What does a professional land surveyor do?
Professional land surveyors have skills in reading comprehension, mathematics, listening, speaking, and time management, as well as a keen attention to detail. These traits are needed for the tasks of this chosen career, which include updating boundary lines for construction in order to prevent legal disputes. Land surveyors also oversee the provision of relevant data on the shape and contour of the surface of the Earth for projects ranging from engineering to mapmaking to construction.
Professional land surveyor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real professional land surveyor resumes:
- Manage various construction staking projects, as well as manage and oversee field work of various boundary, ALTA/ACSM surveys.
- Complete field to finish boundary and topographic surveys utilizing conventional and GPS methods.
- Map leases and contracts using various GIS programs.
- Record survey measurements and descriptive data using total station and GPS equipment.
- Formulate custom cad templates and drawing formats for all types of survey applications.
- Compile satellite imagery, elevation, GIS vector data, and 3D models into terrain databases.
- Survey crew chief for boundary, right of way, preliminary, topographic, construction and as-built surveys.
- Complete field work by inspecting dams, setting grade stakes, and updating property records using a Trimble R8 GNSS system.
- Perform quality control and quality assurance reviews on exhibit documents submit to RMP for the right-of-way acquisition process.
- Perform excellent outside sales serving thousands of Medicare and Medicaid members in multiple states promoting free delivery of prescription medications.
- Job types include residential, commercial/industrial staking, water management elevations and wetland location.
Professional land surveyor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Professional Land Surveyors are proficient in GPS, Civil 3D, and PLS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of Professional Land Surveyors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- GPS, 18%
Completed field to finish boundary and topographic surveys utilizing conventional and GPS methods.
- Civil 3D, 10%
Draft final Survey maps using AutoCAD Civil 3D with Carlson.
- PLS, 10%
Control of daily operations, report to PLS for final review.
- Survey Projects, 7%
Consulted clients on surveying issues and collaborated with employees on completing ongoing survey projects.
- Trimble Gps, 6%
Conducted boundary, topographic and construction survey utilizing total station instruments, electronic data collectors and GPS equipment.
- Carlson, 5%
Prepare project cost estimates and contract agreements, Utilize TDS and Carlson Sight Survey 2016 software.
Common skills that a professional land surveyor uses to do their job include "gps," "civil 3d," and "pls." You can find details on the most important professional land surveyor responsibilities below.
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a professional land surveyor to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "surveyors must provide clear instructions to team members, clients, and government officials." Professional land surveyors often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "conduct surveys for leading companies good communication skills good listening skills"
Detail oriented. Many professional land surveyor duties rely on detail oriented. "surveyors must work with precision and accuracy because they produce legally binding documents.," so a professional land surveyor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways professional land surveyor responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "detail oriented efforts included the thorough analysis and calculation of boundary corners for plats and alta surveys. "
Physical stamina. professional land surveyors are also known for physical stamina, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to professional land surveyor responsibilities, because "surveyors traditionally work outdoors, often in rugged terrain." A professional land surveyor resume example shows how physical stamina is used in the workplace: "researched previous survey evidence, maps, deeds, physical evidence, and other records to obtain data needed for surveys. "
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what professional land surveyors do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to professional land surveyor responsibilities because "surveyors must figure out discrepancies between documents showing property lines and current conditions on the land." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical professional land surveyor tasks: "field crew setup -boundary resolution -plats & legal descriptions -alta surveys -proposals and contracts -coordination with clients on scheduling field crews"
Time-management skills. Another common skill required for professional land surveyor responsibilities is "time-management skills." This skill comes up in the duties of professional land surveyors all the time, as "surveyors must be able to effectively plan their time and their team members’ time on the job." An excerpt from a real professional land surveyor resume shows how this skill is central to what a professional land surveyor does: "assisted with the growth of the company by providing a highquality of work, meeting deadlines and providing exceptionalcustomer services"
The three companies that hire the most professional land surveyors are:
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Compare different professional land surveyors
Professional land surveyor vs. Party chief
A party chief is a management position responsible for leading and guiding a program and providing leadership for its success. To fill this role, you will manage the program and provide overall technical expertise. Party chiefs should able to assess and identify risks and offer remedies and must be highly proficient in the program area. You will collaborate with partners to ensure program success, recruit experts for the program, and supervise its implementation.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between professional land surveyors and party chief. For instance, professional land surveyor responsibilities require skills such as "gps," "civil 3d," "pls," and "survey projects." Whereas a party chief is skilled in "cad," "survey data," "usaid," and "survey equipment." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, party chiefs reach similar levels of education than professional land surveyors. Party chiefs are 1.4% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Professional land surveyor vs. Surveyor instrument assistant
Survey party chiefs are individuals distinguished from an engineering technician class. The chiefs supervise land surveys, plan, and assess the proposed field survey projects. They gather field data using the necessary equipment. Their job involves managing equipment logistics, travel-related budgets, and recruiting local staff. They perform work on several highway projects like fills and cuts, bridgework, and centerline layouts. Also, they execute data analysis and offer recommendations for the expansion of military bases and to achieve runway capabilities.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real professional land surveyor resumes. While professional land surveyor responsibilities can utilize skills like "survey projects," "carlson," "topographic surveys," and "civil engineering," surveyor instrument assistants use skills like "survey data," "construction sites," "survey equipment," and "property lines."
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Surveyor instrument assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than professional land surveyors. In fact, they're 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Professional land surveyor vs. Survey superintendent
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a professional land surveyor is likely to be skilled in "gps," "civil 3d," "pls," and "survey projects," while a typical survey superintendent is skilled in "project layout," "gps machine," "txdot," and "general contractors."
Survey superintendents typically earn similar educational levels compared to professional land surveyors. Specifically, they're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Professional land surveyor vs. Survey party chief
Types of professional land surveyor
Updated January 8, 2025
