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INTRODUCTION
This course provides an in-depth comparison of 3 major occupational classification systems:
- Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)
- O*NET
- Occupational Assessor (eDOT)
Q: What is an occupational classification system?
A: It's a method of organizing jobs into a set number of categories to assist with the measurement and comparison of them for research and analysis. These systems provide job descriptions and alternate position titles.
Occupational classification systems help:
- career counselors guide individuals in career advancement and changes
- employment service agencies place workers
- organizations recruit new employees, design training programs, set pay based on the value of jobs to their operations
- disability administrators determine if individuals can still perform past or alternate positions
- attorneys and judges determine if an individual is being underpaid due to discrimination
Note: Occupational classification and job classification are NOT the same thing.
| Occupational Classification | Job Classification |
|---|---|
| The organization of job information for every job in the economy. This analysis is conducted by labor market economists. | Formalized job descriptions created by employers for their internal use. |
Prerequisites
This is NOT an introductory course. If you are new to the topic of job analysis and position descriptions, please first take Distance Learning Center Course 33: Conducting Job Analysis.
Course Overview
This course will focus on the 3 job classification systems most commonly used by HR professionals, insurance agents, attorneys, disability administrators and others.
Here we describe the development of each system and detail their strengths and weaknesses. We contrast the systems' measures, and explain which is preferable for the vocational rehabilitation, career counseling, compensation management, disability and U.S. Social Security application arenas. Then we look at how these systems hold up under court challenge.
Let's begin...