Insights How to optimize your resume for leading structural engineering jobs
The structural engineering market is experiencing rapid changes, with Net Zero goals, advanced technology, and environmentally conscious building practices becoming the new bread and butter of the industry.
These changing tides place demands on professionals to stay relevant through upskilling, certifications, and an awareness of industry trends.
Knowing how to effectively represent your capabilities will play a vital role in securing your ideal job—a process that largely depends on the quality of your structural engineering resume.
Creating an optimized structural engineering resume
Perhaps you’re an experienced professional who’s written more than a few resumes in your lifetime. If that’s you, you may still be surprised to read about the less obvious factors a potential employer could hone in on when looking at your resume for the first time.
Regardless of your experience level, we’ll take you through the most important points to include on your structural engineering resume—including how best to leverage your chances of getting through to the interview stage.
Here’s what you need to know:
How do you write a structural engineer resume?
Begin with an elevator pitch; a short personal statement that emphasizes the most important things you want your potential employer to know about who you are.
From there, you’ll want to highlight your relevant qualifications, experience, and certifications. Listing your certifications in a uniform, structured way is desirable, for example:
- Name and job title
- Employer or institution
- Dates of employment
- Relevant details and skills demonstrated
Catch your potential employer’s attention by tailoring each section to the job you’re applying for. How? Simply by using the words of the job listing throughout your resume.
What is a good objective for a structural engineer resume?
Your objective is a short statement that illustrates your goals in relation to the job you’re applying for, as well as why you’re the best candidate for the role.
As such, there’s no “best” objective for a structural engineering resume; it’s unique and relative to the person who’s applying, the position they’re applying for, and the company they’re applying to.
There are, however, some helpful rules of thumb to put you on the right path:
Honing in on your technical knowledge and structural engineering skills, qualifications, and relevant certificates is a good place to begin.
Highlighting your professional accolades and strengths is often effective, too; think along the lines of your ability to work in a team, self-motivation, analytical capacities, design software literacy, and years of experience.
How long should a senior engineer’s resume be?
If you’re experienced in the field and seeking to develop your structural engineering career path, you may find yourself looking toward senior engineering jobs.
A senior engineer’s resume should reflect the years of industry experience they have under their belt.
Rather than be overly prescriptive about how long it should be, it may be more useful to think in terms of the amount of experience you should have when applying for a senior engineering role—and representing that accordingly.
Employers typically look for a minimum of five years of industry experience, a bachelor’s degree, experience supervising teams, and an ability to optimize workflows.
What is the profile summary for a senior civil engineer?
Much like the structural engineering resume objectives discussed already, the profile summary for a senior civil engineer should place the most important elements of your professional experience front and center.
This is an ideal place to list your years of experience, most impressive professional achievements, and areas of expertise.
How far back should a resume go?
Most resume-building experts tend to agree that 10-15 years of experience is the ideal amount to list on your resume.
With that in mind, there’s a lot to be said for tailoring your structural engineering resume to the job you’re applying for; if you have experience beyond 15 years that you think is extremely relevant, it’s worth including.
Start showing off your structural engineer resume
At AtkinsRéalis, we pride ourselves on being the ultimate destination for skilled structural engineers across the USA who are eager to carve out their professional path and find their perfect fit.
With an array of structural engineering positions available, ranging from entry-level roles to senior positions, we provide a diverse range of opportunities for engineers at every stage of their career journey.
Explore the structural engineering jobs available and start submitting your optimized resume today.
Interested? Find out more about life at AtkinsRéalis
Sign up to receive the latest content tailored to your interests
Our articles
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/15/2024
Summary
The challenge of global climate change is non-refutable. At AtkinsRéalis, we are enhancing and expanding our Power Transmission & Distribution Capability at the Global Technology Centre (GTC)
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/14/2024
Summary
In the spirit of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, we're shining a light on the profound connection between movement and mental health. The theme, which emphasizes the positive impact of phys
Preview
CanadaContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/14/2024
Summary
Hi, I'm Ryan Versteeg-Biln, Director of Asset Management, Operations & Maintenance at AtkinsRéalis in Vancouver, Canada. In my role, I draw on my own 13 years of experience in operations and m
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/08/2024
Summary
Hello, I'm Sweta, a Senior Landscape Architect based in Bengaluru, India, and I'm excited to share my journey with AtkinsRéalis. From the moment I joined, I embraced challenges head-on, quickl
Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/06/2024
Summary
In today's fast-paced, globalized world, the opportunity for graduates to gain hands-on international experience is invaluable. The Graduate Exchange Program at AtkinsRéalis stands as a testa
Preview
USAContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/03/2024
Summary
Robotics, electrification, alternative power sources; not long ago, these phrases would have been little other than the stuff of a good futuristic plotline. Today, they are the forces that are d
Preview
CanadaContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/01/2024
Summary
Exploring the behind-the-scenes of professional journeys within a company can offer a fascinating perspective on challenges, successes, and lessons learned. In this article, we had the privile
Preview
USAContent type
BlogsPublish date
05/01/2024
Summary
Our career markets Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur. Diam bibendum erat sagittis nullam nec non. Sagittis tortor quam ultrices neque dignissim adipiscing faucibus. Nunc tortor fa
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/30/2024
Summary
In an ambitious and far-reaching declaration, Saudi Arabia has proudly announced 2024 as the 'Year of the Camel', a tribute to these timeless creatures that embody the heart of Arabian heritage
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/29/2024
Summary
As a hub of diversity and multiculturalism, the UAE boasts a thriving economy with rapidly growing infrastructure. Steering away from a reliance on oil and toward cutting-edge innovation, the UAE is
Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/29/2024
Summary
Meet Tom from our D&AT (Design & Advanced Technology) team. He's an associate at AtkinsRéalis who has built an exciting career on diverse and career-defining projects, including work on the Lo
by
Shailaja Mantha
Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
04/26/2024
Summary
By implementing reforms in the public sector and wider society, the KSA’s Vision 2030 has greatly improved government efficiency, bringing about new growth and investment opportunities. What is Visio
AtkinsRéalis
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We’re devoted to growing the diversity of our people, promoting an inclusive culture, providing everyone with an equal voice because simply put, it’s the right thing to do. Click to learn more.
Find out more