Occupation Profile

Switchboard Operators

(SOC Code : 43-2011)

in California

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Short-term on-the-job training .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$14.15	$10.94	$13.36	$16.60

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	16,200	12,500	-3,700	-22.8	310

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,393

10.8%

Accommodation

11,143

7.7%

Other Amusement & Recreation Industries

11,489

2.0%

Legal Services

57,499

1.9%

Offices of Real Estate Agents & Brokers

39,683

1.7%

Insurance Agencies, Brokerages & Support

28,682

1.6%

Accounting and Bookkeeping Services

24,363

1.5%

Outpatient Care Centers

6,487

1.4%

Building Material and Supplies Dealers

16,446

1.3%

Religious Organizations

25,283

1.3%

Office Administrative Services

2,198

1.2%

About Staffing Patterns

Data for Training Programs not available.

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.

Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.

Route emergency calls appropriately.

Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.

Relay or route written or verbal messages.

Perform clerical duties, such as typing, proofreading, accepting orders, scheduling appointments, and sorting mail.

Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.

Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained.

Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones.

Keep records of calls placed and charges incurred.

More Tasks for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

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