Telephone Operators
What Telephone Operators Do
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 2 of 5Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Job training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.2/5
- Telecommunicationsimportance 3.8/5
- Administrativeimportance 3.6/5
- English Languageimportance 3.2/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.1/5
- Administration and Managementimportance 2.6/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 2.4/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 2.3/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Telephone Conversations5.0/5
- Contact With Others5.0/5
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General4.7/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.7/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.6/5
- E-Mail4.5/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants97% skill match
- Cashiers97% skill match
- Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs97% skill match
- Customer Service Representatives96% skill match
- New Accounts Clerks96% skill match
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors96% skill match
- Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks95% skill match
- Substitute Teachers, Short-Term95% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Service Orientationimportance 3.5/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.6/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.5/5
- Time Managementimportance 2.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.3/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.0/5
- Instructingimportance 2.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Computer aided dispatch software
- Handheld computer device software
- Video conference software
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Attention to Detail
- Self-Control
- Social Orientation
- Stress Tolerance
- Integrity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- ConventionalHigh
- SocialMedium
- EnterprisingMedium
- RealisticMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- ArtisticLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where telephone operators make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Charleston-North Charleston, SC9.79× national avg
- 2Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX3.35× national avg
- 3Cleveland, OH3.06× national avg
- 4Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD2.53× national avg
- 5Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD2.18× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Receptionists and Information ClerksLateral Move
- Customer Service RepresentativesLateral Move
- Switchboard Operators, Including Answering ServiceLateral Move
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel ClerksLateral Move