# Telemarketers

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/telemarketers
- SOC code: 41-9041.00
- Career family: Sales
- Median annual pay: $35,450 (10th percentile $27,040, 90th percentile $50,350)
- Projected growth: Decline, -21.4%
- Openings a year: 5,800
- Typical entry education: No formal credential
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code ECS)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 15 |
| Investigative (I) | 2 |
| Artistic (A) | 4 |
| Social (S) | 44 |
| Enterprising (E) | 73 |
| Conventional (C) | 68 |

## What you'd do

- Selling or Influencing Others (importance 96/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 87/100)
- Getting Information (importance 84/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 80/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 79/100)
- Processing Information (importance 77/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 76/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 75/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 74/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 70/100)

## Skills

Persuasion, Speaking, Active Listening, Service Orientation, Reading Comprehension, Social Perceptiveness, Critical Thinking, Negotiation, Coordination, Writing

## Knowledge

Sales and Marketing, Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administration and Management, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media, Administrative, Law and Government, Telecommunications, Mathematics

## Also called

Call Agent, Call Center Agent, Call Center Operator, Call Center Representative (Call Center Rep), Call Center Sales Agent, Call Center Telemarketer, Contact Center Agent, Direct Sales Agent, Donation Worker, Inbound Call Center Agent

## Related careers

- [Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sales-representatives-of-services-except-advertising-insurance-financial-services-and): $69,990 median pay
- [Customer Service Representatives](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/customer-service-representatives): $44,770 median pay
- [Advertising Sales Agents](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/advertising-sales-agents): $64,820 median pay
- [Counter and Rental Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/counter-and-rental-clerks): $41,300 median pay
- [Receptionists and Information Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/receptionists-and-information-clerks): $38,010 median pay
- [New Accounts Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/new-accounts-clerks): $47,670 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

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. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.