What does a field installer do?
Field installer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real field installer resumes:
- Retrofit security wiring in residential and commercial settings.
- General construction including electrical repairs and installation, plumbing repair and installation, drywall and basic carpentry.
- Install expansion and control valves, using acetylene torches and wrenches.
Field installer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Field Installers are proficient in Customer Satisfaction, Windows, and Ladders. They’re also known for soft skills such as Mechanical skills, Troubleshooting skills, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Field Installers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Satisfaction, 22%
Provide excellent customer service ensuring total customer satisfaction
- Windows, 16%
Train Install, and Configure Windows and DOS based products to customers on site.
- Ladders, 8%
Perform elevated work safely utilizing extension ladders and scissor lift equipment.
- HVAC, 7%
Involved in the start up process of all new HVAC units as well as providing service or repair to older units.
- PC, 6%
Configured existing server, hubs and modems to work with new PC's.
- Safety Procedures, 5%
Adhere to company safety procedures and policy, including wearing appropriate personal protective equipment and operation of company vehicles and equipment.
Most field installers use their skills in "customer satisfaction," "windows," and "ladders" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential field installer responsibilities here:
Mechanical skills. The most essential soft skill for a field installer to carry out their responsibilities is mechanical skills. This skill is important for the role because "telecom technicians must be familiar with the devices they install and repair, with their internal parts, and with the appropriate tools needed to use, install, or fix them." Additionally, a field installer resume shows how their duties depend on mechanical skills: "experienced in industrial hvac systems & mechanical systems wet and dry side installation. "
Troubleshooting skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling field installer duties is troubleshooting skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "telecom technicians must be able to troubleshoot and devise solutions to problems that are not immediately apparent." According to a field installer resume, here's how field installers can utilize troubleshooting skills in their job responsibilities: "installed server equipment into air traffic control towers *ran cables throughout the facility *assisted with the troubleshooting of bootup"
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of field installers is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday field installer duties, as "telecom technicians’ tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "created training lab for hands on trouble shooting and experience .headed up mapping of network through cad based platform. "
Color vision. field installer responsibilities often require "color vision." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "telecom technicians work with color-coded wires, and they need to be able to tell them apart." This resume example shows what field installers do with color vision on a typical day: "ensured cable television service and high speed internet was installed in timely manner achieving customer satisfaction. "
Customer-service skills. A commonly-found skill in field installer job descriptions, "customer-service skills" is essential to what field installers do. Field installer responsibilities rely on this skill because "telecom technicians who work in customers’ homes and offices should be friendly and polite." You can also see how field installer duties rely on customer-service skills in this resume example: "worked with at&t;, gte, bellsouth, turnkey mission doing site surveys with customers and engineers. "
The three companies that hire the most field installers are:
- The Coca-Cola Company11 field installers jobs
- Sorenson9 field installers jobs
- Pentair6 field installers jobs
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Compare different field installers
Field installer vs. Tower technician
A tower technician is responsible for maintaining the performance stability of line towers to provide the best network services for the customers. Tower technicians are often out in the field to conduct repairs and installations for the customers, inspecting the area's condition, and reporting structural inconsistencies and defects. They should have excellent mechanical and electrical knowledge to resolve issues immediately and create resolution manuals to prevent reoccurrence and ensure the safeness and security of line towers.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a field installer are more likely to require skills like "customer satisfaction," "windows," "lan wan," and "hvac." On the other hand, a job as a tower technician requires skills like "osha," "cpr," "hand tools," and "pim." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Tower technicians tend to make the most money working in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $39,462. In contrast, field installers make the biggest average salary, $43,655, in the retail industry.On average, tower technicians reach similar levels of education than field installers. Tower technicians are 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Field installer vs. Phone technician
A tower hand is an individual who climbs towers or poles to install, repair, and perform routine maintenance on electrical equipment. Tower hands are required to climb up very tall structures to perform maintenance on equipment such as power lines, cell tower components, or radio antenna equipment. They must perform audits on their climbing equipment so that they can determine the quality of their equipment as well as avoid defects. Tower hands must be competent climbers so that they can safely climb towers while carrying heavy equipment.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real field installer resumes. While field installer responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer satisfaction," "ladders," "lan wan," and "hvac," phone technicians use skills like "customer service," "cell phones," "phone system," and "voip."
Phone technicians earn similar levels of education than field installers in general. They're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for field installers in the next 3-5 years?
Steve Harris
Executive Director of Education and Business Development, SCTE·ISBE
Entry-level professionals with the new SCTE•ISBE broadband premises installer, SCTE•ISBE broadband wireless installer, or SCTE•ISBE broadband fiber installer (FTTH) certifications will be more successful pursuing a career in the cable telecommunications industry. In fact, the major cable operators use SCTE•ISBE programs to train their employees, so these certifications will put them ahead of the curve.
Field installer vs. Tower hand
A cable technician is responsible for managing cable systems, installing cable equipment, upgrading network systems, and troubleshooting cable issues. Cable technicians' duties include replacing defective cabling, running diagnostic tests on newly-installed cable systems, inspecting cable towers and ground cables, providing cable instructions to the customer, responding to customer's cable inquiries and requests, and ensuring the safety of cable structures. A cable technician must have a strong understanding of electrical systems and cable technology, following the established procedures and environmental policies.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from field installer resumes include skills like "customer satisfaction," "windows," "ladders," and "lan wan," whereas a tower hand is more likely to list skills in "cpr," "osha," "demolition," and "hand tools. "
When it comes to education, tower hands tend to earn similar degree levels compared to field installers. In fact, they're 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Field installer vs. Cable technician
Types of field installer
Updated January 8, 2025
