Telephone Operators

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.

On the job, you would:

Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.

Personality

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Characteristics of this Career
		98%	Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
		96%	Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
		95%	Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
		92%	Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
		92%	Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
		89%	Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
		89%	Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
		83%	Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
		77%	Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
		75%	Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
		74%	Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
		67%	Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
		65%	Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.
		60%	Innovation - Job requires creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
		60%	Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Strengths
		95%	Conventional - Work involves following procedures and regulations to organize information or data, typically in a business setting. Conventional occupations are often associated with office work, accounting, mathematics/statistics, information technology, finance, or human resources.
		56%	Social - Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Values of the Work Environment
		72%	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. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.

Aptitude

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Abilities \| Cognitive, Physical, Personality
		88%	Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
		81%	Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
		78%	Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
		72%	Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
		56%	Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
		53%	Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Job Details

Responsibilities

Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information.

Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.

Assist individuals with paperwork.

Assist disabled or incapacitated individuals.

Operate communications equipment or systems.

Answer telephones to direct calls or provide information.

Discuss account status or activity with customers or patrons.

Calculate costs of goods or services.

Operate communications equipment or systems.

Sort mail.

Proofread documents, records, or other files to ensure accuracy.

Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information.

Operate communications equipment or systems.

Assist disabled or incapacitated individuals.

Promote products, services, or programs.

Operate communications equipment or systems.

Enter information into databases or software programs.

Maintain call records.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent
		100%	Telephone - How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
		100%	Spend Time Sitting - How much does this job require sitting?
		99%	Deal With Unpleasant or Angry People - How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?
		98%	Contact With Others - How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?
		97%	Importance of Repeating Same Tasks - How important is repeating the same physical activities (e.g., key entry) or mental activities (e.g., checking entries in a ledger) over and over, without stopping, to performing this job?
		95%	Deal With External Customers - How important is it to work with external customers or the public in this job?
		95%	Frequency of Decision Making - How frequently is the worker required to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the image and reputation of the organization?
		93%	Importance of Being Exact or Accurate - How important is being very exact or highly accurate in performing this job?
		87%	Indoors, Environmentally Controlled - How often does this job require working indoors in environmentally controlled conditions?
		85%	Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results - What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the image or reputation or financial resources of your employer?
		84%	Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions - How much does this job require making repetitive motions?
		78%	Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls - How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?
		74%	Level of Competition - To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?
		68%	Physical Proximity - To what extent does this job require the worker to perform job tasks in close physical proximity to other people?
		67%	Work With Work Group or Team - How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
		66%	Degree of Automation - How automated is the job?
		58%	Pace Determined by Speed of Equipment - How important is it to this job that the pace is determined by the speed of equipment or machinery? (This does not refer to keeping busy at all times on this job.)
		55%	Face-to-Face Discussions - How often do you have to have face-to-face discussions with individuals or teams in this job?
		52%	Time Pressure - How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?
		58%	Duration of Typical Work Week - Number of hours typically worked in one week.

A3	Your Strengths	Importance	Tasks & Values
		86%	Working with Computers - Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
		82%	Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
		75%	Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others - Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
		70%	Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
		69%	Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
		69%	Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
		65%	Documenting/Recording Information - Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
		62%	Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
		60%	Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others - Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
		57%	Developing and Building Teams - Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
		55%	Analyzing Data or Information - Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
		54%	Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
		54%	Assisting and Caring for Others - Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
		54%	Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
		53%	Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Getting Started

Education:

84%

High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)

16%

Less than a High School Diploma

Telephone Operators

What they do:

On the job, you would:

Personality

Characteristics of this Career

Strengths

Values of the Work Environment

Aptitude

Abilities | Cognitive, Physical, Personality

Job Details

Attributes & Percentage of Time Spent

Tasks & Values

Getting Started