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Human Resources Management

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O*NET provides critical information on essential elements of job performance for:

  • employers/managers
  • employment interviewers
  • human resources personnel
  • professional and trade associations
  • industry associations
  • job development specialists
  • training facilitators
  • job analysts

O*NET is designed to be the nation's most comprehensive resource of occupational information, with a database system that includes 275 descriptors about each occupation. This in-depth data is available in O*NET OnLine, a Web-based application that provides user-friendly access to the O*NET database of occupational information. You can use the information in O*NET OnLine to:

  • develop effective job descriptions quickly and easily,
  • expand the pool of quality candidates for open positions,
  • define employee and/or job-specific success factors,
  • align organizational development with workplace needs,
  • refine recruitment and training goals, and
  • design competitive compensation and promotion systems.

The Summary Report in O*NET OnLine provides a quick overview of the most important variables involved in getting the work done. These "top of the list" items are from categories within O*NET's occupational classification structure:

  • Worker Characteristics (enduring traits that influence a person's performance on the job): Abilities, Interests, Work Styles, Work Values
  • Worker Requirements (attributes acquired through experience and/or education): Knowledge, Skills
  • Experience Requirements (training and experience needed): Job Zone; Education, Training, & Experience
  • Occupation Requirements (actual work performed on the job): Work Activities
  • Occupation Characteristics (labor market-related information): Wages & Employment
  • Occupation Specific Information (detailed elements of specific jobs): Tasks

If you want more than the occupational highlights found in a Summary Report, you can access the Details Report in O*NET OnLine for additional data and descriptions, or choose Custom Report to design a report focusing on particular areas based on user specified criteria.

Toolkit for Business

Business professionals who want to make the most of the information in O*NET Online can refer to the O*NET Toolkit for Business. This set of materials describes how to effectively use O*NET OnLine to aid in HR planning and employee reskilling and retention. It provides examples of effective personnel development strategies and easy-to-follow steps for creating accurate job descriptions.

O*NET in Action

See how people are putting O*NET into action in their state and local workforce programs at the web site hosted by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Visit O*NET in Action external site.