How to hire a geophysicist

How to hire a geophysicist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step geophysicist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a geophysicist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new geophysicist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a geophysicist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the geophysicist you need to hire. Certain geophysicist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a geophysicist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a geophysicist that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of geophysicist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Geophysicist	Description	Hourly rate
   Geophysicist	Geoscientists study the physical aspects of the Earth, such as its composition, structure, and processes, to learn about its past, present, and future.	$37-67
   Geology Internship	In a geology internship, an intern has the opportunity to gain insights and practical experience while performing various support tasks under the directives and supervision of a geologist or manager. Their duties typically include working on different projects, conducting research, doing fieldwork, gathering and analyzing samples, collecting photographs or videos as evidence, completing surveys and assessments, and producing reports, submitting them according to protocols and standards... Show more	$38-70
   Engineer And Geologist	The duties of an engineer and geologist depend on one's line of work or place of employment. An engineer's responsibilities typically revolve around planning and overseeing construction projects and processes, performing risk assessments, and developing procedures to optimize construction operations... Show more	$30-78

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Collection
   • Geophysical Data
   • C++
   • MATLAB
   • Data Analysis
   • Reservoir Characterization
   • Fortran
   • Petrel
   • GPS
   • Seismic Data Processing
   • Geotechnical
   • AVO
   • Promax
   • Linux

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Plan, develop, manage and implement geological, geophysical, and geotechnical subsurface investigations.
   • Train and mentore staff to use internally develop methodologies by effective utilization of ProMAX and ProManager software to achieve optimum results.
   • Monitor regulatory compliance (CERCLA, RCRA, RWQCB, MTCA, VCP).
   • Produce field grade and final quality maps utilizing GPS data and integrate geophysical survey data in GIS.
   • Evaluate explosives, nitrates, volatile and semivolatile compounds, and metals contamination at multiple RCRA sites and one CERCLA site.
   • Implement small-scale tests in Matlab.

   More geophysicist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the geophysicist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A geophysicist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a geophysicist in Nebraska may be lower than in Texas, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level geophysicist. Additionally, a geophysicist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average geophysicist salary

   $105,067yearly

   $50.51 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level geophysicist salary

   $78,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average geophysicist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Texas	$120,533	$58
   2	California	$114,440	$55
   3	Alaska	$111,660	$54
   4	Louisiana	$109,703	$53
   5	Washington	$108,265	$52
   6	Oklahoma	$107,450	$52
   7	Virginia	$106,644	$51
   8	North Dakota	$98,124	$47
   9	Ohio	$96,858	$47
   10	Colorado	$95,528	$46
   11	Utah	$94,110	$45
   12	District of Columbia	$86,980	$42
   13	Nevada	$86,694	$42
   14	Arizona	$81,338	$39
   15	Illinois	$81,162	$39
   16	Florida	$80,335	$39

   Average geophysicist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Shell Trading	$142,776	$68.64
   2	California Resources	$140,799	$67.69
   3	Cobalt International Energy	$139,869	$67.24
   4	Statoil	$134,462	$64.65
   5	Occidental Petroleum	$132,711	$63.80
   6	ConocoPhillips	$131,568	$63.25
   7	Exxon Mobil	$129,825	$62.42
   8	Chevron	$129,323	$62.17
   9	Apache	$127,633	$61.36
   10	EOG Resources	$126,724	$60.92	3
   11	Hess	$126,665	$60.90
   12	Marathon Oil	$126,453	$60.79
   13	BP America Inc	$126,324	$60.73
   14	Pioneer Natural Resources	$124,896	$60.05
   15	W&T Offshore	$123,453	$59.35
   16	ION Geo	$123,136	$59.20
   17	Geokinetics	$122,848	$59.06
   18	Global Geophysical Services	$120,115	$57.75
   19	Lumina Geophysical	$119,898	$57.64
   20	Repsol Energy North America Corporation	$117,393	$56.44

4. Writing a geophysicist job description

   A geophysicist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a geophysicist job description:

   Geophysicist job description example

   Our People & Places Solutions business - reinforces our drive to improve the lives of people everywhere and epitomizes the "why" of what we do - the tremendous positive impact and value our solutions bring to our communities and society as a whole. From facilities delivering life-saving therapies and ensuring clean water to enabling the connection of people through all modes of transportation and providing access to technology - we're integrating a multitude of these solution elements to build the smart environments of tomorrow.
   
   Start your Jacobs career with a company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow and succeed - today and into tomorrow.
   Your Impact:
   
   When it comes to environmental consulting, we're focused on cleaning up our communities today to improve tomorrow by using cutting-edge technologies to challenge the accepted.
   
   As a Junior Geophysicist, you'll collaborate with other experienced scientists, engineers, and project managers to solve our clients' most challenging environmental & engineering issues. Working with some of the brightest minds in environmental & engineering consulting, you'll act as a technical consultant, providing near surface geophysics expertise on geotechnical and environmental site characterizations for a variety of engineering and environmental projects. Working as part of Jacobs' Environmental and Engineering Geophysics team, you'll help design, execute, and manage geophysical surveys to support projects ranging from infrastructure planning, tunneling design, dam investigations, Site Inspections to Remedial Investigations and Remedial Designs to Remedial Actions. You'll implement standard and innovative technical solutions for proposals and projects; prepare and review geophysical work products and subcontractor procurements; travel for projects to capture field data; process and interpret geophysical data; interact with client-side geophysicists and other technical resources.
   
   Bring your ambition to provide innovative solutions to Jacobs' clients and stakeholders, and we'll help you grow what drives you.
   
   At Jacobs, we're partnering across the globe to create the best project outcomes by maximizing the design, digital technology, and support capabilities of our Global Integrated Delivery (GID) teammates. By joining Jacobs, you'll commit to supporting and engaging with these teams, as we work to build a company like no other.
   
   Jacob's health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Typical benefits offered include educational reimbursement, retirement benefits, employee stock purchase plan, health benefits, disability benefits, life and accident insurance, voluntary benefits, paid time off and paid holidays, and parental leave.
   
   Typical salary range for this position is $48,500 to $ 63,600 and is commensurate with experience relative to the position.
   
   Here's What You'll Need:
   
   * Bachelor's or advanced degree in geophysics, engineering geology, applied mathematics or closely related technical field.
   * Experience in collecting and processing of land-based geophysical data including seismic, EM, GPR, magnetic, gravity and resistivity for geotechnical and environmental applications.
   * Experience in collecting and processing of marine geophysical data including seismic methods, side-scan sonars, single and multi-beam bathymetric sonars.
   * Working knowledge applying specific data processing software
   * Ability and willingness to travel (estimated up to 60%) and sometimes for extended periods of time.
   
   Ideally, You'll Also Have:
   
   * Experience with vehicle-towed land geophysical surveys using seismic streamers, electrical, and magnetic methods.
   * Experience with airborne geophysical surveys using EM, GPR, and magnetic methods.
   * Familiarity with common data processing software (or equivalent) such as ReflexW, Res2dInv, EarthImager,Hypack, Promax, Surfseis, Kingdom and Petrel.
   * Coding skills with one or more programming languages/environments, such as Python, MATLAB.
   * Willingness to support other Jacobs' operations that might not be related to environmental and engineering geophysics as schedule permits.
   
   Applicants from different states will be considered for this position.
   
   Jacobs is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law. Learn more about your rights under Federal EEO laws and supplemental language.
   
   At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With $13 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find geophysicists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any geophysicists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level geophysicists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your geophysicist job on Zippia to find and recruit geophysicist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit geophysicists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new geophysicist

   Once you've found the geophysicist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new geophysicist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a geophysicist?