Crossword Genius

One connected people in exchange for a living (11)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

telephonist

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'one' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I can't understand how they can define each other.

'connected people in exchange for a living' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'connected' could be 'on' (synonyms) and 'on' is present in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for telephonist that I've seen is " Switchboard operator".)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times and The Times.
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