Career Advice - Creating a CV - ICErecruit

Creating a good CV won’t guarantee you a great civil engineering job – but you can’t get there without one. CV tips are readily available in books and websites – we have listed some of the best sources below – but it can be difficult to assimilate all this good advice. We have compiled the following common-sense guide to creating a CV, with civil engineering jobs specifically in mind.

• Be truthful: a certain amount of exaggeration is acceptable. Civil engineering recruiters understand that you want to show yourself in the best possible light. However, it can be embarrassing to get caught out at interview if you have told a straightforward fib. And you will get caught out. Civil engineering is a small world, and civil engineering recruiters can be subject specialists too. He or she might already have contacts at your current employer or know your key project
• Highlight your achievements: civil engineering is a goal-orientated career. Recruiters like to see what you have done, not just who you have worked for. Have a picklist of your top projects, and adapt your CV to suit the specific civil engineering job you are applying for.
• Make the most of your training and qualifications: civil engineering recruiters looking for evidence of a serious commitment to your chosen career, will appreciate cpd activity; membership of professional bodies like ICE; that summer job with a civil engineering consultancy your Mum made you take.
• Include lots of relevant keywords and phrases: when creating a CV, remember that most recruiters will find it by searching a database – either online (at a site like icerecruit.com) or on their own recruitment system.
• Keep it up-to-date: creating a CV is something people tend to do only when they are actively looking for a new job, but it is important to keep your CV current. Who knows when you might see the perfect civil engineering opportunity for you? Top CV tip: if you are really keen, keep your CV with you, on a data stick or a PDA: E-mail is the favourite tool of modern civil engineering recruiters. But try not to leave ‘My New CV.doc’ on your desktop when you go to lunch
• Get it written by a professional: if you don’t have time to create a perfect CV for yourself, there are lots of reputable companies who will do it for you. Prices range from £80 to £200.

Creating a CV: best of the rest

• Write a Winning CV: Essential CV Writing Skills That Will Get You the Job You Want: Julie-Ann Amos