Structural Engineer Resume Example: ATS-Friendly Guide and Template

What a Strong Structural Engineer Resume Should Show

Structural hiring managers look first at the building types and materials you have designed, because a steel-framed warehouse, a post-tensioned concrete tower, and a wood-framed multifamily project call for different expertise. Next they check which codes you design to, such as ASCE 7, ACI 318, AISC 360, and the NDS in the US or the Eurocodes elsewhere, and which analysis software you model in. Your resume should make clear how much of the design you own: gravity and lateral systems, connection design, foundation design, calculation packages, and checking drawings before issue. Include construction-phase support such as shop drawing review and site visits, and state your licensure honestly, whether you are an EIT working toward a PE, hold a PE, or hold an SE.

Structural Engineer Resume Summary Examples

Keep the summary to a few lines that name your materials, building types, and credential status:

• Entry-level EIT: Structural EIT with an MS in structural engineering and two years designing steel and wood-framed commercial buildings. Builds analysis models in RISA-3D and ETABS, prepares calculation packages for review, and marks up drawings for Revit production.
• Licensed design engineer: Professional Engineer with eight years designing concrete and steel structures for healthcare, education, and mixed-use projects, including lateral systems in high seismic regions. Leads design from schematic through construction administration and coordinates closely with architects and MEP teams.
• Senior or SE-track engineer: Structural engineer licensed as an SE, specializing in post-tensioned concrete and complex transfer structures, who reviews junior engineers’ work, sets office design standards, and presents structural options to owners and design teams.

Sample Structural Engineer Resume

This sample is for a licensed structural engineer applying to a project engineer role in a buildings practice. Firms are described instead of named, figures are illustrative, and the license lines are placeholders. Claim only the codes, software, and licenses you have genuinely worked with or hold.

Structural Engineer Skills to Include

Structural reviewers look for materials, codes, and software paired with real design work. Build your skills list around them and back each with a bullet:

Structural Engineer Achievement Bullets

The best structural bullets pair a material and system with the problem the design solved. Use these as a starting point:

• Evaluated an existing tilt-up warehouse for new rooftop solar and designed joist reinforcement that avoided replacing the roof deck.
• Designed a seismic retrofit for a 1960s concrete office building using new shear walls and collectors, following an ASCE 41 evaluation.
• Value-engineered a composite floor system from long-span steel beams to a shallower section, lowering floor-to-floor height while meeting vibration criteria.
• Wrote an internal spreadsheet for steel base plate and anchor rod design that became the office’s standard checking tool.
• Resolved clashes between ductwork and transfer girders in a coordinated Revit model before construction documents were issued.
• Led peer review of a precast parking structure’s connection design and flagged a load path gap the delegated designer then corrected.
• Trained three new graduates on ETABS modeling standards and on building a calculation package that plan reviewers can follow.

ATS Keywords for Structural Engineer Resumes

Use the terms the posting uses, as long as they are accurate for you. Typical keywords include structural engineering, structural analysis, structural design, load calculations, lateral design, seismic design, reinforced concrete, structural steel, timber or wood design, foundations, ASCE 7, ACI 318, AISC, Eurocodes, ETABS, SAFE, SAP2000, RISA, Revit, structural drawings, design review, shop drawing review, and PE or SE licensure. Write codes and software exactly as they are usually spelled, and spell out uncommon abbreviations once.

Common Structural Engineer Resume Mistakes

Structural resumes tend to fall short in a few predictable ways:

• Listing every analysis program you have opened instead of the ones you have built full design models in.
• Naming codes without the materials or systems you applied them to.
• Failing to separate your own design responsibility from work you only drafted or checked.
• Leaving out building type, height, or seismic and wind context, which tells reviewers how complex your work has been.
• Overlooking existing-building, retrofit, or forensic work, which many firms actively recruit for.

Structural Engineer Resume FAQs

Questions structural engineers most often ask when preparing a resume:

Should I mention the SE exam if I have not passed it yet?

You can note that you are preparing for or have passed part of the Structural Engineering (SE) exam, stated accurately. Never write SE after your name or in your title until you are licensed as a Structural Engineer in a state that grants it.

Which design codes should a structural engineer list?

List the codes you have designed to on real projects, such as ASCE 7, ACI 318, AISC 360 and 341, the NDS, and the IBC in the US, or the relevant Eurocodes and national annexes elsewhere. Match the posting’s spelling so both people and ATS software recognise them.

How do UK or international structural engineers show chartership?

Give the credential and body in full, such as Chartered Engineer (CEng) with the Institution of Structural Engineers or the Institution of Civil Engineers, and include your membership grade. If you are working toward it, say so and name your training scheme rather than using post-nominals early.

Should a structural engineer include a project list?

Yes, for most engineers beyond entry level. A short list with building type, size, structural system, materials, and your role lets reviewers judge fit quickly. Keep it to the most relevant projects for the posting.

Is structural software more important than design experience?

No. Software gets you past keyword screening, but hiring managers care more about whether you understand load paths and can check a model’s results. Pair every tool you list with a system you designed and verified.

Olyres Optimization Tip

Structural postings are often precise about materials, codes, and software. Compare your resume with the posting in Olyres to find which of those it expects that you have not shown, then add the evidence to your bullets for the systems you have actually designed rather than extending a generic software list.