About the job
Install, set-up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers’ property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
What you'll do
- Address special issues or situations, such as illegal or unauthorized use of equipment, or cases of electrical or acoustic shock.
- Clean switches and replace contact points, using vacuum hoses, solvents, and hand tools.
- Determine viability of sites through observation, and discuss site locations and construction requirements with customers.
- Dig holes or trenches as necessary for equipment installation and access.
- Examine telephone transmission facilities to determine requirements for new or additional telephone services.
- Install telephone station equipment, such as intercommunication systems, transmitters, receivers, relays, and ringers, and related apparatus, such as coin collectors, telephone booths, and switching-key equipment.
- Measure distances from landmarks to identify exact installation sites for equipment.
- Perform routine maintenance on equipment, including adjusting and lubricating components, and painting worn or exposed areas.
- Place intercept circuits on terminals to handle vacant lines in central office installations.
- Provide input into the design and manufacturing of new equipment.
Things you need to know
- Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
Abilities you'll need to have
- Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Troubleshooting - Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Equipment Maintenance - Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Repairing - Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.