Telemarketers build persuasion, service orientation and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (91%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 91% | $69,990 | +97% | None |
| 2 | Customer Service Representatives | 87% | $44,770 | +26% | None |
| 3 | Retail Salespersons | 86% | $35,410 | 0% | None |
| 4 | Advertising Sales Agents | 84% | $64,820 | +83% | Certificate or associate |
| 5 | Counter and Rental Clerks | 82% | $41,300 | +17% | None |
| 6 | Receptionists and Information Clerks | 82% | $38,010 | +7% | None |
| 7 | New Accounts Clerks | 80% | $47,670 | +34% | Certificate or associate |
| 8 | Order Clerks | 78% | $46,170 | +30% | None |
| 9 | Travel Agents | 76% | $50,160 | +41% | Certificate or associate |
| 10 | Concierges | 75% | $38,950 | +10% | None |
Compared with Telemarketers, median $35,450. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as telemarketers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
91% skill match · $69,990 · +97% pay
Systems Evaluation · Systems Analysis · Time Management
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
87% skill match · $44,770 · +26% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Time Management · Complex Problem Solving
86% skill match · $35,410 · 0% pay
Operation and Control · Quality Control Analysis · Management of Financial Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (91% skill match, median $69,990), Customer Service Representatives (87% skill match, median $44,770) and Retail Salespersons (86% skill match, median $35,410), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 19 pay more than telemarketers at the median. The biggest increases: Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel (+97%, $69,990), Advertising Sales Agents (+83%, $64,820) and Travel Agents (+41%, $50,160).
21 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.