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A Wealth of Information: the Occupational Outlook Handbook
By Wade Leuwerke, Ph.D., TSA Career Coach
The Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) is a tremendous resource for individuals interested in gathering information about specific careers or different industries. The OOH is maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is easily accessed online at www.bls.gov/oco.
The information available in the OOH ranges from a general description of a job to detailed compensation information at a specific part of the country. The following overview will provide an orientation and description of the different sections of the OOH as well as recommendations on how to effectively use this tool in the career search process.
The first task is to search the OOH to locate desired information. There are three methods of search available online. A search box on the left side of the web page allows users to type specific job titles. For example, a recent search for 'law enforcement' returned the following links: Police and Detectives; Correctional Officers; Claims Adjusters, Appraisers, Examiners, and Investigators; Security Guards and Gaming Surveillance Officers; and Private Detectives and Investigators. The left hand column of the OOH page also lists job categories. Clicking on Service and then Protective Service returned Police and Detectives. Finally, the middle of the main page has a searchable alphabet. Clicking on P and scrolling down located the same occupation, Police and Detectives.
Each occupation listed in the OOH is accompanied by a wide range of information about that career. Listed first are a few significant points or highlights about the profession. Next is typically the longest section of the page, describing the nature of the work. It is here that typical job duties, expectations, and information about a typical day will be described. This description should provide enough information to evaluate if this is a position that warrants further exploration. Often this first section is divided among specific job titles. For police and detectives there are descriptions for uniformed police officers, sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, state police officers, detectives, fish and game wardens, as well as positions within the federal government. This section typically concludes with some specific information about the work environment for individuals in these positions.
The next section in the OOH describes the education and training requirements, other qualifications, as well as advancement within the profession. Depending on the occupation, there may also be information about licensure or certification opportunities. The description of police and detectives notes that some college or a college degree is required for many positions. Additional information about training within specific agencies is outlined.
The employment section of the OOH describes the number of individuals employed in that profession across the United States. Additional information may include the percentage working in specific roles. For instance, 79% of police and detectives work at the local government level. Other occupations may have more detailed breakdowns by specific job title. Counselors, for example, breaks down employment numbers across a variety of specializations: school, rehabilitation, mental health, substance abuse, etc.
The next OOH section is labeled job outlook. This area provides information about employment change, a 10 year projection for growth within each occupation. Currently the OOH details the job outlook for each profession from 2006–2016. The OOH uses specific language to categorize expected employment change. The projected change is labeled between grow much faster than average to decline rapidly. There are a total of 7 ratings based on projected percentage increase or decrease in job growth during the projected period. Police and detectives is projected to "grow about as fast as average" which translates into 7 to 13% growth during the time period. This information may be helpful and interesting as it may factor into career change ideas. If an occupation is projected to decline slowly and an individual must spend 2 years in education or training, the job prospects at the end of that period may be less favorable.
Within this same section some occupations have a job prospects rating, which is an estimation of the likely level of competition that applicants will encounter during the projection period. Job prospects can be rated 'very good to excellent,' 'good or favorable,' or 'may face keen competition.'
The projections data section provides a more detailed breakdown of expected employment across the different types of settings where individuals in a given profession are employed. A link to a PDF table containing more detailed projects is available. This information may be helpful to job seekers with a very specific industry or employment setting in mind.
The next section, earnings, is of interest to most individuals considering a career change. A variety of data is provided in this section. First is the median income for the profession. The median is the annual or hourly salary at which half of all individuals earn more and half earn less. Unlike an average, the median is not influenced by very high or very low wages. Next is the earnings range for the middle 50% of individuals, followed by the income of the lowest and highest 10% of workers in this field. Additional earnings information may include median income according to different employment settings, such as a comparison of private industry, government, or self-employment. At the bottom of this section is a link for the latest wage information which provides more detailed and specific description of earnings across employment settings, areas of the country, as well as information about which parts of the country have the highest concentration of individuals employed in that occupation. This information may be valuable if individuals are considering a move to specific locations or have the option to move to a low concentration area where employment prospects may be greater.
The next section, related occupations, provides an opportunity to expand the career search. For example, if detective does not sound as appealing after researching the occupation, it is possible that a related occupation may be more promising. A link to probation officers and correctional treatment specialists, along with several others, can be found in this section and allows additional exploration of a related profession.
The final section is sources of additional information. This area can be tremendously helpful for individuals searching for occupational information. There are a number of ways to make effective use of this section. Links to professional organizations within the profession are often located in this section. These associations often provide more detailed information about how to get involved in the profession, training and educational requirements, specializations or subspecialties within the job, and often actual job postings. These postings can be quite informative about the employment picture within a given profession. Review of job announcements will often provide information about what actual employers are seeking in terms of skills, qualifications, experience, and training. Job duties and expectations are often outlined in a job posting, as well as information about compensation and benefits within that industry.
The links in this section may also be used for social networking and information gathering. National organizations may have links to state or regional associations that individuals can use to contact people in their area who are currently employed in the occupation of interest. These contacts can be crucial in developing a network within the industry, particularly if the job seeker is coming from an unrelated industry. Local organizations may also be a source of contact information to conduct an informational interview, typically a 20–30 minute conversation when individuals are able to ask someone employed in an occupation job specific questions.
All together the Occupational Outlook Handbook is a tremendous resource for individuals engaged or considering starting the career search process.
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