Enumerator Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of an enumerator. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as an enumerator.
Who is an Enumerator?
Enumerators are people whose task is to classify and count population falls in order to better understand who lives where and what they do on a daily basis. As part of their responsibility, they frequently collaborate with a professional team to perform surveys, interviews, or other data-gathering activities.
Depending on their tasks enumerators can work inside or outside office buildings, private residences, and public locations like malls and airports. In accordance with the requirements of the Census Bureau and the specific census they are working on, they may work full-or part-time, and their hours may change. For instance, to reach those who are not at home during the day, enumerators might work longer hours during the day. They might even work on the weekends and in the evenings. While some enumerators take on temporary duties, others take on long-term ones.
Candidates with at least a high school diploma, its equivalent, or a mix of education and relevant job experience are highly preferred by the majority of businesses in need of enumerators. Candidates must have a Social Security number and a driver’s license in addition to clear background check to be employed for this role.
Enumerators should be able to listen intently to what others are saying, comprehend the arguments being made, and pose pertinent questions. Additionally, they must be able to effectively communicate with others in order to impart information. An enumerator must be able to collect data by attentively observing, hearing from, and acquiring meaningful information from linked sources. An enumerator must be able to write clearly to convey important information; be able to analyze data to evaluate whether or not particular techniques conform to regulatory rules and standards; and have the knowledge to enter, transcribe, record, sort, and retain data in written or electronic forms.
Enumerator Job Description
Below are the enumerator job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write an enumerator job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Interpret interview questions to help candidates comprehend them and give persuasive responses.
- Verify the accuracy of the information on survey forms or information pads twice.
- Recognize and report any problems that might occur when attempting to collect reliable data.
- Make sure the boss is updated on your progress and accomplished tasks.
- Establish direct contact with each family member to examine the veracity of the information presented.
- Gather and keep track of information about people’s age, race, marital status, number of children, income levels, and other factors.
- Maintain confidentiality when gathering private data, such as health status or criminal history.
- Conduct telephone surveys to identify potential responders to determine who could be interested in participating in a study.
- Obtain data about the respondents’ occupation, educational background, and other demographic characteristics.
- Speak with participants in an interview to get their opinions on the whole experience after the study.
Qualifications
- Education: Typically, enumerators must possess a high school diploma or its equivalent. An associate’s or bachelor’s degree in a similar field may be preferred by some companies. Statistics, research techniques, data collection, and analysis are all covered in pertinent training.
- Experience and training: When they begin a new job, most enumerators are trained on the job. This training might go on for a few days or a few weeks, and it might cover the following topics:
How to use the computer system at the company How to operate the company’s smartphone How to use the GPS provided by the business Use of the business’s mobile app How do I operate the business tablet Additionally, enumerators may receive instructions on how to use the company’s survey forms and how to input information into the database.
- Licenses and certificates: To obtain their employment, enumerators are not required to hold any particular credentials. A qualified professional screener or gatekeeper qualification, however, may be preferred or required by some businesses. These professionals can obtain these credentials to increase their chances of job advancement and to gain better theoretical knowledge of their duties.
Essential Skills
- Being able to navigate: Because they travel frequently, enumerators need to be able to navigate. They know how to read a map to plan a path that will allow them to visit multiple homes close together and make the most of their time. In order to get information more quickly, they can choose the family that is closest to the office and visit the nearest household from the first stop if they are trying to interview respondents from three different locations.
Enumerators can navigate the city more easily and feel more secure that they have reached their objectives by using their navigational skills. They can efficiently keep track of their travel distance and record the locations they’ve been to.
- Skills in customer service: Enumerators may engage in customer service activities to conduct interviews with household residents in their capacity as representatives of the Census Bureau. Enumerators may introduce themselves and state the reason for their visit when respondents open their doors. They can exercise patience when waiting for responses from the home and can ask questions in a way that will elicit the desired answers.
Enumerators that provide quality customer service may also thank respondents for their time and effort in participating in the interviews. Regardless of whether they are conducting in-person or telephone interviews, enumerators can boost the likelihood of collecting reliable data by determining the needs of their respondents.
- IT competency: Enumerators also need to be tech-savvy because they use technology to gather and evaluate data while they work. Enumerators can enter demographic information from community members using laptops and mobile devices provided by government organizations. They may also use specialized software in order to maintain files for the Census and add updates or modifications to ensure the records are correct.
- Knowledge of a second language: It can be advantageous for enumerators to be multilingual in order to offer better customer care. They can conduct effective interviews and gather data for the census because they can communicate more effectively with community members who might speak a different language. For instance, a government organization might send a multilingual enumerator to speak with people in a Spanish-speaking community.
- High levels of organization: To ensure that they finish their tasks on time, enumerators must be organized. They should be able to arrange their assignments in order of importance and keep a record of the places they’ve been as well as the data they’ve gathered. This will enable them to finish their work within the specified time and prevent them from overlooking any addresses.
- Skills in effective communication: Another ability that can make you a better enumerator is communication. Throughout the course of the day, you might interact with a wide range of people, including the person who hired you, the owner of the home you’re visiting, and the person who is collecting your data. Make sure everyone is on the same page and address any issues they might have by using your communication abilities.
- A keen focus on detail: The capacity for minute changes in a situation to be noticed is attention to detail. You must have the ability to detect even the slightest changes in the data you are gathering as an enumerator. By doing this, you can make sure that the information you’re receiving is as accurate as possible. For instance, if you’re gathering data about a person’s income, you need to pay attention to whether they’ve changed jobs or received a raise. By doing this, you can make sure that the information you’re receiving is as accurate as possible.
- Independence: Being independent means having the capacity to work independently. It’s crucial for enumerators to be able to finish their responsibilities on their own because they frequently operate alone. Enumerators can operate more productively when they are independent since they can finish their tasks without waiting for aid.
- Strong problem-solving abilities: Enumerators need problem-solving abilities in order to do their duties accurately and on schedule. When gathering data, enumerators frequently run across difficulties, such as trying to locate someone who doesn’t speak English or trying to locate a residence or company that isn’t included in the census database. Enumerators need to be able to think critically and come up with original solutions in order to resolve these problems.
- Patience: You might have to wait for individuals to pick up the phone or answer emails as an enumerator. Additionally, you might have to wait while someone reads through their census data or completes a form. It’s critical to exercise patience and give them time to do the task at hand. By doing so, you can be sure that they know what they’re doing and are giving you proper information.
- Knowledge of Reporting Techniques: The act of drafting a report involves compiling data into a paper. A census tract summary or a block group summary are two examples of the kinds of papers that enumerators frequently produce using their report-writing abilities. These studies are crucial for educating stakeholders, including government authorities, on local demographic changes.
- Ability to Perform Fieldwork: The capacity to carry out tasks in a particular setting is known as fieldwork. As an enumerator, you might have to go to residences and establishments all around the designated region. Strong fieldwork abilities can facilitate interacting with people from varied backgrounds and navigating through various regions. It’s also crucial to be aware of any laws or rules that apply to enumerators in order to accurately observe them.
- Effective Time Management Skills: The capacity to organize and complete work on schedule is known as time management. You can have several duties as an enumerator that need to be attended to at various points during the day or week. For instance, you might be in charge of visiting homes on weekdays and weekends during working hours to make sure you can reach everyone who lives there. Throughout the census-taking procedure, you must also keep track of your progress in order to submit accurate data by the due date.
- Adaptability: Depending on the sort of home they visit, enumerators frequently need to modify their working methods. In order to conclude the interview more quickly, an enumerator might want to inquire about daycare possibilities if a home has multiple children under the age of five. An enumerator may choose to divide a large family into smaller groups if it will make it simpler for everyone to respond to questions.
- Interview Techniques: Enumerators need interviewing skills because they frequently interview people for surveys. They must ask the right questions to ensure accurate data collection and the ability to get the data required by their company. When evaluating the requirements of homes face-to-face, enumerators also employ interviewing techniques. This entails asking questions regarding the socioeconomic status of household members and other issues pertaining to poverty.
- Surveying Techniques: The capacity to measure and record data accurately is referred to as surveying. When conducting surveys, enumerators utilize surveying techniques to make sure their measurements are accurate. For instance, to ensure accuracy, an enumerator would use a measuring tape when taking a person’s height. In the same way, an enumerator can use surveying techniques to figure out how far apart two things are from one another.
- Data gathering skills: The practice of acquiring information from respondents is known as data collection. You must be able to ask questions and accurately record responses if you want to be an enumerator. This calls for meticulous attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of the census questionnaire. Additionally, you should be knowledgeable about how to overcome any obstacles that could come up when gathering data.
How to Become an Enumerator
- Get your driving license: Enumerators have a driver’s license to operate a vehicle along the route and visit the residences of residents whose information the Census needs. Additionally, some employers could demand that they have access to a personal automobile.
- Complete high school: The bare minimum educational qualification to become an enumerator is a high school diploma or GED.
- Pass a test for enumerators: Employers may insist that prospective enumerators pass an exam that gauges their aptitude for compiling census data.
Where to Work as an Enumerator
Enumerators who work with the census bureau in their local area gather information on the number of people residing in a particular town, state, and country during the census period. Their job settings range from office buildings, private homes, and public places such as shopping malls and airports.
Enumerator Salary Scale
Enumerators normally receive hourly pay, and their compensation can change based on a variety of variables. Years of experience, educational background, and location are some of the most crucial variables.
$30,609 on average per year ($14.72 per hour).
Top 10% salary: $47,000 ($22.6/hour).
In London, the United Kingdom, the average pay for an enumerator is £37,266 per year and £18 per hour. This compensation study is based on wage survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in London, England.