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How to hire geographers

A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.

$49.06U.S. median hourly pay
$80,290–$121,870Middle half, yearly
1,400People in this job in the U.S.

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
• Analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales.
• Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.
• Develop, operate, and maintain geographical information computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, and video cameras.
• Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
• Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors.
• Study the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of a specific region's population.
• Teach geography.
• Write and present reports of research findings.

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, writing, critical thinking, speaking, active listening and active learning skills
• Working knowledge of geography, English Language, computers and electronics and education and training
• [Anything else you would really turn someone away for]

Pay and benefits
[Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $49.06 an hour ($102,040 a year).
[Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.]

How to apply
[Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]

Check your finished job post

Interview questions for geographers

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.

  1. Tell me about a time you had to analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  2. Tell me about a time you had to create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  3. Tell me about a time you had to develop, operate, and maintain geographical information computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, and video cameras. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  4. Tell me about a time you had to gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
  5. Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
  6. Describe something important you wrote at work, such as a report, notes or an email. Who read it and what happened next?
  7. Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
  8. 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 geographers do

  • Analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales.
  • Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.
  • Develop, operate, and maintain geographical information computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, and video cameras.
  • Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
  • Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors.
  • Study the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of a specific region's population.
  • Teach geography.
  • Write and present reports of research findings.

Skills that matter most

Reading ComprehensionWritingCritical ThinkingSpeakingActive ListeningActive LearningGeographyEnglish LanguageComputers and ElectronicsEducation and Training

Education, experience and outlook for geographers

  • Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
  • Job outlook: -2.1% over ten years, declining · about 100 openings a year (BLS)

Related hiring guides

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Job 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.