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Also called answering service telephone operator, cbx operator, combination operator and communication center operator.
$38,630
Median pay a year
34,280
People do this work
6
Resume lines ready for you
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
A Switchboard Operator resume, filled in
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Switchboard Operator
Summary
Switchboard operator managing telephone systems to relay calls, provide information, and record messages while also greeting visitors and handling cash tasks
Experience
Switchboard Operator
Where you worked
Month Year to Month Year
Operated communication systems like telephones, switchboards, and two-way radios
Answered incoming calls, greeted callers, provided information, and transferred calls
Greeted visitors, logged them in and out, assigned security badges, and contacted escorts
Monitored emergency alarms, made announcements, and routed emergency calls
Recorded messages and suggested rewording for clarity or conciseness
Paged individuals to inform them of calls using interoffice communication equipment
Performed various cash handling tasks, including collecting payments and making deposits
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What to put on a Switchboard Operator resume
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What did you do each day?
Choose what fits, or say your own.
Operated communication systemsAnswered incoming calls and messagesGreeted visitors and logged them inMonitored emergency alarms and callsRecorded messages for clarityProcessed incoming and outgoing mail
becomes
On your resume
Operated communication systems to manage incoming calls and messages
Greeted visitors and logged them in, maintaining security and accurate records
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The line that could show more, and the fact that lands it.
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Show what improved once the communication systems were in use
The line
Operated communication systems to manage incoming calls and messages, making call handling faster and more efficient
Show what improved once the communication systems were in use
Pick one that fits
Call handling became faster and more efficientFewer missed calls and messagesImproved response time for urgent inquiries
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
Add how often you logged visitors in and out
The line
Greeted visitors and logged them in, maintaining security and accurate records
Add how often you logged visitors in and out
Pick one that fits
Most visitors each daySeveral visitors every shiftA few each hour
Or add your own.
In your wordsAdd it
Adding it to the line…
Added to your resume
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What it is made of
Skills for a Switchboard Operator resume
What this work is made of. Rung offers these and keeps the ones you claim.
What are you good at?
Operating communications equipment
Monitoring alarm systems
Answering telephones
Sorting mail
Preparing cash for deposits
Proofreading files
Maintaining security
Operating audio recording equipment
Maintaining call records
Preparing compliance documents
Relaying information
Referring customers
The work itself
What a Switchboard Operator does
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
What it pays
How much does a Switchboard Operator make?
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
25th percentile
$34,820
Median
$38,630
75th percentile
$46,530
About 34,280 people do this work in the United States.
What it pays in each state
State
25th percentile
Median
75th percentile
AK
$34,300
$37,690
$40,630
AL
$30,160
$32,210
$34,510
AR
$31,090
$35,290
$39,040
AZ
$37,970
$40,380
$44,320
CA
$41,600
$48,840
$65,600
CO
$39,650
$43,720
$45,900
CT
$35,100
$38,380
$50,450
DC
$47,510
$54,700
$61,580
DE
$31,200
$35,980
$41,900
FL
$33,370
$35,410
$37,800
GA
$36,070
$39,490
$43,710
HI
$47,900
$59,860
$64,910
IA
$36,600
$38,400
$42,580
ID
$33,280
$38,000
$38,770
IL
$38,330
$42,660
$46,150
IN
$32,080
$36,860
$42,830
KS
$36,390
$38,760
$42,920
KY
$35,050
$37,590
$41,370
LA
$28,330
$35,890
$39,060
MA
$38,550
$43,790
$48,260
MD
$35,800
$37,080
$41,720
ME
$39,940
$43,350
$45,680
MI
$34,910
$37,390
$40,400
MN
$42,970
$47,430
$55,530
MO
$34,820
$37,130
$39,460
MS
$27,420
$30,520
$34,980
MT
$35,310
$36,270
$40,810
NC
$34,180
$38,520
$43,420
NE
$35,250
$37,570
$41,130
NH
$39,300
$44,210
$47,410
NJ
$38,080
$40,430
$47,340
NM
$34,650
$37,710
$44,320
NV
$34,220
$38,070
$42,570
NY
$38,430
$45,330
$54,480
OH
$33,230
$36,350
$38,900
OK
$31,470
$35,280
$37,440
PA
$28,890
$36,890
$41,760
PR
$22,060
$24,960
$30,340
RI
$37,140
$39,850
$47,020
SC
$30,780
$34,010
$37,500
TN
$30,150
$35,550
$38,870
TX
$29,160
$33,620
$37,010
VA
$34,420
$36,730
$40,200
VT
$40,220
$42,630
$46,320
WA
$41,040
$47,800
$52,870
WI
$38,180
$40,030
$46,040
WV
$30,870
$37,430
$41,080
Other names
Other names for this job
answering service telephone operator, cbx operator, combination operator, communication center operator, communications operator, complaint operator, computerized branch exchange operator, desk operator, exchange operator, operator, pbx operator, pbx switchboard operator.
More names for this work
police communications operator, police district sb operator, police district switchboard operator, private branch exchange operator, private branch exchange switchboard operator, sb operator, service operator, tandem operator, telecommunications operator, telephone answering service operator, telephone sb operator, telephone switchboard operator, test operator, through operator, traffic operator, switchboard operators including answering service, central communications specialist, command and control specialist, communications coordinator, communications specialist, information specialist, line technician, pbx service adviser, private branch exchange service adviser, route clerk, sb receptionist, switch technician, switchboard receptionist, switching clerk, telecommunications clerk, telegraph office telephone clerk, telephone service rep, telephone service representative.
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This page is about the occupation Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.