How To Become A Telephone Switchboard Operator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a telephone switchboard operator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average telephone switchboard operator salary is $30,681. The most common degree is a high school diploma degree with an business major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a telephone switchboard operator. Telephone switchboard operators with a Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 0% and produce 4,300 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreTelephone Switchboard OperatorUS Average

Salary

2.4

Avg. Salary $30,681

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.20%

Asian 4.09%

Black or African American 14.69%

Hispanic or Latino 15.92%

Unknown 3.59%

White 60.52%

Gender

female 84.35%

male 15.65%

Age - 57

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 57

Stress level

8.1

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

10.0

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a telephone switchboard operator

Explore telephone switchboard operator education requirements

Most common telephone switchboard operator degrees

High School Diploma

32.0 %

Bachelor's

28.0 %

Associate

28.0 %

Start to develop specific telephone switchboard operator skills

Skills	Percentages
Telephone Switchboard	35.94%
On-Call Schedules	20.59%
Customer Service	11.35%
Direct Calls	8.40%
Inbound Calls	5.70%

Complete relevant telephone switchboard operator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New telephone switchboard operators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a telephone switchboard operator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real telephone switchboard operator resumes.

Research telephone switchboard operator duties and responsibilities

Protect patient privacy by following HIPAA regulations, as well as maintaining confidential information within the hospital intranet.
Receive, answer and forward calls on a busy switchboard for doctors, attorneys and numerous businesses.
Work the operator switchboard answering incoming calls and place direct, third party, collect calls and provide customer assistance.
Monitor security equipment and train to contact APD when the situation call for it.

Prepare your telephone switchboard operator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your telephone switchboard operator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a telephone switchboard operator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable telephone switchboard operator resume templates

Build a professional telephone switchboard operator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your telephone switchboard operator resume.