Electrical Meter Reader
(Male, Age 27) from Mechanicsville, NY
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 27 who works as a Electrical Meter Reader in Mechanicsville, NY. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Electrical Meter Reader |
|---|---|
| Salary | $21,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 40 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Mechanicsville, NY |
| Years Experience | 1.5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
It is the SMECO electric company. They provide electricity to the southern maryland area.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I have to read every meter on my route. It is especially important to read accurately and to make sure that my route is completed on time. I also have to make sure I am kind to the customers and that I am always driving safely.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
no benefits
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
With the exception of our weekly safety meetings, I mostly work by myself. I like this because it means that I can decide how to read my route with out someone over managing me.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I’m in my truck most of the time. The rest of the time is spent walking across yards and sometimes patches of woods.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 2
Benefits: 5
Hours: 4
Co-Workers: 8
Supervisors: 7
Job Title: 6
Level of Responsibility: 3
The Actual Work: 1
A day in the life of…
Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:
| 5am to 6am | |
| 6am to 7am | |
| 7am to 8am | Met with my coworkers and supervisor for our weekly saftey meeting. He mentioned that we need to remember to pull the seal on the meter to ensure that they havn’t been tampered with. He also mentioned that there were some extra meters in everyones handheld and that they were misses from last week. They meters from last week were more important to finish than the ones for today, but he wanted us to try to finish both routes. |
| 8am to 9am | I grabbed my handheld and my map at the office. I got in my work truck, parked my personal car, and started heading to my route. My route had 525 meters on it, but about half of them were erts (electronic meters that can be read electronically by the hand held). So I really has about 250 meter to read. |
| 9am to 10am | After driving the route trying to pick up as many erts as I could, I drove to the start of the route. I pulled up the the house, saw in the handheld that the meter was on the right side of the house, got out of the truck and walked to the meter, read the meter, and returned to the truck. I repeated that process for the next couple of house. |
| 10am to 11am | While I was reading meters I opened my lunch box and started eating as I drove. Since it is so important to finish on time I like to eat while I’m driving. The was one or two meters that were tricky to find. But after a little bit of searching I found them on the back of a garage that I had thought was abandoned. I put a note in the handheld about it. |
| 11am to 12pm | As I was reading a neighborhood there were a lot of school buses letting really young kidsa off at home. I made sure to drive extra carefully. Even though I was in a hurry, I made sure I always gave the bus the right of way and that I reall took my time around the kids. At one point I even walked up a driveway because there were some kids on it. I could have driven around them, but I thought it would be safer to walk it. |
| 12pm to 1pm | A few of the houses in this hour had really mean dogs. Sometimes I risk it and try to read the meter any way, but today the dogs looked like they wanted to bite me. I put a note in the handheld that an ert should be installed in these houses. That way the meter reader won’t have to leave the truck to read the meter. |
| 1pm to 2pm | At this time I realized that I was running behind. In a neighborhood where the meters are relativly close together a good meter reader can read about 50 meters an hour. The route I had today was all long driveways and woods. Also things like fences, dogs, and hard-to-find meters were slowing me down. Since the handheld has to be back at the office and transmitted by 3:30 I had only about two hour to finsh 117 meter. I picked up the pace. |
| 2pm to 3pm | By this time I realized that I wouldn’t be able to finish my route. Ideally the route should always be finished, but sometimes when its an unfamiliar route we can ask for help. It happens to even the best of meter readers. I called up my supervisor to ask for help, but he said that no one was in my area that could give a hand. He did tell me that the meter I was on could be finished tomorrow, but that I could try to do as much as I can today. |
| 3pm to 4pm | Since my route was about 30 mins fom the office, I left the route at 3 and started heading back. I got the office at just before 3:30 and transmitted my handheld. My supervisor to me that I will probably have my left over meters on my route tomorrow to finish up. I then took a peek at what route I had for tomorrow, switched my vehicles, and started to head home for the day. |
| 4pm to 5pm | |
| 5pm to 6pm | |
| 6pm to 7pm | |
| 7pm to 8pm | |
| 8pm to 9pm | |
| 9pm to 10pm | |
| 10pm to 11pm | |
| 11pm to 12am |
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
a friend recommended me.
What was the application process?
a short interview
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
It was a very short interview. It mostly had to do with how well I was with directions. They also told me that there would be a background check for my driving record.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Not many. Just if I were good with maps and if my driving record was clean.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes and no. I got a good idea about how to finish the route on time, but there are still things that the handheld can do that I’m still learning about.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
A little. Mostly alot of practice on a computer program where you could practice reading meters. Then you road along with another meter reader for a few days to get an idea about the job. Then after a week of that you got a route of your own.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not at all.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
na
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
To go the the SMECO website. Or the Scope services website.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
The most important is to be a safe driver. The second is to be very good at managing your time. The third is to always be pleasant to the customers. And the forth is to read the meters accurately. This last one will come with time.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
none at all
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Make sure your diving and personal records are clean. Then when you get the job try your best to finish the route with out getting many mistakes.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
Not at all. I’ve always wanted to be a librarian. Thats not working out right now, so I’m a meter reader. Its the best paying job I’ve ever had, but thats not saying much.
What are your current career goals?
Right now I’m focusing on changing careers and becoming a librarian. I really want a job that will use my degree in some way.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
All in all its probably the best job I’ve ever had. Its just not the job for me.
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | night team member | 3 years | 8 per hour | worked over night stocking the shelves at target. |
| Prior Job 2 | meat stocker | 1 year | 8 per hour | stocked the meat product in the refrigerator section of the grocery store |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:2.8
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.8 | College of Souther Maryland | Associates in History |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.8 | St. Mary’s Honor College | bachelors in History |
Ask a Question of this Mentor
This mentor has opted to receive questions from people interested in this career or job position. Please be respectful of their time and willingness to help. Include some basic relevant background so they can intelligently answer your question.