25 Surveyor Interview Questions (with Answers)

1.

What sorts of things have you done to become better qualified for surveying?

With every new assignment you might be facing some new challenges and some new situations. What do you do in order to keep yourself updated in your area of profession and how do you upgrade your skills?
Don't forget to mention the daily newsletters you receive about updates in the area of surveying. Additionally, discuss any annual seminars or trainings that you typically attend, professional associations that you belong to, or any collegiate courses you have taken to ensure you are successful in your career. Feel free to boast if you are an admin of any professional group or association.

Rachelle's Answer

"Apart from getting a degree in my field, I have also been attending several trainings and certification courses from time to time. I also read a lot and make sure I take a regular look at the newsletters that I received from relevant organizations."

2.

Do you have prior experience as a Surveyor?

This one should be easy! Go ahead and share any experience that you have listing the company name, your job title, how long you worked there, and your day-to-day duties. As an added bonus, share your favorite part of each role. It will allow the interviewer to see that you truly enjoy housekeeping work. If you do not have any experience, it is no problem! Simply share that you do not have experience as a surveyor, but you look forward to learning the ropes!

Rachelle's Answer

"I have worked as a surveyor since past X years and I have handled XYZ responsibilities as a part of my job."

3.

How do you rate your decision making and problem solving abilities?

Maybe you are a good decision maker or maybe you are not. How do you rate these skills? Will it convince the interviewer if you rate your decision making and problem solving skills as 10 or will it be ok if you act humble and rate yourself as a 5? It might be difficult when it comes to rating yourself but here you are and you have to do it, so make sure that you do it right. Be honest and not too critical. The best way of answering this question is to support your answer with some facts from your professional life or some feedback given by some of your colleagues regarding these skills.

Rachelle's Answer

"I believe that I must be an 8 based on the feedback from my supervisors and also my family and friends. They all trust me for the decisions that I make and come to me for advise. At the same time I do believe that we are all humans and bound to make mistakes and thus rate myself as an 8 on these skills."

4.

What is the most challenging part of surveying for you?

By asking this question the interviewer wants to know what parts of this job you find challenging or in a way something that you dislike. It could very well be possible that this is something that is an important component of the target job and the fact that you find it difficult might help in making the decision easier.
For answering the question, go through the job description and see if there is something that is not a major part of the job, you can mention this one and say that although you find it challenging you still enjoy doing that.

Rachelle's Answer

"Sometimes I do find it a bit difficult to stand out in the sun for long hours, but then its an important part of our job and I enjoy my work as a surveyor. Thus I put on some sunscreen, my glasses and a cap and I am good to go."

5.

Give an example when your ethics were tested at work.

Your ethics may be tested from time to time. Assure the interviewer that you are capable of resisting the temptation to act unethically. How will you set an example to the others?

Rachelle's Answer

"Last year during finals it was brought to my attention that the answers to one of my final exams had been leaked. Someone on campus was selling it to students and a friend of mine purchased the answer key. He offered to give it to me for free and I declined. It was a tough choice because this was a class that I was struggling in a little bit. I studied extra hard instead and am happy that I did not give in to temptation."

6.

Tell me about a time when you made a mistake surveying, what happened and how did you correct it?

We are all human and the interviewer is looking to see how you've handled past mistakes. Don't try to fool the interviewer by stating you've never made a mistake. Instead, state the mistake, how you corrected it and what you learned from it. Don't play the blame game. The interviewer is asking for your mistake not a facility mistake. Avoid the time you may have been involved in a major event, although many of us have been in this situation, it may be a red flag to the interviewer.

Rachelle's Answer

"I don't want to tell a lie by saying that I never made a mistake. When I was a fresher in this field, I went out to get the measurements of a property but I simply ignored the details and came back quickly to the office. It was only when I came back that I realised that I had missed some really important points. So, I went back and took the measurements in detail accurately. Since that day I never ignore the details in my work."

7.

Why do you want to be a surveyor?

There are many reasons why you chose this profession. You enjoy working outdoors and the responsibilities handled by you as a surveyor. The sense of authority and the need of accuracy in your work is something that drives you.
Those are a few easy reasons why you should want to be a surveyor. This question will definitely be asked in someway, so know before hand the reasons why you want this job or want to be a surveyor.

Rachelle's Answer

"I love this job and the sense of responsibility that comes with it. I also love working outdoors. This job provides me a good balance of the office environment and the field experience and I enjoy this part the most."

8.

How would you rate your organization skills?

Of course you are out to impress the interviewer so you will want to say 'exceptionally high, a 10 out of 10'! Unfortunately, the interviewer will see straight through that and know that everyone is fallible! If you are just starting out from school or college, think of something you did for organizing some event at the school or the college. If you have more experience in the work force then think of something that you would rate as organizational, where you stood up to the plate and maybe took control of a certain situation that was going pear shaped and you were able to represent your company in the best possible light. Maybe a more safe answer would be a seven out of ten and then there is always room for improvement!

Rachelle's Answer

"I would rate my organizational skills to be 7 on a scale of 10. I have always been a good with my organization skills and I use them a lot at my work and also outside work. Because of my skills I am always looked up to whenever there is a need of organizing or managing some event."

9.

What are the primary responsibilities of a surveyor?

This question should be very simple as you are from the same profession and thus knowing about the primary responsibilities should be simple. Here is a small sample list of tasks that a surveyor usually handles:
- Mapping the area
- Making computations regarding the land and taking photos as evidence
- Making drafts and mapping onsite measurements
- Determining land size and measurements
- Advising and providing information for guiding the work of engineers and workers
- Surveying water channels or land for determining the routes to be followed
This is just a sample and you can always add your own ideas to this list or modify it according to your own job responsibilities.

10.

Why did you choose a career as a Surveyor?

The motive of this question is to understand if you are really motivated to be a surveyor or is it just a second choice of career for you? The answer to this question has a lot of importance in this case as being a surveyor requires a lot of hard work and patience involving many hours of work outside the office in scorching heat or cold weather and a lot of paperwork as well. Someone who is not really motivated to do this work might wither off quickly and may end up leaving the job very soon. In which case the hiring manager may not be really interested in hiring and training you for the job.
Talk to the hiring manager a bit about the path that brought you here, what do you like and enjoy the most about this job and any other positive points of this job that you may want to mention. You can also go through the job description and pick some interesting bits just to make your answer more appropriate but make sure it doesn't sound like something you just said in order to impress the hiring manager.

Rachelle's Answer

"I chose a career as a Surveyor as I believe that this is the perfect blend of the things that I had always wanted to do. You get to spend a lot of time outdoor as well as you can have some time in the office. There is no boring moment in this job."

11.

Tell me about your apprenticeship? What are a few things you learned that really stand out?

This questions focuses on finding more about you and your personality. The interviewer wants to know how do you interact with your colleagues and seniors and how do you react to criticism if any. An apprenticeship is full of learning experiences and some criticism which might be positive as well as negative. What were the things you learned during your period of training and whether it helped in shaping you as a better surveyor is being asked here.
For answering this question start by telling the interviewer about how long was the apprenticeship period, what were your responsibilities, anything that you really liked, and anything that you feel thankful about learning during those days.
Try to be positive in your response, and don't show any signs of dislike towards your team members or your boss. You might want to show yourself as a good team player and employee with this answer.

Rachelle's Answer

"I spent 1 year as an apprentice with XYZ and during that period I learned many useful things related to our job. It helped me in polishing my skills and knowledge and also gave me the practical exposure that I needed. The most important thing that I learned from that period was that whatever we do we should do it with full dedication and attention and we will be successful in it."

12.

Do you enjoy the outdoors?

Working outdoors is an important element of a surveyor's job. No matter what you do, you will find yourself working outdoors every not and then which could be several times in a month.
For answering this question you simply need to be honest and tell the interviewer whether you enjoy being outdoors or not. Try not to sound negative as this is a part of your job and you will find yourself working outdoors quite often.

Rachelle's Answer

"I have always enjoyed working outdoors. I actually enjoy the mix of being behind the desk and the outdoor activity that we get to do as a part of our job profile. This is also one of the reasons why I chose to do this job."

13.

What area of surveying, do you find to be most challenging?

The best way of answering this question is to be honest but not to portray a negative image of yourself. Check the job description and see what aspect of the job could be the most challenging but at the same time something that you enjoy doing.

Rachelle's Answer

"Being accurate and error free in your measurements is something that is the most challenging. Thats why I enjoy these the most. This is actually the part that attracts me the most to this profession."

14.

How do you feel about the paperwork side of surveying?

Surveying is not only about fieldwork but it also involves paper work and that too a lot of it. Some people may find it a bit boring but whats your story?
Be honest while answering this question. Since its just a part of this job you have to have a positive attitude towards all aspects of your job. So you have to convince the interviewer that you like paperwork along with the outdoor work.

Rachelle's Answer

"I enjoy all the aspects of my job whether its outdoor work or the office work. Since paperwork is a really important part of our job I try to do it with utmost perfection and accuracy."

15.

How did you begin getting involved in a career in surveying?

The motive of this question is to understand if you are really motivated to be a surveyor or is it just a second choice of career for you? The answer to this question has a lot of importance in this case as being a surveyor means you should be actually interested in this career in order to bring the best out of it. You can't manage to be half heartedly in any profession.
Talk to the hiring manager about what has influenced you to become an surveyor. You can give the answer a personal touch but be sure to keep it concise.

Rachelle's Answer

"One of my uncles who is very close to me is also a surveyor and he used to keep telling us to the places he visited as a part of his job. He always had something important to tell and that really motivated me a lot. And thus when I found the opportunity to work as a surveyor I immediately grabbed it and I am very happy about the choice I made."

16.