36 Land Surveyor Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: January 18, 2020

Waiting to be called upon to interview for a land surveyor position? You have to go in prepared.

Make the most of the waiting time by preparing for the interview and going through tips and tricks.

The first thing that you have to do is to see what the work is all about. Then, prepare answers to questions such as what are your job duties, define your strengths and weaknesses, and why do you want to work with the company.

These questions are aimed to find out what you know about land surveying work, and how much you can contribute to the company.

A list of interview questions and answers particular to a land surveyor’s position is provided below for reference purposes:

Land Surveyor Interview Questions and Answers

1. Tell me about yourself.

I ama qualified land surveyor, with over 6 years of experience in preparing sites for construction and providing data on measurements to establish property boundaries. I was working in real estate before this and realized that my strengths were in this particular area. After that, I took up training, and have been working in this capacity for 6 successful years.

2. Why do you want to work with us specifically?

I have been in awe of the work that your organization has performed over the years, and would love to be part of a progressive organization such as yours.

3. Why do you want to leave your present job?

My present place of work has taught me a lot. However, a management shift has forced me to look for work elsewhere, as I feel a bit stagnated there.

4. Why do you think that clients need the services of a land surveyor?

In order to build anything on land, one has to find out its boundaries or features. It is important to obtain a land surveyor’s services to build, develop, and satisfy local codes and building requirements.

5. What specific skills do you possess which make you an excellent land surveyor to hire?

I am well-versed in preparing and maintaining sketches and maps, and verifying data and calculations. In addition to this, I am competent in measuring distances and angles on properties, and can effectively delineate boundaries and reference points.

6. How do you feel about working in a deadline-oriented environment?

I feel that deadline-oriented environments make it easy for people to reach their goals, as they are working towards something. I love working in such environments.

7. What do you do when you feel stressed out about your work?

When I get stressed, I stop for a bit and reflect on what has made me so tense. I try to sort out the issue, and get back to work as soon as possible.

8. Do you enjoy working outdoors?

I do. And I enjoy working indoors equally.

9. Are their any areas of surveying that you find challenging?

Surveying can be challenging in many ways. For instance, ensuring that all building codes are adhered to can be a bit of a headache at times.

10. What is the most important thing that you learnt in this job?

I have learnt that one cannot skip processes to hurry up a project. By doing so, failure is obvious.

11. What are your strengths?

I am an action-oriented individual, which makes it easy for me to find solutions to problems. Also, I am driven and collaborative, which makes my life easier professionally, and personally.

12. What is your main weakness?

I sometimes feel that I am not too comfortable in taking risks. However, I am slowly teaching myself that you cannot gain if you don’t take pain.

13. How good are your administrative skills? Rate it on a scale of 1 to 10.

I possess excellent administrative skills, if I do say so myself. I would give myself an 8.

14. Have you ever made a mistake while surveying?

I cannot lie and say that I haven’t. I made a measurement error once, which I realized in time and corrected immediately.

15. What steps have you taken to improve your skills as a surveyor?

I am in a constant mode of self-teaching. I keep up with new information in the market, and enroll myself in any self-development courses that come up.

16. What surveying tools are you experienced in using?

I have experience with theodolites, measuring tapes, total stations, and 3D scanners.

17. What is your key to success?

My dedication is my key to success. Since I am constantly committed to my goals, it is easy for me to be successful in my efforts.

18. Are you equipped to perform engineering surveys?

Yes, I am. I have excellent experience in conducting engineering surveys, including topographic surveys.

19. How do you deal with angry clients?

By nature, I am a soft individual, who can easily keep his cool, and remain patient. When a client gets angry, I do not try to make my own point before listening to theirs. Usually, by the end of their rant, they have cooled down significantly to hear my side of the story.

20. How good are your people skills?

My people skills are excellent. I get along with people from different backgrounds extremely well. I can work with professionals in a business-like manner, and deem my clients as family, while remaining professional with them as well.

21. How do you handle work under pressure?

I am an extremely well-organized individual which makes it easy for me to work under pressure. I organize my day in manner that work pressure does not bother me.

22. Tell me of a time when you did something big.

I was once handling a client who wanted a survey done for a land that he owned in the suburbs. It was unchartered land, and the building codes were not properly provided by the authorities. It took me exactly 3 days to give him the survey report, after I contacted all the involved agencies. I didn’t know big a deal this was until my employer praised me for my efforts.

23. How do you work within a team environment?

I work extremely well in a team environment. I get along with everyone, and I am a helpful individual. This makes it easy for me to work with people from different professional backgrounds.

24. Do you like working alone?

I do not mind working alone. However, I work best when I have determined work processes, and can effectively determine if they need to be performed in conjunction with other people, or solely.

25. What motivates you? Give an example of a time when you were motivated?

I remain in a constant state of motivation. Additional motivation from a supervisor in terms of praise and commendation works wonders for me. Quite recently, I was commended on a survey report, my supervisor calling it the most profound that he had seen in his professional life. This motivated me sufficiently to write other such reports, and also teach my peers to follow my example.

26. What are you most passionate about?

I am most passionate about doing my work well. I love working diligently.

27. How do you like to be managed?

Micromanagement doesn’t work for me. I like it when I am given a task, and then given the opportunity to complete it.

28. What is your dream job?

My dream job is to work in an environment that provides great opprtunity for growth, development, and contribution.

29. Are you interviewing with any other companies?

Yes, I have 2 more interviews lined up.

30. What happens if you are offered a job by more than one?

If such an incident happened, I will take up the one that is most conducive to my individual goals. Right now, your organization seems like the only one that is.

31. What should I know that is not on your resume?

I didn’t think it was pertinent to mention on my resume that I have worked as a model for two television commercials.

32. When can you start?

Once I have submitted my resignation, I will need 2 weeks to wrap up my work there. Then, I have a couple of previously scheduled commitments that I need to attend to, which will take another week. So, I can start work with you in 3 weeks from the day I resign.

33. Are you willing to relocate?

I do not have any strong ties with this city. If my work requires me to relocate, I would not mind doing so.

34. What would be your reaction if you were laid off?

I would talk to my supervisor and convince him that the company needs me. I feel that my work is important, and laying me off will just harm the company. Unless someone can convince me that they can do without me, I will keep trying to convince the authorities to keep me on.

35. Do you have any questions for me?

I would like to know more about the organization. If you have any newsletters that I can look through, I would be grateful to get my hands on them.

36. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Ideally, I would love to work as a land expert, preferably in a training and development capacity.

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