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Telemarketers

Under the title Telemarketers, workers solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone. O*NET rates it as some preparation, which usually means a few months to a year of learning on the job. It leans on speaking, persuasion, and active listening. You may also need to contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes. Interest ratings put Enterprising on top at 5.4 out of 7 and Conventional second, so the code is ECS and the day leans toward leading, persuading and making business decisions. If you want leading, persuading and making business decisions, keep it on your list. If you need research, analysis and working through hard problems, it may feel thin.

What they do

Solicit donations or orders for goods or services over the telephone.

Main tasks

  • Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
  • Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
  • Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
  • Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
  • Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.
  • Answer telephone calls from potential customers who have been solicited through advertisements.

Skills

  • Speaking
  • Persuasion
  • Active Listening
  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Reading Comprehension

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
  • You are comfortable relying on speaking and persuasion.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You want to spend most of your time analyzing and researching. Investigative rates 1.1 out of 7 here.
  • You want a career built on years of advanced study.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECS takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.

Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.

Also called

  • Call Agent
  • Inside Sales Representative (Inside Sales Rep)
  • Telemarketer
  • Telemarketing Sales Representative (Telemarketing Sales Rep)
  • Telephone Sales Representative (TSR)

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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.