Skills
Surveyor Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in surveyors, and how to build and show them.
What skills do surveyors need?
Surveyors need technical skills such as boundary law, gps and total stations, and cad, plus people skills like attention to detail and problem solving. They also use tools such as GNSS receivers and Total stations.
Technical (hard) skills
- Boundary law
- GPS and total stations
- CAD
- Deed research
- Geodesy
- Legal descriptions
People (soft) skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving
- Communication
- Integrity
Tools, equipment and technology
- GNSS receivers
- Total stations
- Data collectors
- Drones and LiDAR
- AutoCAD Civil 3D
- Deed records
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how surveyors put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Boundary law” and “GPS and total stations.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “attention to detail,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our surveyor glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Surveyor training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.