Bridge and Lock Tender Career

Job Description: Operate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.


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Bridge and Lock Tender Career

What skills are required for Bridge and Lock Tenders?

Importance Skills
  Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  Operations Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  Operation and Control - Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
  Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
  Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
  Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  Learning Strategies - Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  Quality Control Analysis - Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

What knowledge is needed to be a Bridge and Lock Tender?

Importance Knowledge
  Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
  Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.

Work Styles

Importance Styles
  Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
  Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
  Self-Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
  Integrity - Job requires being honest and ethical.
  Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
  Concern for Others - Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
  Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
  Independence - Job requires developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
  Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
  Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
  Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles.
  Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
  Leadership - Job requires a willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
  Analytical Thinking - Job requires analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
  Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job.