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Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Typical education: High school diplomaLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $38,630 Median per year · $18.57/hr Most earn $29,990–$59,470

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
  • Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.
  • Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
  • Stamp messages with time and date and file them appropriately.
  • Relay or route written or verbal messages.
  • Perform administrative tasks, such as accepting orders, scheduling appointments or meeting rooms, or sending and receiving faxes.

Job outlook

United States
26% fewer jobs by 2035, declining · about 3,100 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • General medical and surgical hospitals31.0%
  • Business support services18.6%
  • Offices of physicians9.5%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals2.7%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 3 to 6 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: High school diplomaExperience before this job: 3 to 6 monthsEntry-level

Switchboard operator is an entry-level job. Most people can start right after high school, usually with a few months of on-the-job training or some earlier customer-facing work.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Build reading, speaking, and typing skills, since you'll be answering calls and recording messages all day.

  2. Switchboard Operator

    About 3-6 months of training or prior customer-facing work

    Learn the phone system, how to transfer calls, and how to take accurate messages, which is the core of this job.

Where it can lead

  1. Receptionist

    1-2 years of experience first

    You take on more face-to-face and information-giving work, greeting visitors and handling office questions, which builds the people skills needed for the next level.

  2. Executive Assistant

    2-4 years of experience first

    You support senior leaders with scheduling, documents, and projects; most roles at this level expect an associate degree or strong office experience.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take a keyboarding or computer applications classFast, accurate typing and basic office software are used in nearly every front-desk and phone job.
  • Join a speech, debate, or drama clubPractice speaking clearly and politely, which matters when you handle many calls a day.
  • Get a part-time job in customer serviceWorking at a store, restaurant, or front counter teaches you how to handle callers and visitors under pressure.
  • Volunteer at a school office or community centerAnswering phones and helping people with questions gives you real practice with messages and routing.

In college

  • Take business communication or customer service coursesThese classes build the phone etiquette and writing skills employers look for in call-handling roles.
  • Work a campus front-desk or call-center jobCampus offices and help lines often hire students, and the experience counts toward the prior-experience step.
  • Earn a basic office or computer certificateA short, low-cost certificate in office software or keyboarding can make your application stand out.
  • Join a student organization that handles events or member questionsFielding questions and tracking messages for a group is good practice for the daily work of a switchboard operator.

Tips for getting started

  • Get any customer-service or front-desk experience you can, even part-time, since it shortens the time you need to feel confident on the job.
  • Practice typing and clear phone manner now; employers look for accuracy and a calm, friendly voice.
  • Check local job boards for 'answering service' and 'receptionist' openings to see what employers ask for in your area.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

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