O*NET® in Action
Employers, HR professionals, and job seekers can take advantage of O*NET products and research to achieve their goals. Learn more from the resources below.
Toolkit for Business
Career Ladders and Lattices
The O*NET Toolkit for Business provides a wealth of background information on the features of O*NET. It details O*NET's many uses for human resource professionals and employers including:
Organizational Structure and Design
Job Design and Job Reengineering
Employers' Quick Reference Guide to O*NET
An overview of the features of O*NET, giving information on O*NET and how it serves as a resource to assist businesses with everyday needs. This section also provides both graphic and written descriptions of the O*NET Content Model, the conceptual framework that underlies the O*NET database.
Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
OnLine Guided Tour
A guided tour of the features and capabilities of O*NET OnLine, demonstrating the breadth and depth of the information available. It demonstrates how users can navigate through O*NET OnLine and provides real world examples of occupational and skills searches, or specific details of one or more occupations.
OnLine Guided Tour (PDF)
Writing Job Descriptions
A case study providing an overview of how O*NET can be used to write job descriptions.
Need help writing job descriptions? The Job Description Writer is an online tool that uses O*NET data to help employers and human resource specialists write job descriptions.
Writing Job Descriptions (PDF)
HR Planning, Employee Reskilling, and Retention
A step-by-step, detailed guide to demonstrate O*NET's use in identifying work and worker requirements of future staff needs, identifying future Knowledge, Skill, and Ability needs, and identifying gaps and development opportunities.
HR Planning and Reskilling (PDF)
O*NET Resources for Business
Database Web Services Data Collection Questionnaires O*NET OnLine Reports and Documents Interest Profiler License Agreements What's New O*NET Updates sign-up
Employment professionals from around the country use O*NET information to help job seekers and others needing career guidance. Listen to their stories below on a variety of topics. Click any topic to play, download, or learn more about each podcast.
O*NET's Role in Regional Economic Development
Rick Maher, CEO of Maher & Maher, explains the significant role of O*NET data in regional economic development.
WIBs Using O*NET for Gathering and Dispensing LMI
Dr. Steve Turkoski, Chair of Region 10 Workforce Development Council and Adjunct Instructor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, shares information about how he gathers and uses LMI to promote the region and help form strategic partnerships. He talks specifically about his use and promotion of O*NET within the context of regional workforce development and economic growth.
O*NET's Role in Community Colleges
Dr. John Rich, Counselor and Director of Career Services at Three Rivers Community College, focuses on O*NET's use with community college students. Dr. Rich uses O*NET resources to present career opportunities to students. He talks about his experiences and zeroes in on at least one student situation to explain in depth how he uses O*NET.
O*NET and the Real Game
Phil Jarvis, Vice President, Global Partnerships, National LifeWork Center discusses O*NET's part in "The Real Game". Facilitated by a teacher, the Real Game allows youth to experience life in the future in terms of a real budget, real decisions about careers, and real solutions when things go wrong. Phil Jarvis explains how the O*NET database is incorporated into The Real Game and how students are directed to real-life careers based on O*NET data.
WIBs Using O*NET for Regional Economic Development
Jasen Jones, Executive Director of the Workforce Investment Board of Southwest Missouri, explains O*NET's role in attracting new industry to the region around Quapaw, OK.
Assisting At-Risk Youth with O*NET
Diana Bailey, Workforce Development and Transition Coordinator, provides insight into how the State of Maryland is using O*NET products such as the Career Exploration Tools to assist at-risk youth as they transition into the workplace. She also shares insights on the use of O*NET's tools in the adult prison system.
O*NET's Role in Assisting Workers Displaced by the BP Oil Spill
Cliff Atkinson of EmployFlorida talks about the effects of the BP Oil Spill on Florida's Gulf Coast, the impact on workers, and how O*NET is being used in Florida's jobs database to assist workers displaced by the oil spill.
Benefiting Clients through a Welfare-to-Work Program with O*NET
Contextual Remediation Instructor Kelly Reed describes how she uses O*NET information to benefit clients in a welfare-to-work program.
Using O*NET as the Basis for Labor Market Information
Web and Database Manager Ben Garcia explains how the Colorado Labor Department uses O*NET as the basis for its labor market information, keeping its system updated with the most current data.
Assisting Persons with Disabilities Using O*NET
Disability Program Navigator Steve Hughes details how O*NET can assist persons with disabilities.
Assisting the Visually Impaired in Career Planning and Job Seeking
Professional Placement Coordinator Dana Barber details the use of O*NET occupational information to assist the visually impaired in career planning and job seeking.
How O*NET Information Benefits Clients
Area Program Manager Mike Tillotson explains how O*NET information benefits clients of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission.
Helping Military Members Transition to the Civilian Workplace
Local Employment Representatives Keith Brandon and Bobby Johns explain how O*NET information can help assist military members in transition.
Guiding Individuals through Their Career Journey Using O*NET
Job Developer Donna Flisack discusses using O*NET to guide individuals through their careers.
Using O*NET to Create Resumes
Business owner Robin Schlinger shares her use of O*NET information to craft powerful resumes.
The Role of O*NET in Attracting Green Companies
Vice President of Customer Solutions Isaac Grauke describes how EMSI used O*NET to create products that attract green companies.
Using O*NET to Provide Job-Search Assistance to Young People with Disabilities
Vocational Specialist J.R. Mooney discusses how he and his team use O*NET to help young people with disabilities in the job search process.
Career ladders and lattices are devices that help people visualize and learn about the job options that are available as they progress through a career. Career ladders and lattices consist of a group of related jobs that comprise a career. They often include a pictorial representation of job progression in a career as well as detailed descriptions of the jobs and the experiences that facilitate movement between jobs. Career ladder/lattices are not necessarily organization-specific; they frequently span multiple organizations because movement within one organization may not be possible.
Career ladders display only vertical movement between jobs. In contrast, career lattices contain both vertical and lateral movement between jobs and may reflect more closely the career paths of today's work environment.
Career ladders/lattices may be used in a variety of ways. For example, they may be used to:
attract individuals to an industry by showing potential career progression beyond entry points,
focus workforce development efforts,
show workers how different jobs interconnect within careers in an industry, and
inform workers about the training, education, and developmental experiences that would enable them to accomplish their career objectives.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Competency Model Clearinghouse features a tool that enables customers to incorporate O*NET occupations and information within a customized Career Ladder or Lattice. To view examples of Career Ladders/Lattices as well as to access the tool, see the Sample Career Ladders/Lattices page.
O*NET® in Action by U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.