O*NET OnLine Help Keyword Search

Occupation Keyword Search can be used to locate occupations using a keyword or O*NET-SOC Code.

Search by Keyword

You can enter a word, phrase, or title to search for an O*NET-SOC occupation. To narrow or broaden the scope of your search, you may wish to experiment with the word, phrase, or title you submit. Your search results are displayed as a list of occupations ranked based on how well they matched the keyword. The search strategy used in the keyword search employs a combination of occupational information, such as associated alternate titles, description, and tasks.

In the following example, the user enters the keyword "dental", to search for a "Dental Laboratory Technician".

This search returns occupations which contain the keyword "dental" in their occupational information. An occupation like "Dental Laboratory Technicians", which contains the word "dental" in its title and throughout the occupation's tasks and activities, receives a high score. An occupation like "Medical Secretaries", which contains the alternate title "Dental Secretary" but does not refer to dental-specific activities, receives a lower score.

In this search, the occupation "Dental Laboratory Technicians" appears at the top of the list. (Note: Updates to databases used in the keyword result may alter items displayed in the example below.)

By default, the 20 closest matches are shown; to see more occupations, click the "All" button above the occupation list. For any occupation listed, select its title to see more information about the corresponding occupation. For more information on these options, see OnLine Help for Summary, Details, or Custom Report.

To see more details about how each occupation matches the search query, click on the "How do they match?" button above the occupation list. This will reveal a set of icons next to each occupation title:

Click on one of these icons to bring up a window showing counts of the alternate titles, tasks, and work activities matching your search query. In this window, click on any section to reveal the matching items. The words of the search query are highlighted, to easily see where a match occurs.

In the following example, the user clicks the icon next to "Dental Assistants," and then clicks on "Alternate Occupation Titles" and "Tasks" in the newly opened window.

Quick Search by O*NET-SOC Code

Example #1 - Enter an 8-digit O*NET-SOC or partial code to list matching O*NET-SOC occupations. For example, entering a complete code of "41-3031.00":

yields a single entry for Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents.

Example #2 - Entering a partial code of "41-3"

yields the 5 matching O*NET-SOC occupations listed below.

Example #3 - Entering "41"

will yield a list of all 23 O*NET-SOC occupations within this group.

For any occupation listed, select its title to see more information about the corresponding occupation. For more information on these options, see OnLine Help for Summary, Details, or Custom Report.