How to hire cartographers and photogrammetrists
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques. • Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps. • Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments. • Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas. • Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy. • Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment. • Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments. • Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong reading comprehension, critical thinking, writing, active listening, active learning and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of geography, computers and electronics and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $39.13 an hour ($81,390 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for cartographers and photogrammetrists
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Describe something important you wrote at work, such as a report, notes or an email. Who read it and what happened next?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What cartographers and photogrammetrists do
- Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques.
- Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
- Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments.
- Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas.
- Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
- Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment.
- Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments.
- Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for cartographers and photogrammetrists
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Job outlook: +7.4% over ten years, faster than average · about 900 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay cartographers and photogrammetrists
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| California | $102,780 |
| Washington | $96,100 |
| Oregon | $88,240 |
| Colorado | $86,960 |
| Virginia | $86,660 |
See cartographers and photogrammetrists pay in every state
Related hiring guides
Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.