By Ann Marie Ryan and Ken Pearlman
The U.S. National Academies has convened a Panel to Review the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). O*NET is an electronic database of information on the occupations in the U.S. economy, based on a content model covering work characteristics and worker requirements (see http://online.onetcenter.org/ for more information on O*NET).
We (Ann Marie Ryan and Ken Pearlman) are the Panel members charged with gathering information regarding uses of O*NET for HR-related applications. To that end, we would like to hear from any SIOP members (or others) with interests in job analysis regarding their experiences in using O*NET for HR applications, along with any thoughts about improvements to O*NET.
We would also appreciate your forwarding of this request to those in organizational settings who might also provide input on their uses. While we have completed a fairly comprehensive literature review, we also welcome any references or papers you may have or know about where O*NET played a role.
We appreciate any thoughts you might have on using O*NET for HR applications. Below are some of the questions we are trying to address and on which you might comment on in your reply:
1. How have you used O*NET in HR work? For what specific purposes?
2. What specific O*NET descriptors did you use? Was O*NET information used directly or were modifications made (and if so, how did those enhance the use)?
3. Was the experience a success? Why or why not?
4. In your view, what are the strengths and weaknesses of O*NET for this use?
5. What are the key problems or barriers (technical, practical/organizational, etc.) to this use of O*NET? What might improve O*NET relative to this usage?
6. What other ways might O*NET be useful in this area?
7. What improvements would you suggest to the content model underlying O*NET? The survey methodology used to develop the database? The user interface?