How to hire telecommunications line installers and repairers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces. • Clean or maintain tools or test equipment. • Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions. • Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches. • Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches. • Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks. • Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems. • Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong critical thinking, monitoring, speaking, active listening and reading comprehension skills • Working knowledge of telecommunications, customer and personal service, engineering and technology and computers and electronics • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $35.73 an hour ($74,330 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for telecommunications line installers and repairers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to clean or maintain tools or test equipment. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- How do you keep track of your own work quality during a busy shift or week? Give an example of catching a problem early.
- Explain something technical from your last job as you would to a new coworker.
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What telecommunications line installers and repairers do
- Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
- Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
- Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
- Lay underground cable directly in trenches, or string it through conduits running through trenches.
- Pull cable through ducts by hand or with winches.
- Pull up cable by hand from large reels mounted on trucks.
- Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems.
- Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 1 to 2 years (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Long-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: -3.4% over ten years, declining · about 8,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay telecommunications line installers and repairers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $103,410 |
| New Jersey | $102,090 |
| New York | $100,960 |
| California | $97,980 |
| District of Columbia | $97,600 |
| Mississippi | $49,360 |
| Oklahoma | $48,900 |
| Louisiana | $48,770 |
See telecommunications line installers and repairers pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: 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. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.