Career Research Tools
About O*NET
The O*NET Program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Valid data are essential to understanding the rapidly changing nature of work and how it impacts the workforce and U.S. economy. From this information, applications are developed to facilitate the development and maintenance of a skilled workforce.
Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors on almost 1,000 occupations covering the entire U.S. economy. The database, which is available to the public at no cost, is continually updated from input by a broad range of workers in each occupation.
O*NET information is used by millions of individuals every year, including those taking advantage of O*NET Online, My Next Move, and other publicly and privately developed applications. The data have proven vital in helping people find the training and jobs they need, and employers the skilled workers necessary to be competitive in the marketplace.
The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
O*NET database Content Model
Every occupation requires a different mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities, and is performed using a variety of activities and tasks. These distinguishing characteristics, or "descriptors", of an occupation are collected, codified, and described by the O*NET Content Model Links to an external site.. This hierarchical model starts with six domains (or categories), describing the day-to-day aspects of the job and the qualifications and interests of the typical worker. The model includes nearly 277 descriptors collected by the O*NET program, along with other occupational data collected by other federal agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics Links to an external site..
O*NET Sites
The following sites are part of the O*NET family:
- My Next Move Links to an external site.
- My Next Move provides easy-to-use search options and career overviews for students and job seekers.
- Mi Próximo Paso Links to an external site.
- Mi Próximo Paso, a Spanish-language version of My Next Move, enables Spanish speaking career explorers and job seekers to search over 900 different careers.
- My Next Move for Veterans Links to an external site.
- A web application for veterans transitioning into the civilian workforce.
- O*NET OnLine Links to an external site.
- O*NET OnLine provides comprehensive occupational descriptions and data for use by career counselors, workforce development offices, human resources professionals, researchers, and others.
- O*NET Resource Center Links to an external site.
- The nation's primary source of occupational information, including the O*NET database, career exploration tools, job analysis questionnaires, employer guides, and technical reports.