Phone Operator job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

7

O*NET task statements

O*NET occupation

Telephone Operators

O*NET-SOC 43-2021.00

Preparation

Job Zone 1-2 of 5

very little to some preparation

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$41,740

BLS May 2025

Data Government data groups this job as Telephone Operators (O*NET-SOC 43-2021.00). O*NET 31.0 lists “Phone Operator” as a job title for this occupation only (evidence: O*NET's Sample of Reported Titles (titles job holders report), O*NET job-incumbent data and employer job postings). Figures on this page are for that occupation. TryHired has no separate career page for this title yet.

1. Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections. importance 4.6 of 5
2. Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information. importance 4.2 of 5
4. Update directory information. importance 4.1 of 5
5. Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information. importance 4.1 of 5
6. Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail. importance 4.0 of 5
7. Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations. importance 4.0 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Getting Information, Working with Computers, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Processing Information and Documenting/Recording Information.

Also part of the job

Supplemental tasks O*NET lists for this occupation: less central than the core duties above, and not done in every job.

• Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
• Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
• Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
• Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
• Provide relay service for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Keep records of calls placed and received, and of related toll charges.

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Telecommunications, Administrative, English Language and Computers and Electronics.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists short-term on-the-job training as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 1-2 of 5 (very little to some preparation). Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board.

Most phone operators surveyed by O*NET (98%) name a high school diploma or equivalent as the education the job requires.

Job title: Phone Operator
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Phone Operator to provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
- Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
- Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
- Update directory information.
- Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
- Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
- Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, speaking and service orientation
- Working knowledge of Customer and Personal Service and Telecommunications
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Microsoft Office software or Microsoft Excel]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

For Telephone Operators, the median annual wage was $41,740 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $20.07. BLS estimates about 3,430 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of Telephone Operators to decline 27.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 200 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

• Read a real phone operator posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only phone operator work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and speaking): a real situation, what you did and what changed.