What skills should a Geographer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and Active Listening 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 Geographer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes ACD Systems Canvas, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Caliper Maptitude. 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 Geographer work?

O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Earth Observations Scientist, GIS Coordinator, Geographic Information Systems Coordinator, and GIS Geographer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Geographer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 45% 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 Geographer 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.

Geographer resume example

A resume for a Geographer needs to show the work itself: study the nature and use of areas of the Earth's surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena. Day to day that means work like this: create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales; gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps. 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.

Earth Observations Scientist
GIS Coordinator
Geographic Information Systems Coordinator
GIS Geographer
Geographic Information Systems Geographer
GIS Physical Scientist
Scientist
Biogeographer
Cultural Resources Specialist
Economic Geographer
Geomorphologist
Glaciologist
Imagery Analyst
Natural Resources Specialist
Physical Geographer
Political Geographer

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Geographer
GIS Coordinator (Geographic Information Systems Coordinator)
GIS Geographer (Geographic Information Systems Geographer)
GIS Physical Scientist (Geographic Information Systems Physical Scientist)

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.

Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.
Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
Teach geography.
Write and present reports of research findings.
Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors.
Study the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of a specific region's population.
Analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales.
Develop, operate, and maintain geographical information computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, and video cameras.
Locate and obtain existing geographic information databases.
Collect data on physical characteristics of specified areas, such as geological formations, climates, and vegetation, using surveying or meteorological equipment.
Conduct field work at outdoor sites.
Provide consulting services in fields such as resource development and management, business location and market area analysis, environmental hazards, regional cultural history, and urban social planning.

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.

Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Teach geography, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Write and present reports of research findings, 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.

ACD Systems Canvas
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Photoshop
Autodesk AutoCAD
Caliper Maptitude
Clark Labs IDRISI Andes
Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
ESRI ArcGIS software
ESRI ArcIMS
ESRI ArcInfo
ESRI ArcView
Geographic information system GIS software
Geographic information system GIS systems
Geographic resources analysis support system GRASS

44 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.

Abney levels
All terrain vehicles ATV
Anemometers
Atomic emission spectroscopes
Automatic levels
Cathodoluminescence microscopes
Chain saws
Compaction meters
Conductivity meters
Crosscut saws
Deionizers
Demagnetizing equipment

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

ESRI ArcGIS
Geographic information system GIS
Geographic information system GIS systems
prepare maps

What this job rates as most important

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

01Reading Comprehension
02Writing
03Critical Thinking
04Speaking
05Active Listening
06Active Learning
07Judgment and Decision Making
08Complex Problem Solving
09Science
10Systems Analysis

Knowledge areas

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

Geography
English Language
Computers and Electronics
Education and Training
Sociology and Anthropology
Mathematics

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.

45%Bachelor's Degree
25%Doctoral Degree
20%Master's Degree

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 Geographer do?: Study the nature and use of areas of the Earth's surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena. Day to day that includes work like create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales and Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
What skills should a Geographer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and Active Listening 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 Geographer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes ACD Systems Canvas, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Photoshop, Autodesk AutoCAD, and Caliper Maptitude. 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 Geographer work?: O*NET records 16 titles for this occupation, including Earth Observations Scientist, GIS Coordinator, Geographic Information Systems Coordinator, and GIS Geographer. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Geographer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 45% 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 Geographer 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.