Build free

Geodetic Surveyor resume example

A resume for a Geodetic Surveyor needs to show the work itself: measure large areas of the Earth's surface using satellite observations, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), light detection and ranging (LIDAR), or related sources. Day to day that means work like this: analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards; conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • Geodesist
  • Geodetic Advisor
  • Land Surveyor
  • Geodetic Engineer
  • Geodetic Survey Director
  • Licensed Land Surveyor
  • GIS Surveyor
  • LIDAR Technician
  • Aerial Photograph Interpreter
  • Aerotriangulation Specialist
  • Field Surveyor
  • Geodetic Computator
  • Geodetic Coordinator
  • Geodetic Information Specialist
  • Geodetic Surveyor Technologist
  • Geodetic Technician
  • Geographic Information System Surveyor
  • Geomatics Technician

O*NET records 30 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards.
  • Conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces.
  • Calculate the exact horizontal and vertical position of points on the Earth's surface.
  • Maintain databases of geodetic and related information, including coordinate, descriptive, or quality assurance data.
  • Verify the mathematical correctness of newly collected survey data.
  • Compute horizontal and vertical coordinates of control networks, using direct leveling or other geodetic survey techniques, such as triangulation, trilateration, and traversing, to establish features of the Earth's surface.
  • Plan or direct the work of geodetic surveying staff, providing technical consultation as needed.
  • Assess the quality of control data to determine the need for additional survey data for engineering, construction, or other projects.
  • Distribute compiled geodetic data to government agencies or the general public.
  • Request additional survey data when field collection errors occur or engineering surveying specifications are not maintained.
  • Read current literature, talk with colleagues, continue education, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in technology, equipment, or systems.
  • Provide training and interpretation in the use of methods or procedures for observing and checking controls for geodetic and plane coordinates.

16 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Calculate the exact horizontal and vertical position of points on the Earth's surface, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Maintain databases of geodetic and related information, including coordinate, descriptive, or quality assurance data, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Advanced Graphics Technology ProCogo
  • Amazon Web Services AWS software
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Autodesk CAiCE Visual Transportation
  • Bentley MicroStation
  • C#
  • C++
  • Carlson Civil Suite
  • Carlson Simplicity Sight Survey
  • CMT CogoCAD
  • Email software
  • ESRI ArcGIS software
  • ESRI ArcView
  • Geo-Plus

38 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Absolute gravimeters
  • Alidades
  • Altimeters
  • Chain saws
  • Clinometers
  • Cone penetration test probes
  • Desktop computers
  • Dual-frequency global positioning system GPS survey units
  • Global positioning system GPS receivers
  • Gravitational field indicators
  • Hypsometers
  • Laptop computers

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Mathematics
  2. 02Reading Comprehension
  3. 03Active Listening
  4. 04Critical Thinking
  5. 05Complex Problem Solving
  6. 06Judgment and Decision Making
  7. 07Writing
  8. 08Active Learning
  9. 09Monitoring
  10. 10Speaking

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Mathematics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Geography
  • Computers and Electronics
  • English Language
  • Physics
  • Education and Training
  • Design

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 81%Bachelor's Degree
  • 4%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
  • 4%Some College Courses

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Geodetic Surveyor do?
Measure large areas of the Earth's surface using satellite observations, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), light detection and ranging (LIDAR), or related sources. Day to day that includes work like analyze control or survey data to ensure adherence to project specifications or land survey standards and Conduct surveys to determine exact positions, measurement of points, elevations, lines, areas, volumes, contours, or other features of land surfaces.
What skills should a Geodetic Surveyor put on a resume?
O*NET rates Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Geodetic Surveyor list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Advanced Graphics Technology ProCogo, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk CAiCE Visual Transportation, and Bentley MicroStation. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Geodetic Surveyor work?
O*NET records 30 titles for this occupation, including Geodesist, Geodetic Advisor, Land Surveyor, and Geodetic Engineer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Geodetic Surveyor need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 81% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Geodetic Surveyor role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.