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More Information About the Occupational Information Network (O*NET)

An Overview

The O*NET is a database of information maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor. It is the major system now used to collect information on major careers and has replaced the older DOT system. But the O*NET is a database, not a book, and is not available in printed form. The reason is that the O*NET database has about 400 data elements for each of its approximately 1,000 job titles. Some of these are quite complex and, if all the data were printed for just one job, it would not be very useful at all. And printing all the data for all the O*NET jobs would result in a very boring book that would be 72 or so feet high. Trust us -- you don't want to read or wade through the O*NET database.

So, instead, CareerOINK provides carefully crafted descriptions of each O*NET job that are brief and packed with useful information. Doing this took a lot of time, but we thought you were worth it.

Well, actually, we did the work on the O*NET descriptions for a book titled the O*NET Dictionary of Occupational Titles (published by JIST), and we used those very nice job descriptions in CareerOINK. In fact, we humbly suggest that these descriptions are the best ones available anywhere on the O*NET jobs -- and we hope you make good use of them here.

Each O*NET description contains the following detail:

Tasks - Tasks are specific work activities that can be unique for each occupation. Click here for more details.

Knowledge - Knowledges are organized sets of principles and facts that apply to a wide range of situations. Click here for more details.

Skills - Skills are developed capacities that facilitate learning and the performance of activities that occur across jobs. Click here for more details.

Abilities - Abilities are enduring attributes of an individual that influence performance. Click here for more details.

Work Activities - Work Activities summarize the kinds of tasks that may be performed across multiple occupations. Click here for more details.

Work Context - Work Context refers to physical and social factors that influence the nature of work. Click here for more details.

Job Zone - Occupations with similar experience, education, and training requirements are grouped together into one of the five Job Zones. Ratings for SVP are also provided. Click here for more details.

Interests - Interests indicate a person's preferences for work environments and outcomes. Click here for more details.

Work Values - Work Values are global aspects of work that are important to a person's satisfaction. Click here for more details.

And now, we return you to a more formal review of the O*NET...

Presented in four levels, CareerOINK's O*NET database provides information on about 1,000 occupations including a description of each job, plus details on almost 400 data element descriptors. As you click down through O*NET's levels, you narrow the category until you find the specific occupation you want to review.

Sample O*NET Description

Elements of the O*NET Job Descriptions

O*NET code. The Department of Labor now uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system as the basis for the O*NET job codes, which organize and identify individual job titles. However, the original O*NET (O*NET 98) codes still appear in many reference books. To help you make the transition from the original O*NET codes and job titles to the new, SOC-based O*NET codes and job titles, click here to see a cross-reference table.

O*NET Occupational Title. A title assigned to the job by the Department of Labor.

OES Code and Title. The OES title may help you learn other names for this job and lets technical users know where key data, such as earnings, was obtained. Used in the U.S. Bureau of Labor's Occupational Employment Survey (OES) system for collecting wage and employment data, this is the title that most closely relates to the O*NET job title.

The OES is the source for the O*NET data descriptors Education, Employed, Project Growth, and Earnings. Therefore, you see the same data for jobs that share OES titles, even though their O*NET titles differ.

Education. The level of education or training typically required for entry into a job, as determined by the Department of Labor. (For information on certification or licensing that may be required for some jobs, see OOH) Click to see the 11 Education and Training Levels.

Employed. The number of people employed in the occupation; can be used to estimate job availability. Occupations employing a large number of people often have more openings than those employing smaller numbers. This information, released in 1998, comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and is the most current available.

Openings. The number of openings available each year for the job. Occupations with many annual openings often offer more opportunity for employment and may be easier to obtain. The Openings number is based on the new jobs created, plus openings due to resignations, terminations, retirement, and death. This data, released in 1998, comes from BLS and is the most current available.

Projected Growth. The percent of projected new jobs for a 10-year period ending in 2008. Jobs with high projected growth frequently provide many opportunities. Low and negative growth numbers may reflect stagnant or declining areas. The data comes from BLS and is the most current available.

Earnings. The median annual earnings for all people in the job. Median means that half the people earn more, and half earn less. This data, released in 1998, comes from BLS and is the most current available.

Earnings figures can be misleading for several reasons. For example, new or recent entrants to the occupation often earn substantially less because they usually have much less experience than the average person working in the job. Pay rates can vary considerably between different regions of the country. In addition, smaller employers often pay less. So consider the earnings information as a guideline that may not apply to your situation. You can often obtain local earnings information from your state employment service, libraries, or other sources. You also can ask people employed in an occupation what workers in your geographic region earn at differing experience levels.

O*NET Occupational Description. A brief but useable description for each job. The lead description is printed in italics. This is sometimes followed by statements such as "Include wholesale or retail trade merchandising managers" or "Exclude procurement managers"; these statement provide related titles that may be described in other O*NET occupations. An occupational task list, in regular type, describes the work that someone in the job does.

GOE Numbers, Interest Area, and Work Group. The Guide for Occupational Exploration (GOE) is a U.S. Department of Labor system for organizing jobs based on interests. A six-digit GOE number identifies each job. The first two numbers represent the major interest area where the job is assigned. The third and fourth digits indicate its GOE work group. The last two digits provide a unique number for each job. Click to see the GOE 14 major interest areas.

Personality Type. One of 6 personality types related to jobs, used in career interest inventories, such as the Self-Directed Search, the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory, and the Armed Services Vocational Battery. You can use the personality type information even if you haven't taken one of the assessments. Simply read the personality type definitions and determine the one that most closely relates to jobs that interest you. Click to see brief descriptions of the 6 Personality Types.

Work Values. Twenty-one work values are considered for each job in the O*NET database. Values are categorized in six subgroups: Achievement, Altruism, Autonomy, Comfort, Safety, and Status. These descriptors help you identify jobs that match your personal values, and are a very important part of what makes a job enjoyable or miserable. For most jobs, relatively few work values receive high ratings, so giving numeric data for all 21 values is not useful. Each job description lists the 5 to 8 work values rated highest by people in that occupation. Click to see brief descriptions of the 21 Work Values.

Skills. Forty-six skills needed to perform work are considered for each job in the O*NET database. This database rated each skill on the level of performance required for the job. Most job descriptions list skills with a score higher than the average for all jobs, plus the 5 skills with the highest numerical ratings. Some descriptions list up to 10 skills. Some jobs have fewer than 5, and some have no skills with numeric measures higher than the average for all jobs. These situations are designated by the phrase "None met the criteria." Click to see brief descriptions of the 46 Skills.

Abilities. Fifty-two abilities--"enduring attributes" that influence the job performance of workers--are measured for each job in the O*NET database. Abilities, also referred to as "aptitudes" or "talents," affect how quickly a person can learn new skills and the what level of skill he can achieve. Usually an ability increases your interest in learning and practicing a skill.

This database used the O*NET "level-of-ability" rating to select the top abilities in each of 4 subgroups: Cognitive (with 21 abilities), Psychomotor (10 abilities), Physical Strength (9 abilities), and Sensory (12 abilities). Each job description includes any ability rated higher than the average ability for all jobs; this is an important ability to an employment interviewer. If no ability has a rating higher than the average for all jobs, this is indicated by the phrase "None met the criteria." Click to see brief descriptions of the 52 Abilities.

General Work Activities. Forty-two types of activities involved in performing the job are measured by the O*NET database. Activities are categorized in 4 subgroups: Information Input (5 activities), Mental Process (10 activities), Work Output (10 activities), and Interacting with Others (17 activities). Each job description lists the 3 to 5 most important activities in each subgroup. Click to see brief descriptions for the 42 General Work Activities.

Physical Work Conditions. The O*NET provides 26 measures of a variety of work environments and working conditions, including work setting, environmental conditions, job hazards, body positioning, and work attire. Each job description lists the 3 to 5 most important work conditions that must be dealt with in the performance of the job. Click to see brief descriptions for the 26 Physical Work Conditions.

Other Job Characteristics. These 8 miscellaneous factors of employment help job seekers in considering one position over another. Each job description lists the 3 to 5 Other Job Characteristics with the highest numerical measures in the O*NET database. Click to see brief definitions for the 8 Other Job Characteristics.

Experience. The level of experience needed for entry into a particular job, classified in the O*NET database as 1 of 5 "zones." Note that some discrepancies occur between the Education data listed at a job description's beginning and the Experience Job Zone data because the information comes from different agencies within the Department of Labor. Click to see brief descriptions of the 5 Job Zones of Experience.

Job Preparation. The level of training or education needed to perform a job, indicated by the Department of Labor's Standard Vocational Preparation (SVP) numeric code. Note that some discrepancies occur between the Education data listed at a job description's beginning and the Job Preparation data because the information comes from different agencies within the Department of Labor. Click to see brief descriptions of the 5 Standard Vocational Preparation (SVP) Codes.

Knowledge. The O*NET database describes 33 areas of knowledge required to successfully perform in various occupations. Each job description in this program lists the 5 to 8 Knowledge descriptors rated as most important for that job.

The knowledge may have been obtained from formal or informal sources, including high school or college courses or majors, training programs, self-employment, military, paid or volunteer work experience, and other life experiences. If you are considering additional education or training, this section gives you some idea of the courses or programs that would be helpful for each job. It also helps you to identify if you have some or all knowledge needed for a new job and what you need to improve on through additional training. Click to see brief descriptions of the 33 Knowledge Descriptors.

Instructional Programs. Training and educational programs and courses that can prepare you for particular jobs. Course names and numbers come from the U.S. Department of Education's Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) system, which is widely used in occupational, education, and training reference systems.

Related DOT Jobs. DOT numbers and job titles related to the O*NET job title, obtained by cross-referencing the O*NET title to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles. (See DOT. The DOT is an older occupational reference system that has been replaced by the O*NET.)

The alternative titles help you identify a wide range of specialized jobs that are available. The DOT has more than 12,000 job titles, and most of them are now merged into the more general job titles used in the O*NET. This makes the O*NET much easier to use when identifying jobs that interest you.

Missing, Overlapping, or Inconsistent Data in Job Descriptions

As you read the job descriptions in CareerOINK, you may notice that some job descriptions do not include information found in most other descriptions. And other details here and there may not seem right.

The basic reason for what appears to be errors is that the job descriptions are based on data assembled from, and cross-referenced to, several enormous databases of information. These databases are not perfect. They may have missing data, may not provide precise cross-references to other systems, and have other limitations. Here are a few things you may notice as you read the job descriptions.

Information in the Descriptions May Overlap

Information in one section of a description may be similar to information in another. This is not an error; the O*NET data sometimes overlaps. For example, a job's General Work Activities statements are often similar to its Occupational Task List section. The Skills statements may be similar to content provided elsewhere in the description.

The reason lies in how the information was developed. The Occupational Task Lists were written specifically for each job, based on information collected from employer surveys and other sources. Descriptors for Work Values, Knowledge, Abilities, Skills, General Work Activities, and Physical Work Conditions were created quite differently. For these, a list of characteristics was developed that applies to many or all jobs. Each occupation was given a numerical rating for each characteristic, with higher numbers referring to higher levels of competence. Because there are so many measures, listing them all for each job would be impractical and confusing. Instead, this database lists the more important characteristics for each job -- the ones that are most important to have or develop.

"None Met the Criteria"

When you see the statement "None met the criteria" in the Abilities or Skills sections of a job description, this doesn't mean abilities or skills are not important in these jobs. Rather, the job had no measure high enough to meet the criteria for inclusion.

Information That Seems Incorrect

You may notice that some information in a job description seems contradictory, inaccurate, or incorrect. This is simply a reflection of the data that was available from the DOL database and that data's limitations.

For example, you may notice that several jobs in a row share the same Education, Openings, Projected Growth, and Earnings data. Although the O*NET system is used for most information in this book, CareerOINK uses the OES system as the source for the education requirements, employment projections, and earnings. Therefore, you see the same data for jobs that share OES titles (listed in parentheses), even though their O*NET titles differ.

"No Data Available"

This statement in a job description means just what it says. This tends to happen in recent O*NET job entries because the data has not yet been collected or processed for one or more of that job's measures.

"Partial List"

You will see this statement at the end of some job descriptions in the Related DOT Jobs section. This occurs only when there is a very long list of similar or related DOT jobs. When this is so, the job description lists the first 20 DOT job titles. For some O*NET job titles, there are hundreds of related DOT titles. Many of these jobs are similar to each other, such as "Manager, Bakery" and "Manager, Cemetery". Going on and on with similar job titles isn't helpful.

Some Job Descriptions Are Shorter Than Others

When this occurs, you see the statement, "The Department of Labor has not collected some data for this job, so it has fewer details than the other descriptions."

One reason for the shorter descriptions is that some jobs have been recently added to the O*NET database, and these do not yet have data available for them.

Sometimes, one job title encapsulates other detailed jobs as part of the numbering structure, and that job title has a briefer description. To get full information, you need to review the detailed jobs' descriptions. For example, the Accountants and Auditors entry is listed as one job (with a shorter description), but it is then followed by longer, separate descriptions for both accountants and auditors.

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