O*NET is the primary source for occupational data in the United States — it’s the database behind the career information on this site, and it’s free to use. Most people have heard of it but don’t know how to actually use it for career research. This guide walks through the specific searches, data points, and interpretation strategies that make O*NET useful for real career decisions.
What O*NET Is
O*NET (the Occupational Information Network) is a continuously updated database developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration. It describes hundreds of occupational characteristics for over 900 standardized occupations. The data comes from occupational analysts and from surveys sent to workers actually doing the jobs.
O*NET data includes: tasks workers perform, the knowledge and skills the work requires, the abilities needed, the work context (physical demands, work environment, exposure to hazards), the work styles associated with the occupation, and the education and experience typically needed to enter it. It’s not a salary database — that’s the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) — but it links to BLS data and gives you the full occupational profile.
Step 1: Find Your Occupation
Go to onetonline.org and use the search bar. You can search by job title, keyword, or SOC code. O*NET uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, the same system the BLS uses. If you’re researching “data scientist,” the primary code is 15-2051.00. If you search a broad title like “engineer,” you’ll get a list to choose from.
Once you’re on an occupation’s profile page, you’ll see a “Summary” tab and a “Details” tab. Start with Summary to get the overview, then use Details to dig into specific data.
Step 2: Read the Tasks Section
The Tasks section lists what workers in that occupation actually do. They’re organized by how “core” they are to the occupation. Read this section when:
- You want to verify whether a job title actually matches the work you want to do
- You’re comparing two titles that sound similar
- You’re writing a resume or preparing for an interview and want to use accurate language
- You’re evaluating whether your current experience maps to a new target role
The Tasks section won’t tell you what the work feels like day-to-day, but it gives you the verifiable framework for a career profile. It’s the best starting point for an honest comparison between “what this job is” and “what I think this job is.”
Step 3: Use Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Data
O*NET separately rates Knowledge (foundational principles), Skills (trained capacities to do things), and Abilities (enduring personal characteristics). For career research, the Skills section is most directly useful:
- Each skill is rated for how important it is (0–100) and the level required (0–7)
- High importance + high level = essential; don’t get into the field without it
- High importance + lower level = needs development; acquirable
- Low importance = probably not a dealbreaker
Use this when you’re thinking about a career transition. Pull the Skills section for both your current occupation and your target occupation. Skills with high ratings in the target that don’t appear in your current occupation are your gap list.
Step 4: Check the Education and Training Section
O*NET’s “Education” section reports the percentage of workers in the occupation who hold various education levels, based on survey data from people already doing the job. This is more useful than the “typical requirement” sometimes listed — it shows the actual distribution. If 40% of workers in an occupation have a bachelor’s degree and 35% have a master’s, but the modal entry credential is a bachelor’s, you have realistic information rather than a ceiling that may not reflect how hiring actually works.
Cross-reference this with job postings for current openings; O*NET reflects the existing workforce composition, which can lag what employers are currently requiring for new hires.
Step 5: Use the “Occupation Search” to Find Related Careers
Every O*NET occupation profile includes a “Related Occupations” section. These are occupations that share significant task, knowledge, or skill overlap with the one you’re researching. This is one of the most useful tools for career exploration that most people never use.
If you’re trying to find roles adjacent to your current occupation that wouldn’t require starting from scratch, start with Related Occupations. Then compare the Tasks and Skills profiles of the adjacent roles against yours to identify which ones have the most overlap and the most manageable gaps.
Step 6: Find the Bright Outlook Occupations
O*NET maintains a “Bright Outlook” designation for occupations projected to grow significantly faster than average, have large numbers of expected openings, or are new and emerging. This is a filter, not a guarantee — job market conditions vary by geography, employer, and economic cycle. But it gives you a baseline signal about which occupational categories are likely to have more opportunities over the next decade according to BLS projections.
Find Bright Outlook occupations through the “Find Occupations” search on O*NET, filtering by “Bright Outlook.” You can also filter by industry sector, career cluster, or STEM classification.
Step 7: Combine O*NET with BLS Wages
O*NET profiles link directly to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) data. Click “Wages & Employment Trends” from any occupation’s Summary tab to see median wages, employment levels, and geographic breakdowns by state. Always note the reference year of BLS wage data — wages change, and a figure from May 2021 is materially different from May 2023 in many fields.
BLS also publishes the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), which provides narrative descriptions of occupations, typical career paths, and 10-year employment projections. Use OOH alongside O*NET data, not instead of it.
What O*NET Cannot Tell You
- What it actually feels like to work in an occupation
- How a specific company or industry sector implements a role differently from the national average
- What the job market looks like in your specific metro area (use BLS state/metro wage data for that)
- Whether you personally will find the work meaningful
O*NET is a starting point for research, not a substitute for talking to people who do the work. Use it to build informed questions for informational interviews and mentor conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is O*NET updated?
O*NET data is updated through a continuous cycle of data collection. Major releases happen annually, though individual occupation data is updated on a rolling basis as new survey data becomes available. Always check the “Updated” date on the occupation profile you’re using.
Does O*NET cover jobs in other countries?
O*NET covers U.S. occupations based on the SOC system, which is a U.S. government classification. Other countries have their own occupational frameworks. The UK uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC UK); Canada uses the National Occupational Classification (NOC). The BLS wages and employment projections apply to the United States only.
Is O*NET the same as the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook?
They use the same SOC occupational classification system and are complementary sources, but they’re different databases. O*NET provides detailed occupational characteristics — tasks, skills, knowledge, abilities, work context. The BLS OOH provides narrative descriptions, wage data, and employment projections. Both are published under U.S. Department of Labor sponsorship and are free to access.