How to hire a project geophysicist

How to hire a project geophysicist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step project 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 project geophysicist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new project geophysicist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a project geophysicist, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect project geophysicist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of project geophysicists.

   Type of Project Geophysicist	Description	Hourly rate
   Project Geophysicist	Geoscientists study the physical aspects of the Earth, such as its composition, structure, and processes, to learn about its past, present, and future.	$28-59
   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 Processing
   • UXO
   • GIS
   • LiDAR
   • GPS

   Responsibilities:

   • Evaluate and manage financial portfolio risk and margin, monitor and evaluate macroeconomic and financial events relate to the managed portfolio.
   • Design and write contracts for VSP and site surveys.
   • Process near and far offset, walkaway, vertical incidence, and 3D land and marine VSP surveys.
   • Use of various geophysical programs and database information researching various seismic products, WesternGeco software and UNIX experience.
   • Test field data using ProMax software (F_K and spectral analysis) and processing parameters and apply working solutions.
   • Provide AVO, seismic inversion and rock physics modeling to estimate properties and size of the Hadrian 2 gas reservoir.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your project geophysicist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A project geophysicist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, project geophysicists' average salary in arkansas is 49% less than in texas.
   • Seniority. Entry-level project geophysicists 52% less than senior-level project geophysicists.
   • Certifications. A project geophysicist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a project geophysicist's salary.

   Average project geophysicist salary

   $86,170yearly

   $41.43 hourly rate

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   Entry-level project geophysicist salary

   $59,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a project geophysicist job description

   A good project geophysicist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a project geophysicist job description:

   Project geophysicist job description example

   At Arcadis we focus on attracting, retaining and developing people who share our passion and commitment to improve quality of life. In return we offer you the opportunity to transform your world and the world around you, that could be through client work, upskilling yourself, championing equality and inclusion or getting involved in charity work, to name just a few. Our people value different perspectives, they care about the sustainability of our planet and dare to shape the future.
   
   One of our core values is 'people first', and supported by our Lovinklaan foundation, we invest in you for the long term, to ensure you reach your full potential. You'll have the opportunity to own your career and work on industry-defining projects, finding solutions to real challenges that make a difference to people's lives. You're encouraged to have a growth mindset and are given the space to develop personally and professionally, building a flexible career that works for you.
   Role description:
   
   Arcadis' Resilience Environment team is seeking a Senior Project Geophysicist to support our growing portfolio of technical projects. This is a remote position and may be located anywhere in the United States.
   
   As a Senior Project Geophysicist, you will work alongside and support technical experts and project managers on Military Munitions Response Program (MMRP) investigation and remediation projects across the United States and internationally. You will become authorized under Arcadis' DAGCAP accreditation and may function in either the Project Geophysicist or Quality Control (QC) Geophysicist role depending on your experience and existing project needs.
   
   Role accountabilities:
   
   * Working with established project teams involving multi-faceted and integrated UXO-related disciplines
   * Assisting with the development of geophysical technical approaches for MMRP projects; collection, processing, and interpretation of geophysical data to include advanced electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensors such as the MetalMapper 2x2, Man Portable Vector, and UltraTEM
   * Developing anomaly selection criteria
   * Using advanced geophysical classification (AGC) to classify advanced EMI data measurements as either target of interest (TOI) or non-TOI
   * Performing QC of geophysical data and managing QC results in an MS Access database
   * Leading geophysical teams to collect, process, and interpret digital geophysical mapping (DGM) and EMI data
   
   Key skills and experience:
   
   * Processing geophysical data in Geosoft Oasis Montaj, including AGC in the UX-Analyze module
   * Performing QC checks of field data, background correction, source selection, parameter extraction, and classifying targets as either TOI or non-TOI
   * Completing work within project budgets and schedules; effectively communicating with internal team members, external clients, and regulatory agencies
   * Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to prepare investigation work plans and reports
   * Field geophysical data collection using the EM61-MK2, G-858, and MetalMapper 2x2 or another advanced EMI sensor
   * Knowledgeable about the theoretical and practical aspects of detecting and selecting a wide range of TOI and non-TOI
   * Performing AGC using only advanced EMI instrument survey data, including documented experience processing and analyzing advanced EMI instrument data and developing and performing QC procedures for advanced EMI data acquisition, analysis, and classification processes
   
   Qualifications & Experience:
   
   Required Qualifications:
   
   * Bachelor's degree in Geophysics, Engineering Geophysics, or a related discipline
   * 5 years of MMRP geophysical experience
   
   Preferred Qualifications:
   
   * 8 years of MMRP geophysical experience
   * OSHA 40-hr HAZWOPER and recent 8-hr annual refresher training
   * Experience performing geophysical surveys in support of MMRP and other environmental programs such as CERCLA and RCRA
   * Familiarity with the following geophysical methods: gravity, Induced Polarization/Resistivity, time domain electromagnetic, frequency domain electromagnetic, seismic, ground penetrating radar, gravity, and borehole geophysics
   
   Why Become an Arcadian?
   
   Our work with clients has a direct impact on people's lives and on the planet. We make moving, living and belonging in cities safer, more resilient and more sustainable. By partnering with our clients as responsible custodians of our earth's resources, we can create a sustainable planet.
   
   We continue to think of new ways to make positive impacts and create better experiences for people; data driven and digital solutions have become part of the Arcadis DNA. Working together with clients and using techniques like design thinking, we can get to the heart of our clients' most pressing challenges and work together to solve them.
   
   As a global business, we have committed to support five of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals to ensure that our projects contribute to a better and more sustainable future for all. But it's not just the work that we do on client projects that benefits communities and our planet. As a global business, we are committed to making a positive impact to society by supporting local communities where we operate.
   
   To help protect our planet, we monitor and measure non-financial information to inform business decisions and reduce our own environmental impact as part of our commitment to be net zero carbon as a global company by 2030.
   
   Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging:
   
   We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. Women, minorities, people with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. We are dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by law.
   
   In accordance with the Colorado, New York City, Connecticut Equal Pay Transparency Rules:
   
   Arcadis offers benefits for full-time positions. These benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage along with a 401K plan, STD and LTD, and Life Insurance as well as some additional optional benefits.
   
   Full-time positions also come with annual PTO days and at certain levels, a bonus program may apply.
   
   The salary range for this role is $80,000 - $125,000 for Colorado and Connecticut-based positions only.
   
   The salary range for this role is $85,000 - $135,000 for New York City-based positions only.
   
   Other locations will vary in salary range.
   
   Transform Your World
   
   #Resilience-NA
   
   #Environment-NA
   
   #LI-RJ1

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5. Post your job

   To find the right project geophysicist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with project geophysicists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit project geophysicists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting project geophysicists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 project geophysicist

   Once you've found the project 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new project 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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