Examples & writing guide
Quantity Surveyor CV Example for 2026
Updated 30 June 2026
A good quantity surveyor CV makes the commercial detail easy to find: what you measured, valued, negotiated or reported, the scale involved and the result. This guide provides a practical structure, a quantity surveyor personal statement comparison and worked bullet advice for graduates through to experienced surveyors. Use the examples as writing models, but include only figures and claims you can defend.
Examples by experience level
Graduate Quantity Surveyor
TemplateNavy Atlas4 / 5
Why this works
This example pairs placement experience with measured commercial results, giving a graduate credible evidence of cost planning, procurement, measurement and reporting skills.
Continue writing your CVQuantity Surveyor
TemplateBlue Horizon3 / 5
Why this works
This example connects commercial responsibilities to defensible figures, showing clear progression from measurement and valuation work to independent cost control, tendering and contract negotiation.
Continue writing your CVSenior Quantity Surveyor
TemplateAshford1 / 5
Why this works
Shows commercial leadership, project scale and defensible results across cost control, procurement, negotiation and team development.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Focus on relevant study, placements, numerical ability and early exposure to measurement, valuation or cost reporting. Be clear about the type of quantity surveying role sought. | Lead with commercial scope, project or portfolio value, leadership responsibility and evidence of stronger outcomes in cost, contract and risk management. |
| Experience evidence | Show accurate supporting work, such as taking measurements, helping with valuations, updating cost information or preparing tender inputs under supervision. | Show ownership of cost monitoring, procurement, negotiations, payment accounts, commercial reporting and advice on risks or disputes across substantial work packages. |
| Achievement metrics | Use defensible measures such as package value, number of valuations, reporting frequency, turnaround time or reduction in checking errors. | Use broader measures such as portfolio value, forecast variance, negotiated savings, recovery of disputed sums, team size or the number of concurrent projects. |
| Skills emphasis | Prioritise measurement, valuation, numerical analysis, data interpretation, digital literacy, organisation and dependable teamwork. | Prioritise commercial judgement, contract and schedule negotiation, risk advice, dispute resolution, stakeholder communication and construction project management. |
| Project context | Explain the setting and your own contribution so employers can distinguish practical experience from classroom knowledge or general site exposure. | State the sector, delivery stage, commercial model, scale and decision-making remit, then connect these details to cost, programme or contractual outcomes. |
| Leadership and autonomy | Show that you can organise assigned work, meet deadlines, communicate issues and contribute effectively while learning from experienced colleagues. | Show how you directed commercial activity, reviewed others' work, presented financial positions and influenced clients, contractors or project teams. |
How to write a quantity surveyor CV
Use a clean, reverse-chronological CV with clear headings and consistent dates. Two pages will usually give you enough room to show relevant evidence without burying the reader in project history; a graduate with limited experience may need less. Put your name and contact details first, followed by your personal statement, core skills, employment, education and relevant additional information.
| Section | What to include | What to leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Career stage, relevant project exposure and two or three strengths backed by context | Generic claims such as "hard-working professional" |
| Skills | Abilities that match the vacancy and appear elsewhere in your evidence | Long lists of unsupported buzzwords |
| Experience | Employer, title, dates, project context and outcome-led bullets | Dense paragraphs or copied job duties |
| Education | Awarded qualification, institution and dates | Every school subject once you have stronger evidence |
| Extras | Relevant placements, memberships or practical experience | Personal details that do not support the application |
Shape the evidence around the vacancy
Open with a short personal statement tailored to the role. A graduate quantity surveyor CV can lead with practical study, placement experience and evidence of numerical analysis. An experienced candidate should bring project scale, commercial judgement, leadership and outcomes nearer the top.
In the employment section, give each role three to six concise bullets. Start with what you did, add enough scope to make the work understandable, then state the effect. Quantity surveyor CV examples are useful for learning the pattern, but their numbers are illustrative. Replace them with your own verified figures rather than borrowing them.
Keep the skills section selective. Where relevant to your experience, show cost planning, procurement, technical construction knowledge, risk management and construction-project management. Support numerical, analytical and problem-solving ability through evidence in your employment or education instead of treating the skills list as proof.
List education in reverse-chronological order and use the exact title of each awarded qualification. Keep extras brief, choosing only material that adds evidence, such as a relevant placement, internship or practical construction experience. Do not add a photo, date of birth or references unless an employer specifically requests references later in the process.
Personal statement examples
Quantity surveyor with six years of experience supporting commercial delivery across building projects valued up to £18m. Experienced in cost planning, tender analysis, valuations, change control and financial reporting, with a record of identifying £240,000 in recoverable variations and bringing monthly reports forward by three working days. Comfortable presenting cost positions to project teams and negotiating evidence-based outcomes with contractors.
I am a hard-working and motivated quantity surveyor looking for a new challenge. I have good communication, teamwork and computer skills, and I can work under pressure. I would like to join a successful company where I can develop my career.
Writing your experience
Strong experience bullets answer three questions quickly: what changed, what part you played and how the result was measured. Begin with a specific verb, name the commercial activity and finish with a verified figure, deadline or reduction. Useful evidence can cover tender quantities and costs, contracts and work schedules, project cost monitoring, financial reporting, payment accounts, commercial risk or dispute work.
A compact formula is: action + scope + result. For example, "Reconciled subcontractor valuations across four work packages, resolving £85,000 of discrepancies before the monthly payment deadline." The figure supplies scale, while the final clause explains why the work mattered.
| Duty-led wording | Evidence-led rewrite |
|---|---|
| Responsible for cost reports | Produced monthly cost reports for a £9.5m project, identifying a £120,000 forecast variance and supporting an agreed recovery plan |
| Helped with tendering | Measured labour and material quantities for six tender packages worth £3.2m, completing the schedule two days before submission |
| Dealt with variations | Logged and valued 38 changes, agreeing £175,000 of instructed work and cutting the unresolved change balance by 30% |
Treat those figures as examples of form, not numbers to copy. If the exact financial result is confidential, use a defensible alternative such as the number of packages, frequency of reporting, size of the team, turnaround time or percentage movement. Never estimate simply to make a bullet look stronger.
Choose verbs that reveal your contribution: measured, valued, reconciled, forecast, negotiated, challenged, prepared, monitored, reported, reviewed, advised and resolved. "Supported" is appropriate for junior work, but say what you supported and what you produced. A placement bullet might read: "Supported measurement for three subcontract packages, checking 140 schedule items against drawings and returning the review within four days."
Keep project context short but concrete. State the type of work only when it helps the reader understand your experience, then concentrate on your commercial contribution. For graduate or junior applicants working on substation sites, relevant evidence may include measurement, valuation, change control and cost reporting while learning contract administration in a live engineering, procurement and construction environment. More senior bullets should show wider ownership: negotiations, forecasts, commercial risk, disputed items, reporting cycles or responsibility across several packages. If you are moving into site management, site manager CV examples can help you separate commercial evidence from day-to-day delivery responsibilities.
Finish with a credibility check. Can you explain where each number came from, what you personally did and whether the outcome was yours or the team's? If not, narrow the claim until it is accurate.
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
List education in reverse-chronological order, using the qualification's exact awarded title, institution and completion date. Recent graduates can add two or three relevant modules, a dissertation, a live brief or a placement, but each detail should connect to the vacancy. Experienced candidates can usually reduce older education to a compact entry because employment evidence carries more weight.
UK applicants may enter through an apprenticeship route. A Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship can be pursued with a quantity surveying business or construction company, and the available routes include Construction Quantity Surveyor and Chartered Surveyor. These apprenticeship routes take between three and five years and combine on-the-job training with time spent with a learning provider. Present an apprenticeship accurately as completed, in progress or planned; do not imply that an application is an awarded qualification.
Students may optionally list RICS student member status, issued by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). It can signal interest in the field, but it is not a substitute for project evidence or an awarded qualification. Give the exact membership wording and keep it separate from education so that the reader can distinguish academic study from professional involvement.
Relevant placements, internships and practical experience can strengthen an early-career application. Experience with construction firms, house builders, development consultancies, contractors, or multidisciplinary environmental or engineering consultancies can sit under employment or a clearly labelled practical experience section.
Avoid filling space with unrelated short courses. For each useful item, record the official title, provider and date; add one brief line about assessed work only when it supplies evidence that the rest of the CV lacks.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidListing duties without showing the commercial result
InsteadTurn routine work into evidence. For example, state the value or scale of the package measured, what you monitored and the effect on forecasting, payment or cost control. Use only figures you can defend.
AvoidUsing one generic CV for contractor, consultancy and specialist project roles
InsteadMatch the evidence to the vacancy. Bring forward the most relevant work in cost planning, procurement, tendering, measurement, valuation, change control or commercial reporting instead of treating every quantity surveying post as identical.
AvoidHiding measurement and cost work behind vague phrases such as "supported the project team"
InsteadName your contribution precisely: measured quantities, prepared valuations, monitored costs, assessed feasibility or produced reports. Add project scale and outcome where those details are accurate.
AvoidClaiming contract or dispute expertise without evidence
InsteadGive a concise example of the contract, schedule, commercial risk or dispute work you handled. State your level of responsibility honestly, especially if you prepared information for a senior colleague rather than leading the matter.
AvoidOverloading the skills section while leaving the employment history thin
InsteadUse the skills section as a signpost, then prove the strongest terms through experience bullets. Cost planning, procurement, numerical analysis, negotiation and reporting carry more weight when tied to a real action and result.
AvoidLeaving placements and practical construction experience off a graduate CV
InsteadInclude relevant placements, internships and practical experience. Describe the measurements, valuations, tender information, cost data or team contributions involved, even when the placement was brief.
Frequently asked questions
Two pages is a sensible target for most applicants, provided every section earns its place. A graduate may need less space, while an experienced candidate should still edit firmly and give the most room to recent, relevant projects and commercial results.
Use placements, internships, practical construction work, university projects and transferable employment. Explain the task, your individual contribution and a verifiable result; relevant placement experience can include work with construction firms, house builders, development consultancies, contractors, and environmental or engineering consultancies.
No. British CV convention is to leave out both a photo and date of birth. Use the space for a clear personal statement, relevant skills and evidence from employment, placements or projects.
Choose skills that match the vacancy and that you can prove. Commonly useful evidence covers cost planning, procurement, measurement, valuation, cost monitoring, reporting, negotiation, numerical analysis, communication and digital literacy; avoid copying a long keyword list without examples.
Start with transferable evidence such as budgeting, estimating, procurement, contract support, construction knowledge, numerical analysis or stakeholder communication. Then connect it to quantity surveying through relevant study, practical work or projects, without presenting adjacent experience as direct quantity surveying responsibility.
No. Select projects that best demonstrate the duties and level sought, then give enough context to make your contribution clear. A short project section can help when employment entries would otherwise repeat the same employer, but recent achievements should remain easy to find.
From example to application
Turn this quantity surveyor example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.