QUT Civil Engineers in Demand surveyed 12 employers from a variety of professional fields about what they look for in employing staff; the majority of which deal with hiring graduate civil engineers. The results of our survey are above, with results that may surprise students looking for work.
Employers place the most stock in a good interview. Regardless of the effectiveness of their Resume, employers are swayed most by the way a potential employee presents themselves to the interview, their clothing, body language and confidence. See our 'Interview Tips' section for more on how to impress at the big interview!
Previous work experience and references also score big with potential employers. They want to know that somebody who has previously employed you has been impressed with your work ethic, presentation, punctuality and professionalism at your former job.
A good CV won't get you the job, but it will get your foot in the door. A good rule of thumb is to expect the CV you present the employer does half the work for you. No employer will give you a job based solely on your CV, but it needs to be good to get you that interview! See our 'Resume Tips' section for more on how to make a great impression with your CV.
Your results at uni don't matter as much as you think they do. Employers tend to understand engineering is a tough degree. You will probably fail a few subjects along the way. As Fraser McGregor famously says: "If you want an easy degree, go to UQ and do Medicine". As long as your references are good and appearance is professional, most employers will overlook a few bad uni results.