Looking for a sweet summer job with the wind at your back and the sun on your face in New Zealand’s great outdoors? There are plenty of opportunities in civil infrastructure and having a good attitude and some basic skills stand you in just as good stead as proven on-the-job experience.

If you apply for a job you’re likely to need to submit a CV. This is essentially a personal marketing document that summarises your skills, education, experience, and achievements – think of it as a professional snapshot of who you are and what you can do.

While a well-crafted CV can be the passport to success in a job application process, many young people at the beginning of their careers worry that they might not have enough actual work experience to flesh out a CV.

Civil Contractors New Zealand Workforce Development Manager Rebecca Fox says young people often underestimate the skills they’ve already developed through school, sports, volunteering, and other activities.

“A skills-based CV can highlight the personal attributes and life skills an applicant has developed to help employers understand why they could be a good fit for a role, even if they haven’t had much work experience.”

Rebecca says because a skills-based CV focuses on an applicant’s abilities, strengths, and potential it can be a winning approach for young adults looking to break into civil infrastructure.

“The key skills employers in civil infrastructure are looking for include the ability to work in a team as well as independently, good communication skills, reliability and a willingness to learn.”

Ideally a skills-based CV starts with a personal profile paragraph to introduce a summary of what motivate you and what skills you have to offer, designed to make a powerful first impression on the potential employer reading it.

Next, develop a skills section that, rather than simply listing skills, provides specific examples that back up each skill you have, using action-oriented language that illustrate what you have done and brings the examples to life.

For example, if you’ve regularly taken part in school debating competitions this provides evidence that you’re a confident communicator. If you’ve helped build stage sets for school plays this shows you have practical skills. Other examples can draw from school projects, presentations, leadership or other roles in sports teams, games clubs or other school groups. Extracurricular activities including clubs like Scouts or Venturers, volunteer initiatives and community service projects can be rich areas to mine for examples.

Don’t be shy to highlight the results you achieved, for example captaining your school football team to win the 2024 interschool championship in Southland or representing your school at chess at a national competition.

Highlighting academic success, as well as any relevant coursework that demonstrates your knowledge of technical skills, problem solving, mathematics and physics is a good idea, as well as any certifications or specialised trade training you may have.

Cultural competency, for example in Te ao Māori, and the ability to speak different languages is also worth mentioning as companies recognise the value of diversity in their staff, and don’t forget to list any driving licences you hold.

A school careers advisor can help you write and structure your CV, alternatively there are government departments that offer free career support services. Careers.govt.nz offers a range of handy templates for cover letters and CVs, including a skills-based CV example and template for school leavers and a CV Builder tool if you want guidance along the way.

Ways to find out about epic projects to get involved in include tip offs from friends, using CCNZ’s handy ‘find a contractor’ map, exploring the vacancy sections of major player’s websites like Fulton Hogan, Downer or HEB Construction, or simply driving past one.

There are projects underway right now that are hiring over summer, including Warkworth-based traffic-control and road-maintenance positions for the Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth Motorway north of Auckland, which was highlighted in our short list of 2024’s most epic transport projects.

Rebecca says the industry is always looking for young people who show potential, adaptability, and a genuine interest in building and maintaining New Zealand’s infrastructure.

“A well-crafted skills-based CV can open doors, even without concrete work experience. Everyone has to start somewhere and employers understand that.”

Civil infrastructure is a dynamic, rewarding field with opportunities for those who demonstrate the right attitude and skills – explore what types of roles are out there with our Careers Roadmap.

Rebecca’s top tips when applying for a job in civil construction:

  • Start work on gaining your driver license (if you haven’t already) and aim to get it as soon as you can.
  • Be prepared to do some door knocking with your skills-based CV – employers react favourably to young people making contact with them (initiative goes a long way).
  • Be positive and open to opportunity, knocking on doors and saying yes could lead to an apprenticeship.
  • Look at the Careers Roadmap for the range of roles available and to learn how many people enter the sector, what they liked and what they were good at.
  • The EPIC Projects Map is great for getting a handle on the sorts of winning projects in your area and the contractors who did the work.