Forensic Engineer Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Forensic Engineer resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Forensic engineers are highly skilled professionals who use their expertise in engineering to help lawyers, insurance companies, and other parties in legal disputes. They’re also called upon to investigate accidents, product defects, and other situations where it’s necessary to determine the cause or point of origin of an incident.
If you’re looking to break into this field or take your career in a new direction, you’ll need an impressive resume that showcases your hard work and experience. Here are some tips and an example resume to help you write yours.
How to Write a Forensic Engineer Resume
Here’s how to write a resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters will see. And they have to be compelling enough to make them want to read the rest of your resume.
So rather than just listing your responsibilities, you can use bullet points to describe the results of your work. For example, rather than saying you “analyzed data to identify structural defects,” you could say you “analyzed data to identify structural defects in over 200 buildings, resulting in $2 million in cost savings for client.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and compelling, which makes it much easier to read. And it also provides a clear number to demonstrate the scale of your work.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a job as a forensic engineer, your resume is usually scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
The best way to make sure your resume makes it past the ATS and into the hands of a recruiter is to include relevant keywords throughout all sections of your resume. You can use the list below as a starting point, but be sure to add, remove, and rearrange words as needed to describe your experience.
- Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- AutoCAD
- Construction
- Project Engineering
- Contractors
- Asphalt
- Geotechnical
- Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
- Site Surveys
- Subcontracting
- Construction Management
- Project Estimation
- Electrical Wiring
- Contract Management
- Project Planning
- Negotiation
- Concrete
- Microsoft Access
- Commissioning
- Procurement
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP)
- Project Management
- Renovation
- Construction Safety
- Submittals
- Energy Efficiency
- Building Information Modeling (BIM)
- Commissioning & Start-Up
- Civil Engineering Research
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a forensic engineer, you rely on technology to help you gather and analyze evidence from accidents and crimes. That’s why it’s essential to list your technical skills prominently on your resume. By doing so, you’ll show that you’re a valuable candidate who is familiar with the essential tools and systems used in your field.
Recruiters are looking for forensic engineers who are proficient in specific programs and systems, such as 3D CAD software, Matlab, and Forensics Evidence Collection. They also want to see that you have experience with specific methodologies, such as the Scientific Method. So be sure to list all of your relevant technical skills prominently on your resume.