Environmental Engineer Resume: Templates & Top Tips

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You’re ready to make the world a better place, but first you have to get hired. Environmental engineering is one of the most impactful green careers you can have, but the first step toward solving the world’s environmental problems isn’t research or reviewing data. It’s getting a job! 

Luckily, your friends at ResumeGiants are here to help! We’ll show you how to improve the health of your resume to land the job of your dreams — not unlike you’re going to do for the world soon! In this guide, we’ll go over all the resume-building essentials, including:

• How to write an effective resume for an environmental engineer.
• Writing an environmental resume summary or objective.
• Including relevant experience and education. 
• Adding environmental engineering skills.
• Tips, tricks, and advice to help you start your career as an environmental engineer.

If you’re itching to save the world and want to start your resume right this second, don’t let us keep you! Head over to ResumeGiants’ free online resume builder and put together your environmental engineer resume right away with plenty of templates to help you get started.

However, if you want to learn more about the exciting world of resume building, keep on reading. There are plenty of resume writing tips, tricks, and examples in the following sections to help you start your career as an environmental engineer.

Environmental Engineer Resume Sample

Before we dive into writing your resume, let’s take a look at what a good environmental engineer resume example might look like to give you some inspiration:

resume Example

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[George O. Greene]

[Environmental Engineer]

[35168 Rainforest Way, Hilo, HI | 808-555-6158 | g.o.greene@email.com]

Summary

Results-driven environmental engineer with 6+ years of experience writing detailed project field assessments and conducting thorough site inspections. Skilled at performing in-depth research, developing and implementing new waste programs, and advising with regards to current environmental regulations and laws.

Experience

BigTime Builders, Inc. | Hilo, HI

Environmental Engineer

2018 – 2022

• Performed regular project field assessments and site inspections to conduct reports and ensure proper regulations are followed.
• Monitored wastewater and waste air levels to maintain regulatory compliance with local laws.
• Developed in-depth SWPPP and SPCC plans to limit pollution coming from job sites.
• Reduced generated waste levels by 60% within four years.

Education

University of Hawaii Manoa | Honolulu, HI

Master’s in Environmental Engineering

2016 – 2018 

University of Hawaii Manoa | Honolulu, HI

Bachelor’s in Environmental Science

2012 – 2016 

Skills

• Science and mathematics
• Systems evaluation
• Quality control analysis
• Environmental compliance
• Project management

• Written and verbal communication
• Attention to detail
• Organization
• Complex problem solving
• Decision making
• Teamwork

Certifications

• Chartered Environmentalist – Institution of Civil Engineers
• Certified Environmental Systems Manager (CESM)

Awards

• E3S Competition nominee (2021)
• Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award recipient (2022)

Languages

• English (native)
• Spanish (proficient)

What’s the Best Environmental Engineer Resume Format?

Just like there’s no “best” way to save the rainforest, there’s no best format for your resume. It all depends on what showcases your skills and experience and what matches your personal style.

Although you’re welcome to choose whatever format you like, there are a few universal resume-formatting guidelines you should always try to follow:

• Put information in reverse-chronological order within sections.
• Include plenty of white space between sections for a clean layout.
• Limit your resume to one page (two if you absolutely can’t help it).
• Use bold headings above each section to make information easy to scan.
• Choose a professional font like Calibri, Cambria, or Arial.
• Set a readable font size around 13-15 for headings and 11-12 for body text.
• Save your resume as a PDF to prevent formatting issues.

Since your resume shouldn’t be a suspense movie, it’s always best to put the most important information at the top. That’ll catch the reader’s (hiring manager’s) attention right away and encourage them to keep reading.

How to Write an Environmental Engineer Resume Summary or Resume Objective

Since hiring managers will be reading through dozens of resumes (if not more), it’s important to get their attention early and make yourself stand out from the pack. How do you do this? With a resume summary or objective!

Your resume summary or objective is like your first impression, so it has to be good! What’s the difference between an environmental engineer resume summary and a resume objective?

• Resume summary – A brief description of your professional experience.
• Resume objective – A short explanation of your career goals.

Each should be about two or three sentences and contain plenty of specific details to set you apart from the competition.

Environmental Engineer Resume Summary Example

A resume summary is a quick rundown of your previous professional experience in about two or three sentences with a couple key skills thrown in. To give you an idea of what to strive for, here’s a good environmental engineer resume summary example:

What makes this resume summary so great is the detail. They don’t just perform site visits; they write project field assessments and develop waste programs. The specifics are what will set this applicant apart and make them look good to potential employers.

Environmental Engineer Resume Objective Example

If you don’t have a professional history to summarize, a resume objective might be for you! A resume objective is simply a brief description of your overall career goals with a few of your most impressive skills thrown in.Here’s an example of what a good entry-level environmental engineer resume objective might look like:

This applicant might not have professional experience exactly, but they were specific about their career goals and the skills they bring to the table, which will look good on any hiring manager’s desk!

How to Describe Your Environmental Engineer Experience on Your Resume

Anyone can say they have the skills to be an environmental engineer, but hiring managers want you to prove you can put those skills to use in real-world applications. That’s what your resume’s experience section is for. 

The experience section is arguably the most important section on your resume. It tells hiring managers that you do indeed have the ability to be a professional environmental engineer because you’ve done it before!

For an effective environmental engineer resume experience section, you need to address three key pieces of information:

• Work history
• Key accomplishments
• Responsibilities

And since you want your resume to be nice and concise (remember, keep it to one page), limit your experience section to the most impressive and relevant 3-7 examples.

Here are just a few tips to help you make the most of your resume’s experience section:

• Use concrete numbers and statistics.
• Personalize your work experience to fit the job you’re applying to.
• Keep all information concise and to the point.
• Include keywords from the job description.

Generally, the more specific details you can add, the better! Just make sure you don’t ramble. There’s nothing that drives hiring managers crazy more than resumes that go on and on. Provide the key information and move on.

Environmental Engineer Resume Examples: Experience

Now that you know what goes into a great environmental engineer resume experience section, let’s take a look at an example:

What makes this experience section so powerful is the specific details. Many applicants might have reduced generated waste levels, but this applicant reduced them by 60%. That concrete number is enough to raise a hiring manager’s eyebrow and make them consider this applicant more seriously than others who might not have been so specific.

How to Write the Education Section for an Environmental Engineer

It takes a lot of knowledge to be an environmental engineer, and hiring managers want to know you’ve learned what you need to know to get the job done. That’s where your education section comes in.

Unlike your experience section, your environmental engineer resume education section doesn’t have to be long and detailed. Hiring managers really just want to know three things:

• Where you went to school
• Dates of attendance
• Earned degree(s)

As long as you cover those three pieces of information, your education section will be ready for the hiring manager’s desk!

Environmental Engineer Resume Education Section

If you’re not sure how to format your environmental engineer resume education section, here’s a quick example to give you an idea:

University of Hawaii Manoa | Honolulu, HI

Masters in Environmental Engineering

2016 – 2018 

University of Hawaii Manoa | Honolulu, HI

Bachelor’s in Environmental Science

2012 – 2016

Although it looks a bit basic, this is really all you need for your resume’s education section. You can also add your GPA or any academic achievements you’ve earned, but only include them if they’re impressive!

The Best Environmental Engineer Skills for a Resume

You want hiring managers to easily find your skills on a resume, so why not give them a section of their own!? Resume skills are divided into two categories:

• Hard skills – Concrete, measurable skills.
• Soft skills – Universal, harder-to-define skills.

Think of hard skills like things you can get a degree or certification in, like systems evaluations and environmental compliance. Soft skills are more like personality traits, like communication or attention to detail.

These are just a few of the hard and soft skills that look great on an environmental engineer resume:

How to Add Other Sections for an Effective Resume

You likely still have more you want to say about yourself. After all, you’re amazing! If there’s information you think hiring managers should know that doesn’t fit into the other sections on your resume, you can throw in a few other sections.

Other sections, also known as “extra” sections, are simply additional sections on your resume dedicated to the information that won’t fit anywhere else. Think about things like certifications, awards, or publications. 

You can add as many other sections as you like, but make sure they’re relevant to the position you’re applying to. 

Environmental Engineer Resume Sample Extra Sections

Not sure what kind of other sections to add to your resume? Here are a few examples of what sections look good on an environmental engineer resume:

Certifications

• Chartered Environmentalist – Institution of Civil Engineers
• Certified Environmental Systems Manager (CESM)

Awards

• E3S Competition nominee (2021)
• Simon W. Freese Environmental Engineering Award recipient (2022)

Languages

• English (native)
• Spanish (proficient)

Key Takeaway

Now that you know how to write a great environmental engineer resume, you’re ready to go out and save the world! As you’re compiling your resume, be sure to keep these tips in mind:

• Personalize your resume to fit the job description.
• Use specific details about your background and experience.
• Match your skills and experience to the position you’re applying to.
• Include plenty of concrete numbers and statistics.
• Choose a clean and easy-to-read layout.
• Use a professional font and format.
• Save your resume as a PDF.

If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get started, check out some of the professional resume templates at ResumeGiants.com. Find the template you like best, update the information, download the completed file, and you’ll be helping clean the world as an environmental engineer in no time!