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Telephone Operator
Career Insights for Switchboard / Telephone Operator
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Scorecard
Based on Minnesota data
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What they do
A Switchboard or Telephone Operator works for a telephone company or system to operate telephone system equipment to route incoming calls, direct internal calls, or assist customers with placing calls. Assists with connecting long distance or collect calls, or provides customers with assistance in finding a phone number or an address. May also answer customer calls at a company or organization or work for an agency that handles and routes emergency calls.
$36,422 / year median in Minnesota
-16% projected decline
Job Description
Qualifications:
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/27/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:General Experience:
Applicants must possess at least one (1) year of general experience with duties related to the position. General experience is clerical, office, or other work that indicates the ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position such as but is not limited to: customer service, receptionist duties, receiving and directing a variety of inquiries, and providing immediate communications throughout the medical center.OR Education:
Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two (2) years of education above high school. (TRANSCRIPTSREQUIRED
) .OR Combination:
Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of experience and education to qualify for the Telephone Operator position.Example:
The position to be filled is a Payroll Clerk, GS-04. An applicant has 8 months of qualifying experience and 20 semester hours of college. The applicant meets 67 percent of the required experience and 33 percent of the required education. The applicant meets 100 percent of the total requirements and is qualified for the position . (TRANSCRIPTSREQUIRED
) . Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.Note :
A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/ .Physical Requirements:
The work ls usually sedentary but may involve some standing and walking to consult directories and manuals.You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.