Researching Careers
To find the right career for you - you need to know the options that exist. Understanding the possibilities can open new doors and learning how to research careers can keep you at the forefront of new trends.
O*Net
The US Department of Labor created O*Net as a tool for career research. The site has detailed profiles for over 1,000 occupations. It is one of the best sources to learn more about potential careers and find the best fit for you. It has a lot of information, so here are some tips to use it effectively.
Don’t solely rely on the keyword search, nearly everything on the left side of the page provides targeted ways to filter. Browsing allows you to see options you haven’t considered (or heard of) and helps to learn about the large variety of careers available. If you have some broad ideas of what you might want to do or an industry you are drawn to – use Career Cluster, Industry, and Job Family. If you are looking for a secure job with projected growth in openings – click on Bright Outlook (or look for the sun icon). You can also browse by other factors such as your abilities, knowledge, and skills or your work style, values, and preferred activities.
O*Net has so much useful information, but it can be overwhelming. Use these tips to get the most out of each occupational profile:
NOTE: everything with a plus in a blue circle beside it (tasks, skills, activities, knowledge, etc) can be clicked to see other jobs that also have that quality. This is an excellent way to drill down into things that are really important to you and expand your options.
Sample job titles: Once you know what career you want to pursue, these additional search terms can
be helpful in your search.
Tasks: Be sure to click the arrow to expand so you can see all the tasks. This give you
a good idea of how someone in that role spends their day. You can click on the plus
sign next to each task to see other jobs that also do that task or select multiple
by clicking the Find occupations related to multiple tasks button.
Technology skills: These are being pulled from active job postings so can give you an idea of things
to include on your resume or programs to learn.
Occupational requirements: This section can provide insight into some key aspects of a job like how much you
will have to spend time sitting, specific daily activities, and more.
Job Zone: Take note of the preparation need to be sure you are willing to do what is required.
(Some occupations show the most common Education in entry level roles if you scroll
down)
Interests: If you took the Strong Interest Inventory or the O*Net Interest Profiler, this area corresponds to your results.
Wages & Employment Trends: Explore the average salary and projected openings.
Job Openings: Even if you are not looking for jobs yet, browsing through some job openings can
provide insight into the role, potential employers, and the qualifications most sought
after.