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Civil engineering designer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Pooja Preetha Ph.D.,

Pooja Preetha Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical civil engineering designer skills. We ranked the top skills for civil engineering designers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 21.3% of civil engineering designer resumes contained civil 3d as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a civil engineering designer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 civil engineering designer skills for your resume and career

1. Civil 3D

Civil 3D is computer software that allows architects and engineers to plan and design structural engineering projects. An architectural design crafted through civil 3D software is also supported by Computer-Aided Designs (CAD) and Building Information Modelling (BIM). The software makes it easy for architects and engineers to correct any potential flaws and make changes in the structural design of a building quickly and efficiently.

Here's how civil engineering designers use civil 3d:

Helped develop companywide CAD standards for AutoCAD Civil 3D design software for implementation on civil engineering projects.
Utilized (In Office): Autodesk Civil 3D 2011, Windows 7, and MS Office Suite 2010.

2. Site Design

Here's how civil engineering designers use site design:

Created preliminary site design and write-up for construction cost estimates.
Performed civil engineering duties, specializing in site design, land development and permitting.

3. Erosion Control

Erosion control refers to preventing the movement of sediments from a construction site, and builders control erosion by building retaining structures, planting grass, and many more.

Here's how civil engineering designers use erosion control:

Performed Erosion Control inspections on awarded projects.
Included site construction details, erosion control calculations, storm drainage calculations, sewer and water profiles and planting schedules.

4. Project Management

Here's how civil engineering designers use project management:

Performed design, project management and construction inspection services on various commercial and residential development projects.
Participated in project management classes and training.

5. Cost Estimates

Here's how civil engineering designers use cost estimates:

Evaluated public utility cost estimates for developers and municipalities while also revising the Village of Bradley design standards and standard details.
Prepared and organized detailed engineering cost estimates and technical proposals for slope protection bidding projects.

6. DOT

Here's how civil engineering designers use dot:

Assisted engineers in the planning, design, engineering, civil and electrical design departments with development of DOT projects.
Worked on projects that consisted of DOT owned bridges, which were located in Brooklyn, and Bronx.

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7. Construction Projects

A construction project is an organized process of constructing, redeveloping, renovating, or otherwise improving a building, or structure. The project phase begins usually as a broad criterion that is then made with the help of a brief, feasibility analysis, funding, and planning. The majority of construction projects are one-time jobs.

Here's how civil engineering designers use construction projects:

Conducted engineering investigations to investigate the suitability of materials/methods for construction projects.
Worked with multidisciplinary team of architects and engineers on Federal construction projects (USACE, NAVFAC, AFCEC)

8. Site Layout

Here's how civil engineering designers use site layout:

Involved in Land Development projects that encompassed: Site layout: including parking areas, roadways, and detention basin locations.
Communicate with clients and prepare conceptual site layout plan per client request for presentation.

9. Construction Drawings

Here's how civil engineering designers use construction drawings:

Review construction drawings to ensure accuracy with the calculations and concept.
Prepared construction drawings for civil and structural projects.

10. Site Development

Site developments are the improvements made on a site in preparations for construction.

Here's how civil engineering designers use site development:

Prepared preliminary planning drawings and narratives for private site developments.
Experience in performing site development, highway design, drainage design, and environmental and utilities assessment.

11. Roadway Design

Roadway design is the process of designing a road. Though the process may sound simple, roadway designers develop 2D and 3D renderings of the roadway to be constructed in addition to offering material recommendations, detailing the construction site, and outlining a general agenda for construction. This design must also abide by any federal and state roadway regulations.

Here's how civil engineering designers use roadway design:

Plan and profiles, drainage, earthwork, and roadway design.
Study site grading, roadway design, stormwater management and utility layouts.

12. Autodesk

Autodesk refers to a software corporation based in California. The company produces several software products, including those used for engineering, architecture, construction, entertainment, and manufacturing. Versions of the software allow manufacturers and architects to plan and construct products and buildings, however Autodesk also has software for game development and animation.

Here's how civil engineering designers use autodesk:

Utilized Autodesk Land Desktop to create terrain models, alignments, grading and volume calculations.
Worked in AutoDesk Land Desktop 2008 * Prepared Preliminary Civil Submittals 1.

13. Design Calculations

Here's how civil engineering designers use design calculations:

Performed design calculations, diagrammatic sketches, and technical diagnostics for a variety of projects.
Performed civil design calculations and prepared technical memoranda, design reports and project presentations.

14. Geotechnical

Here's how civil engineering designers use geotechnical:

Prepared soil boring plans and coordinated drilling with geotechnical engineering firms for determination of governing soil parameters in foundation design.
Analyzed geotechnical reports and designed foundations and retaining walls.

15. Sanitary Sewer

Here's how civil engineering designers use sanitary sewer:

Designed and Calculated Sanitary Sewer lines and layout of Waterlines for Residential Construction Plans.
Designed potable water distribution systems, sanitary sewer collection systems and pump stations.

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What skills help Civil Engineering Designers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on civil engineering designer resumes?

Pooja Preetha Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Alabama A&M University

According to my previous experiences, they are a combination of soft skills like creative thinking, problem-solving and hard skills like strong math and project management with the knowledge of tools like AutoCAD and GIS.

What soft skills should all civil engineering designers possess?

Pooja Preetha Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Alabama A&M University

I would say communication skills, creativity, the ability to mold yourself and work under pressure, keeping the cool at any condition, a few leadership initiatives, and being fast-paced.

What hard/technical skills are most important for civil engineering designers?

Pooja Preetha Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Alabama A&M University

Hard skills serve as the most important, in my opinion. If you are technically sound, have reasonable computer skills and good Microsoft office suite adaptability, and have strong presentation skills, you should be able to make it.

What civil engineering designer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Bin (Brenda) Zhou Ph.D.

Professor, Central Connecticut State University

With the shrinking market of design/office work during the pandemic, I see two options for a graduate. One is to go to graduate school, and the other is to work in the field. Graduate education generally transforms a student from a generalist to a specialist, so, choose a study area carefully. In addition to gaining specialized knowledge at graduate school, students may use the time, up to certain limits, to fulfill engineering experience requirements when applying for a Professional Engineer (PE) license. Check each state's professional licensing boards for details. Most students with a BS in civil engineering prefer a design job, but field experience can be supplementary and beneficial to the design work that an engineer will do in the future. Such experiences broaden students' perspectives, and make them better engineers, because they will pay attention to constructability in their designs. A word of caution: stay agile and keep an eye on emerging opportunities. Do not get too comfortable and stay there for too long, unless construction management is your passion.

What type of skills will young civil engineering designers need?

Andy Gerrick

Associate Professor and Chair, Embry-Riddle, Prescott

Most important is the ability to pull together the problem-solving skills learned in the different engineering courses to solve real-world, multidisciplinary, engineering problems. This requires a clear understanding of the problem and the requirements, and it requires a thorough understanding of engineering concepts. Memorizing problem solutions is of no value because no one will pay you to solve a problem that has already been solved. An engineer's ability to communicate is also extremely important. Engineering is a collaborative endeavor, so if you are not able to communicate your ideas, you are not contributing.

Do you want to know more?

List of civil engineering designer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a civil engineering designer resume and required skills for a civil engineering designer to have include:

Civil 3D
Site Design
Erosion Control
Project Management
Cost Estimates
DOT
Construction Projects
Site Layout
Construction Drawings
Site Development
Roadway Design
Autodesk
Design Calculations
Geotechnical
Sanitary Sewer

Hec Ras
Civil Engineering Design
Storm Water Management
Water Distribution
Technical Reports
Wastewater
Technical Specifications
Construction Management
GIS
Utility Design
Aided Design
Engineering Drawings
Conveyance
Design Drawings
Plan Preparation

Asphalt
Structural Design
Shop Drawings
Design Reports
Auto CAD
Construction Inspection
Development Design
Civil Engineering
ACI
Environmental Design
Vertical Alignments
FEMA
Road Design
Retaining Walls

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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