in AutoCAD and Software 2000. Passionate researcher with strong knowledge of structural analysis and testing. Best grades in the faculty in 2020. Eager to join the entry-level team of Berlin Industries to help optimize inspection procedures.

Let's imagine this is your summary. In four sentences, you've highlighted your institution and technical knowledge, added an accomplishment and explained what position you're applying for.

Great job!

Now, let's see what example you shouldn't emulate:

INCORRECT

I am a civil engineer aspirant ready to join Shell as soon as possible. I have months of experience working for various companies and I'm an excellent candidate thanks to my numerical and data-driven skills.

So, what's wrong with this one?

Simple: it's informal and ambiguous. Recruiters need to know where you study, who you have worked for, what you specialize in, and how much experience you have (in clear numbers). And in engineering, you must be as careful with details as possible.

On the other hand, numerical and data-driven are expected skills. It's already understood that, as an engineering student, your numerical reasoning must be incredible.

Objective

If you don't have much relevant experience or many achievements to highlight, stick to your goals.

The professional objective will allow you to showcase your motivation, capacities, background, and soft skills.

How? Just like this:

CORRECT

Biomedical engineering student with one year to graduate. Assisted the Office of Undergraduate Research at Purdue University to carry out four investigations, including research on secondary effects of the vaccine for Influenza. Eager to join Pfizer and help streamline the development of new medicaments.

Education

The education segment must as brief as possible. In this part, name your college, highlight more academic achievements (if possible), and showcase the courses you enrolled in. Three or four sentences per institution should be enough to describe your academic background.

At this point, you don't have to highlight your primary and secondary school. Only point out the most relevant information.

Include your degree, the university where you studied –or still study– and courses. And If you've worked as a volunteer, assistant, or just have high grades, use that in your favor.

Education Example

Bachelor's Degree Civil Engineering

University of Louisiana

Sixth Year (Currently Studying)

AutoCAD Advanced Course

University of Louisiana

Completed

What Skills to Add in an Engineer Student Resume

To add your skill set and make it shine, you have to use a functional resume or a combination resume.

In this part, you must include both hard and soft skills to stand out from most applicants out there.

Let's take a closer look.

Hard Skills for Engineering Resume

These abilities consist of every technical, academic, or specialized knowledge, whether mandatory or desirable for the position you apply for.

As to hard skills, you can highlight all the software you manage, machinery or equipment you know to handle, and second languages, among other technical areas.

Now, some of the most in-demand skills for engineers, even at entry-levels, are:

• Mechanical skills
• Prototyping
• Structural analysis
• Data Analysis
• Manufactural processes
• City planning
• IT skills
• Testing

As to digital skills and the best software to include in your resume:

• Cad
• Mathcad
• MATLAB
• Software 2000
• System design and analysis
• Infrastructural design
• Linux
• Python
• HTML
• Angular
• Excel

Soft Skills for Engineering Resume

Believe it or not, engineers need plenty of soft skills to work at their best. Just think about it: besides being an expert mathematician, you have to communicate clearly and efficiently, dispose of strong leadership, know how to team up with your partner, and much more.

As a result, recruiters will consider your interpersonal skills as well, especially if you apply for entry-level positions.

Some of the best soft skills for your engineer student resume include, but not limited to:

• Active listening
• Leadership
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Written skills
• Public speaking
• Empathy
• Openness
• Respectfulness
• Flexibility
• Humility

The job hunt is demanding, especially when it comes to engineering students resume. But, having an outstanding resume at your disposal and how to use it on your behalf, you're going to become one of the most desirable student candidates.

The next step is to take the template you like the most, follow the format, and use our tips as your guide. In a few minutes, you will have crafted an excellent resume to streamline your job search and start scaling your career.

Where to Skills Go on a Resume for Civil Engineering Student

Source: https://resume-example.com/best-engineering-resume/

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