What the employer wants:

• An enthusiastic engineering graduate

Evidence I have it

• Civil Engineering graduate (Oct. 2016)
• Consistently ranked in top 10 percentile
• Vice-President, Education, Engineering Society
• Vice-President, Communications, Engineering Student Societies’ Council of Ontario

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• Basic training in building science engineering (building science, structural and mechanical engineering, or architecture)

Evidence I have it

• Civil Engineering degree/training
• Fabrication team, steel bridge design team
• 18-months of engineering work experience

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• Some practical field experience in construction

Evidence I have it

• 8-months+ practical field experience in construction

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• Innovative thinking, teamwork, engineering problem-solving and great communication skills

Evidence I have it

• ABC Building Science Inc. – verbal communication
• EFG Building Systems — created chosen conceptual design
• VP Education, Engineering Society
• VP, Communications, Engineering Student Societies’ Council of Ontario

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• A strong interest in the field of building science

Evidence I have it

• Fabrication team, steel bridge design team
• 16-months of work experience
• Civil Engineering degree

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• Experience with field quality assurance that conforms to ASTM standards, including water testing of windows

Evidence I have it

• Water testing experience (ABC Building Science Inc.)
• Field QA experience — conducted inspections at condominium site (EFG Building Systems Inc.)

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

• Ability to assess water ingress and other building performance related problems

What the employer wants:

• Experience with building enclosure investigation, field review and design

Evidence I have it

• Conducted building enclosure reviews (ABC Building Science Inc.)
• Conceptual design experience (EFG Building Systems Inc.)
• Prepared design drawings (HJI Engineering Inc.)

Bullet point:

What the employer wants:

An employee who is/has...

• Experience using various software programs to assess construction material performance characteristics

Evidence I have it:

• Experience with R-value and VBA (ABC Building Science Inc.)

Bullet point:

Good Résumé:

Andy chose to order the sections of his résumé as follows:

• “Summary of Qualifications”
• “Education”
• “Professional Work Experience”
• “Extracurricular Activities”
• “Interests”

Great Résumé:

Andy chose to rename his “Extracurricular Activities” section to “Other Professional Experience” and to order the sections of his résumé as follows:

• “Summary of Qualifications”
• “Professional Work Experience”
• “Other Professional Experience”
• “Education”
• “Interests”

Rationale

Andy chose to change the name of his “Extracurricular Activities” section to “Other Professional Experience” because he thought it would be a more impactful heading. The new heading is more effective in drawing the attention of the reader to the importance of the content within the section.

All three experiences within the section are significant and showcase how Andy developed and demonstrated key skills and personal attributes related to the job he is applying to at ABC Building Science Inc.

Andy has also chosen to move his “Education” section to the second page of his résumé but to add his field of study to his “Summary of Qualifications”.

Andy’s work experience, including the experience he has working at the same company he is applying to (ABC Building Science Inc.) is more relevant to the job than his education is.

Good Résumé:

Andy chose to include five points within his “Summary of Qualifications” section.

Great Résumé:

Andy added a sixth point to his “Summary of Qualifications” that reads as follows:

• Upcoming Civil Engineering graduate with 18 month’s work experience
• Andy included this point at the beginning of his “Summary of Qualifications” section.

Rationale

By choosing to add this point to the beginning of his “Summary of Qualifications” section Andy has allowed the reader to be able to quickly identify and assess a key qualification that Andy possesses in relation to the job he is applying to — work experience in the field of Civil Engineering.

Good Résumé:

Andy wrote the first point of his “Summary of Qualifications” as follows:

• Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD, Excel and SketchUp

Great Résumé:

Andy chose to word the following point (now the second point of his “Summary of Qualifications” section) as follows:

• Advanced proficiency in AutoCAD, Excel and SketchUp; ability to confidently create drawings and models from scratch

Rationale

By adding that his AutoCAD, Excel and SketchUp proficiency includes the ability to “confidently create drawings and models from scratch”, Andy provides specific evidence of his abilities in using these technical tools.

Good Résumé:

Andy wrote the third point of his “Summary of Qualifications” as follows:

• Site inspection and machine shop experience

Great Résumé:

Andy chose to add to the third point of his “Summary of Qualifications”, it now reads as follows:

• Site inspection and machine shop experience, from UW Steel Bridge Team Involvement

Rationale

By adding that his site inspection and machine shop experience came from involvement with the Steel Bridge Team, Andy provides clear evidence of how and when these specific skills were developed.

By listing this point in his “Summary of Qualifications” Andy has allowed for the employer to be able to quickly locate further evidence of these skills on his résumé.

Good Résumé:

Andy did not include an expected graduation date with his degree in his “Education” section

Great Résumé:

Andy added his expected graduation date (Oct. 2016) to his degree in his “Education” section

Rationale

By choosing to add his expected graduation date, Andy clearly indicates to a potential employer when he is available to start working full-time.

Good Résumé:

• ABC Building Science Inc.
  • Created an R-value calculator for wood-frame wall assemblies
• EFG Building Systems Inc.
  • Created conceptual design for the exterior retrofit of the company showroom
• HJI Engineering Inc.
  • Prepared drawings for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT proposal utilizing MicroStation

Great Résumé:

Andy added indicators of his achievements to three of his work experiences:

• ABC Building Science Inc.
  • Independently created an R-value calculator for wood-frame wall assemblies
• EFG Building Systems Inc.
  • Created chosen conceptual design for the exterior retrofit of the company showroom
• HJI Engineering Inc.
  • Prepared drawings for the successful $20-milllion Eglinton Crosstown LRT proposal utilizing MicroStation

Rationale

By adding indicators of his achievements to his résumé, Andy has allowed for the reader to gain a deeper understanding of his accomplishments in these experiences.

For example, by adding that the drawings he prepared were used in a successful multi-million dollar proposal, Andy has clearly indicated how he contributed to a large scale project at HJI Engineering Inc. It also adds credibility to his drawing abilities in MicroStation.