"Iowa System Uses
O*NET Info to Describe
Job Seekers' Skills"
Iowa Workforce Development
Summary
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is using
O*NET as one of several data sources in a new, skills-based Job Match System.
The system will help IWD staff improve their services to both employers
and job seekers. Like several other state workforce development departments,
IWD is trying to improve its ability to find skilled candidates for job
openings listed by employers. At the same time, the new system will help
job applicants identify skills that make them viable candidates for available
jobs. That's where O*NET comes in.
The O*NET database was not designed, nor
is it supposed to be used, as a job selection or matching tool. However,
in this Iowa system, O*NET is used appropriately to help job seekers identify
skills they already have and describe them in terms employers understand.
Ultimately, skills-based searches can open up opportunities for employment
that an individual otherwise might not have considered or sought.
How
is O*NET being used?
Staff at Iowa Workforce Development wanted
to improve their capacity to provide timely and appropriate referrals for
jobs posted by employers. They envisioned a computer-based system that
could run skills-based searches to identify viable candidates. They first
looked for a commercial software product that could find candidates with
skills needed for specific job openings. They chose one that is compatible
with the software they use to keep track of their applicants' case management
services. The system they selected allows IWD staff to scan applicant résumés
for skill words that match skills words in employer job orders. After it
scans the applicants' skills, the system ranks possible candidates according
to how closely their skills match the job order skill requirements.
IWD is using several data sources in customizing
their job match system. To help applicants identify and describe their
skills in appropriate terminology, IWD staff turned to O*NET. The O*NET
KSAs (knowledge, skills, abilities) are useful both in identifying and
describing applicants' skills in résumés entered into the
IWD information system. Staff say that many IWD applicants are seeking
entry-level jobs but do not have many, if any, "hard" skills. However,
they do have "soft" skills that are needed in various entry-level positions.
O*NET is especially useful in helping them identify and describe these
"soft" skills.
The IWD System also employs O*NET titles.
For example, if a news reporter comes in seeking a new line of work, IWD
staff might look under the O*NET occupation Reporters and Correspondents
to identify hard and soft skills the reporter is likely to have. These
skill words are used in résumés so that scanners will find
them when scanning for jobs that have similar skill requirements.
Who
is your target population?
The IWD Job Match System is designed to
help both employers and job seekers in Iowa, including entry-level and
more experienced job applicants.
What
kind of results is O*NET helping you to achieve?
O*NET skills information is used to help
entry-level and other job applicants identify and describe skills they
already have that may help them qualify for existing job openings. This
IWD system will enable staff to identify quickly all potential candidates
in their applicant pool for referral to employers posting job openings.
What
are the related program initiatives?
IWD will use its new system for participants
in Worker Profiling Re-employment Services (WPRS), the JOBS component of
Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF), Food Stamp Employment and Training
(FSET), Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Veterans' Employment and Training
Service (VETS), and Wagner-Peyser programs.
Is
your product, program or service available for others to use?
Iowa uses commercial software products
generally available to interested firms or organizations. The O*NET 3.0
database and O*NET OnLine are available at no cost to the public and can
be used to help applicants identify and describe their hard and soft skills.
What
other strategies make your product, program or service successful?
Because employer requirements are becoming
more specialized, IWD wants to develop staff who are familiar with the
language and skills generally needed in key fields. Thus, IWD is reorganizing
its job match system around "practices" (such as medical and health care
occupations) rather than offices or types of jobs (e.g. professional/clerical).
In the future, many staff members will specialize in serving clients within
a specific O*NET occupational group. IWD expects to use O*NET as a professional
development resource for helping staff learn about new occupational "practices"
or specialties.
Contact
information.
Lynn Paustian
IT Specialist V
Iowa Workforce Development
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
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