How Do You Write a Standout Transport Planner CV to Pass an ATS Scan?

Crafting a compelling transport planner CV requires a strategic approach that prioritizes Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatibility and showcases your technical expertise in transportation planning. To stand out, your CV must integrate specific keywords from the job description, quantifiable achievements, and a clear, professional format.

What is the First Step in Writing a Transport Planner CV?

Before writing a single word, conduct a thorough analysis of the job description. This document contains the exact keywords and qualifications that recruiters and their ATS software are programmed to identify. These systems scan applications for relevant terms, ranking them based on keyword density and relevance. Failing to include these terms can result in your CV being automatically filtered out, regardless of your experience.

Common technical keywords for a transport planner role often include:

• Technical Skills: Transportation planning, urban planning, traffic analysis, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), ArcGIS products, transportation engineering, land use planning.
• Core Competencies: Project planning, environmental planning, public transport strategies, map reading, regional planning.

Based on our assessment experience, creating a simple table to map job description requirements to your CV sections can be highly effective.

How Do You Choose the Right CV Format for a Transport Planning Role?

The optimal CV format depends on your career trajectory. The goal is to present your information logically for both ATS systems and human recruiters.

• Chronological CV Format: This is the most common and often most effective format. It lists your work experience in reverse chronological order, highlighting a steady career progression in transportation planning. It is ideal for candidates with consistent experience in the field.
• Functional CV Format: This format emphasizes skills over work history. It is suitable if you have significant employment gaps, are changing careers, or are a recent graduate with limited direct experience. Based on our assessment experience, this format can sometimes be less favored by ATS, so use it judiciously.
• Combination/Hybrid CV Format: This format merges elements of both, starting with a strong skills summary followed by a concise work history. It is excellent for senior professionals or specialists who want to highlight a diverse skill set upfront.

What Should You Include in Each Section of Your CV?

A well-structured CV is broken down into clear, scannable sections.

1. Contact Information: Place this in a clear header. Include your full name, professional title (e.g., "Transport Planner"), phone number, email, and a link to a professional profile like LinkedIn. Avoid personal information like your home address.

2. Professional Summary: This is your 2-3 sentence elevator pitch. Start with your job title and years of experience, followed by key skills aligned with the job description, and a quantifiable achievement.

   • Example: "A results-driven Transport Planner with over 8 years of experience specializing in traffic impact analysis and sustainable urban mobility solutions. Expert in GIS software and project management, having successfully delivered a regional transport plan that reduced peak-hour congestion by 15%."

3. Work Experience: For each role, list your job title, company, dates of employment, and location. Use bullet points to describe your responsibilities, starting with strong action verbs (e.g., Developed, Managed, Analyzed, Coordinated). Crucially, focus on accomplishments, not just duties.

   • Instead of: "Responsible for traffic analysis."
   • Write: "Analyzed traffic flow data for a new retail development, leading to a redesigned intersection that improved traffic capacity by 20%."

4. Skills Section: Create a dedicated, easily scannable section. Differentiate between technical and soft skills.

   • Technical Skills: GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS), Traffic Modelling Software (e.g., VISSIM, AIMSUN), CAD, Data Analysis, Roadway Design Standards.
   • Soft Skills: Project Management, Stakeholder Communication, Problem-Solving, Report Writing, Leadership.

5. Education and Certifications: List your degree, university, and graduation year. Include relevant professional memberships, such as with the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) or the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), to enhance credibility.

To maximize your chances, thoroughly proofread your CV for errors, use a clean, professional font, and save the document as a PDF before submitting it according to the application instructions. A polished, keyword-optimized CV is your first critical step toward securing an interview for a transport planner position.