Environmental consultant CV example

How to write a CV for an environmental consultant

Now you’ve settled on a format, it’s time to break down how to write a CV for an environmental consultant. We’ll explain everything from the personal statement to the education section, so you can rest assured you’ve covered all the core points. Best of all, we’ve answered some of your most common CV writing questions towards the end. What’s on the agenda?

• How to add contact details to your environmental consultant CV
• Start your environmental consultant CV with a personal statement
• Adding experience section to your environmental consultant CV
• Skills worth having on your environmental consultant CV
• How to add education to your environmental consultant CV

How to add contact details to your environmental consultant CV

Sent dozens of CVs without much luck? You might have forgotten to add your most up-to-date contact details at the top of the page. Remember to highlight this information somewhere near the header, ideally in a slightly larger or bolder font for maximum visibility. Here’s what to include:

• Full name – first name and surname
• Location – so employers know where you’re based
• Phone number – mobiles tend to be more accessible
• Email address – make sure it’s work-appropriate

Example of contact section for an environmental consultant CV

Start your environmental consultant CV with a personal statement

Your personal statement is the first thing an employer reads when opening your application. As such, it must spark interest by summarising your most valuable accomplishments, skills, and qualifications. While it might be tempting to cram in loads of information, it’s best to keep sentences short and to the point. Busy hiring managers rarely have the time to sift through pages of content. Stuck? Check out the foolproof formula below.

Sentence one introduces who you are, including years of experience and career focus. Sentence two explains what you can achieve, backed up by concrete evidence. Finally, sentences three and four underline your unique skills and specialisms. For example, you might have a Master of Sciences (MSc) degree or knowledge of simulation packages, like TAS and IES.

What do we mean by concrete evidence? This fact or figure shows hiring managers you can implement your skills and achieve real-world results. You might have won several awards, managed a large team, or reduced carbon emissions by a percentage number. Whatever the achievement, be as specific as possible so there’s no doubt about your talents.

What else can make or break a statement? Take a look at the following:

• Write in the third person to sound more professional
• Stick to the word count – between 50 to 100 words is ideal
• Only include your highest accomplishments – you can expand on your core strengths in the work history section
• Include scannable keywords and phrases – you can find these hard and soft skills in the job advertisement
• Don’t talk about what you want – this is about what you can bring to the table, so save career ambitions for the cover letter

Example of personal statement for an environmental consultant CV

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Adding experience section to your environmental consultant CV

The employment history section is usually the most important of any CV because it showcases your core strengths and professional aptitude. Employers gain a fascinating insight into your main responsibilities – not to mention your work ethic and how you approach complex tasks. We suggest spending a good few hours here, making sure you include all the information that makes you the best person for the job.

How should you format this section? Start from your current or most recent position and note up to six responsibilities for each. Add more detail for relevant roles that match the job advertisement. Run through:

• Job title
• Employment start and end dates
• Company name
• Company location
• List of duties
• Workplace accomplishments

Like the personal statement, support your skills with results, facts, and figures. Otherwise, the hiring manager won’t necessarily believe you can achieve what you say you can. Let’s say you “carried out environmental audits” – can you provide more detail? Perhaps, you “carried out 20 environmental audits” that “decreased light pollution by 38%”. You could also mention the specific sector, such as “carried out environmental audits for the local housing association”.

On top of this, present yourself as a multi-talented candidate by covering as many different duties as possible. For example, if you’ve mentioned “measuring water quality” underneath one role, talk about “creating reports” in another. There’s no need to dwell on obvious tasks like “answering telephone calls” or “working as part of a team” – these are givens and don’t add anything special to your application.

Lastly, don’t be shy. Shout about how amazing you are by using plenty of positive adjectives and action verbs. You might be “hardworking”, “detailed”, and “organised”. Action verbs are engaging alternatives to “responsible for”. Some of our favourites for environmental consultants include “audited”, “surveyed”, and “proposed”.

Example of work experience for an environmental consultant CV

Skills worth having on your environmental consultant CV

You might be wondering why you need a collection of CV skills if you’ve included a comprehensive work experience section. Well, presenting your top talents in one place makes the hiring manager’s life much easier. Plus, ATS software relies on easy-to-find keywords and phrases. We suggest noting 12 skills in total, split equally between hard skills and soft skills.

What’s the difference? Hard skills are technical and learnt on the job or through education. Examples include “completing environmental surveys”, “preparing and submitting applications”, and “compiling health and safety reports”. In contrast, soft skills are transferable and personality-based – think “self-motivated”, “analytical”, and “patient”.

The most successful CVs balance both. All the experience in the world means nothing without a positive, personable attitude. On the flip side, a can-do approach doesn’t make up for poor practical skills. Ultimately, employers prioritise candidates who offer the best of both worlds.

Need more ideas? Read through the following lists:

How to add education to your environmental consultant CV

Education underpins experience, and qualifications give you a competitive edge when the competition is tight. You can discuss anything that proves you have the brains to succeed. This might include school, college, and university courses, professional training, and memberships to governing bodies.

Thankfully, completing this section is pretty straightforward. However, there are some things to remember. Education isn’t usually as crucial as your personal statement or employment background, so you don’t have as much space to play with. So, don’t take up space with bad grades or incomplete courses.

What does it take to become an environmental consultant? At the very least, you’ll need an undergraduate degree in a related subject, such as Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Geoscience, or Agricultural Science. Additionally, most employers also prioritise applicants with a postgraduate qualification.

When outlining your education, run through:

• Name of school, college, university, or other awarding body
• Study start and end dates
• Subject title
• Qualification level – e.g. postgraduate or undergraduate degree
• Qualification result

Example of education for an environmental consultant CV