AL HAYATSOLUTIONS
SAMPLE · fictional client
Careers · Career Pack · International
Career Pack: civil engineer, Ghana → UK Skilled Worker role
For a highways and drainage project engineer with eight years in Ghana, targeting UK contractors that hold a sponsor licence.
Target: site and project engineer roles with licensed UK sponsors.
01Your brief and target role
Eight years on Ghanaian road, drainage and bridge projects, the last five as project engineer. You want a sponsored site or project engineer role in England, ideally in the North West or Midlands. Your current CV follows a Ghanaian format and has had no replies from UK employers in three months.
02Sponsorship check
| Requirement | Your position | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Job offer from a licensed sponsor | Target list of licensed sponsors in highways | To do |
| Eligible occupation (civil engineers) | Your duties match the occupation description | Match |
| Salary: £41,700 a year or the going rate | Depends on the offer; we check each posting | Per offer |
| English language | Degree taught in English; needs UK ENIC confirmation | To confirm |
| Tuberculosis test | Required for applicants resident in Ghana | Before applying |
03Resume: before and after
Left: the CV you sent, problems numbered. Right: the UK version, two pages, built for the target role and for applicant tracking systems.
Before7 issues
CURRICULUM VITAE
Name: Kwabena Owusu · Date of birth: 12/03/1994 · Marital status: Married · Religion: Muslim1
Career Objective
To obtain a challenging position in a reputable organisation where I can apply my knowledge.2
Working Experience
Project Engineer, VIP Ltd 2021 to date
- In charge of road projects3
- Supervision of contractors
- Preparation of reports
Site Engineer, Adom Road Works 2017-2021
- Setting out
- Quantity take-off
Education
BSc Civil Eng. (KNUST) · WASSCE · BECE4
Skills
AutoCAD, MS Word, Excel, hardworking, God-fearing5
Hobbies: reading, football, travelling6
Referees: (three names, phone numbers)7
AfterReady to send
Kwabena Owusu
Kumasi, Ghana · open to relocation to the UK (requires Skilled Worker sponsorship) · +233 00 000 0000 · k.owusu@email.example
Profile
Civil engineer with eight years on highways, drainage and culvert projects in Ghana, five as project engineer on donor- and government-funded roads. Leads site teams, setting out, quality checks and subcontractor coordination under FIDIC contracts. Member, Ghana Institution of Engineering.
Experience
Project Engineer · Volta Infrastructure Partners (fictional), Kumasi Jan 2021 – Present
- Engineer's representative on a 42 km regional road rehabilitation: asphalt surfacing, 60 culverts, lined drains.CLIENT
- Coordinate 3 subcontractors and a site team of up to 35; run weekly progress meetings and look-ahead programmes in MS Project.CLIENT
- Review method statements and inspection and test plans; sign off concrete pours and compaction tests.
- Prepare interim valuations and variation records under FIDIC Red Book conditions.
- Introduced a daily toolbox talk and permit check on the bridge deck works.CLIENT
Site Engineer · Adom Road Works (fictional), Kumasi Sep 2017 – Dec 2020
- Set out alignments, levels and drainage with total station and GNSS.
- Produced quantity take-offs and as-built drawings in AutoCAD Civil 3D.
- Supervised earthworks and pipe-laying crews on three urban drainage contracts.CLIENT
Education and membership
B.Sc. Civil Engineering · Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), 2017
Member, Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE)CLIENT
Skills
Highways and drainage · Setting out · Temporary works awareness · Quality: ITPs, testing · Programming: MS Project · AutoCAD Civil 3D · FIDIC contracts · Health and safety leadership · English, Twi
What we changed, and why
| # | Issue | What we did |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Date of birth, marital status and religion: not expected on UK CVs | Removed. Added location and a clear line on sponsorship. |
| 2 | Generic objective | Replaced with a four-line profile aimed at highways roles |
| 3 | Duties with no scale; company shown as initials | Full names, months, and scale you confirmed from contract documents |
| 4 | School certificates listed | Degree and professional membership only |
| 5 | Soft labels and office software | Replaced with the technical skills UK postings ask for |
| 6 | Hobbies | Removed to make room for project detail |
| 7 | Referees' phone numbers on the CV | Removed; given when an employer asks |
04ATS scorecard
Both versions tested against the test posting the way common applicant tracking systems read a file: plain-text extraction, section detection and keyword matching.
| Keyword from the posting | Status | Where or why |
|---|---|---|
| Highways, drainage, setting out, Civil 3D | Covered | Both roles |
| ITPs, quality, subcontractor management | Covered | Volta Infrastructure bullets 2–3 |
| Programme, look-ahead, MS Project | Covered | Weekly progress meetings |
| Temporary works | Needs clarification | You checked falsework on the bridge deck. Were you the named coordinator? |
| NEC4 | Not added | You have used FIDIC, not NEC. Say so, and mention the NEC4 course you plan. |
| CDM 2015, CSCS card | Not added | UK-specific. Obtainable after arrival; we list them as planned, not held. |
05Cover letter excerpt
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am applying for the Project Engineer (Highways) role. For five years I have been the engineer's representative on regional road contracts in Ghana, most recently a 42 km rehabilitation with 60 culverts and lined drainage. I run the weekly progress meeting, review method statements and inspection plans, and sign off pours and compaction tests.
My contract experience is under FIDIC rather than NEC; I have booked an NEC4 foundation course for November and will complete CSCS and CDM training on arrival.
I would need Skilled Worker sponsorship for this role, and I understand Northgate Civils holds a sponsor licence. I would welcome the chance to discuss how I can support your schemes.
Yours faithfully,
Kwabena Owusu
06Interview preparation
Story 1 · A culvert failure after the first rains
- Situation
- Two new culverts silted up after the first heavy rains in 2023.
- Task
- Find the cause and fix it before the wet season peaked.
- Action
- Surveyed the outfalls, found the inverts set too high, redesigned the outlet aprons with the designer and re-laid them.
- Result
- Both culverts ran clear for the rest of the season, and we added an invert check to the ITP.
Use for: problem solving, quality, working with designers.
Story 2 · Safety on the bridge deck
- Situation
- Workers were accessing the deck formwork without a permit check.
- Task
- Stop unsafe access without delaying the pour.
- Action
- Introduced a daily toolbox talk and a simple permit board at the access point.
- Result
- The practice was kept for the rest of the contract.
Use for: health and safety leadership, CDM questions.
Story 3 · A variation dispute
- Situation
- A subcontractor claimed extra payment for rock excavation.
- Task
- Establish the facts before the monthly valuation.
- Action
- Compared site diaries, photos and the ground investigation, and agreed the measured quantity on site.
- Result
- The variation was settled at the measured quantity without escalation.
Use for: commercial awareness, the NEC question.
Questions to expect
- How does FIDIC compare with NEC4?
- What do you know about CDM 2015 duties?
- How would you handle a temporary works design change on site?
- Why the UK, and why now?
Questions to ask them
- Will you assign a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role?
- What support do you give with CSCS and relocation?
- Does the company support ICE professional review?
- Which schemes would I join first?
07Next steps
- This weekApply for the UK ENIC statement of comparabilityFor the degree and the English requirement.
- Weeks 1–4Sponsor-only job matchesUp to ten postings a week, each from an employer on the sponsor register.
- When an interview is booked45-minute mock interviewBy video, using stories 1–3.
- After an offerVisa document checklistCoS details, TB certificate, ENIC, bank evidence. You submit; we check.
Hiring and visa decisions belong to employers and UK Visas and Immigration. We make your application accurate, clear and well presented; we cannot guarantee interviews, offers or visas.