What does a Meter Readers, Utility do?

Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam. Day to day that includes work like read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers and Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled.

What skills should a Meter Readers, Utility put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Meter Readers, Utility list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Billing software, Geographic information system GIS systems, Graphing software, Mapping software, and Meter reading software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Meter Readers, Utility work?

O*NET records 23 titles for this occupation, including Meter Readers, Utilities, Meter Reader, Meter Technician, and Water Meter Reader. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Meter Readers, Utility need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 71% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Meter Readers, Utility role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Meter Readers, Utility resume example

A resume for a Meter Readers, Utility needs to show the work itself: read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam. Day to day that means work like this: read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers; upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Meter Readers, Utilities
Meter Reader
Meter Technician
Water Meter Reader
Water Use Inspector
Field Technician
Fieldman
Meter Reader Inspector
Meter Reading Clerk
Utility Service Worker
Water Inspector
Facilities Tech
Customer Field Representative
Electric Meter Reader
Facilities Technician
Field Service Engineer
Gas Meter Reader
Meter Record Clerk

O*NET records 23 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers.
Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled.
Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials.
Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals.
Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations.
Report to service departments any problems, such as meter irregularities, damaged equipment, or impediments to meter access, including dogs.
Leave messages to arrange different times to read meters in cases in which meters are not accessible.
Connect and disconnect utility services at specific locations.
Answer customers' questions about services and charges, or direct them to customer service centers.
Update client address and meter location information.
Perform preventative maintenance or minor repairs on meters.
Report lost or broken keys.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Billing software
Geographic information system GIS systems
Graphing software
Mapping software
Meter reading software
Microsoft Access
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Office software
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Word
Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
Word processing software

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Automatic meter reading systems
Copy machines
Dataloggers
Desktop computers
Digital multimeters
Digital still cameras
Electricity consumption meters
Garden shovels
Gas consumption meters
Gas powered blowers
Gas powered pumps
Global positioning system GPS devices

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Billing
Geographic information system GIS systems

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Critical Thinking
03Reading Comprehension
04Service Orientation
05Speaking
06Time Management

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Customer and Personal Service
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Mathematics

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

71%High School Diploma, or the equivalent
17%Some College Courses
9%Associate's Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Some Preparation Needed”. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.

Common questions

What does a Meter Readers, Utility do?: Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam. Day to day that includes work like read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers and Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled.
What skills should a Meter Readers, Utility put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Service Orientation, and Speaking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Meter Readers, Utility list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Billing software, Geographic information system GIS systems, Graphing software, Mapping software, and Meter reading software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Meter Readers, Utility work?: O*NET records 23 titles for this occupation, including Meter Readers, Utilities, Meter Reader, Meter Technician, and Water Meter Reader. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Meter Readers, Utility need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 71% reported their level of education as "High School Diploma, or the equivalent". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Meter Readers, Utility role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.