Law enforcement and job analysis

Corrections/Law Enforcement HR Website

When I searched for the occupation correctional officer (CO), after using the 'visit' button next to the "My Next Move" tab, a list of matching and similar occupations appeared rapidly ("I want to be a & #8230;," n.d.). At the top of the list was a link for job information about COs and jailers. Some preliminary information was presented to the right in a columnar format, which is apparently intended to give an extremely short overview of job outlook, the environmental soundness of the career, and whether training is required. When I clicked on the link for COs and jailers, I was immediately taken to a new webpage providing more detailed information about these three criteria and other job-specific information. Navigating my way through these three webpages took less than two minutes. My experience of navigating to job information about COs using the O-Net Resource Center was fast, intuitive, and informative.

I have one minor complaint about the job information provided on the final information webpage for COs. The outlook, environmental soundness, and training requirements are presented at the bottom of the page, so I was required to scroll down to get more details about the information briefly presented on the previous webpage. From my perspective, job outlook is very important and the details should have been at the top of the page. The rest of the information is presented in a format that allows for rapid scanning. The common character traits of COs are listed, along with short explanations, but an authoritative tone seems to be lacking. What I mean by this is that I questioned how much I can trust the information provided, given that I am a first time user. Although the information overview is great and easy to navigate visually, it seems to be less than comprehensive. However, the information provided seems to be sufficient for gaining a brief overview of the essentials, which would prove most valuable for persons uncertain about their career direction and who may be 'grazing' different occupations in preparation for making a career decision.

2. After using the "My Next Move" Interest Profiler (NCOD, n.d.), I was actually shocked at how well the results agreed with careers I had been thinking about for years, and in one case pursuing. The careers that tended to remain at the top of my personal list inside my head were also at the top of the list of the Interest Profiler results. The time it took to progress through the Interest Profiler was minimal, compared to the wealth of information obtained. The visual and functional aesthetics were also remarkable, which made the experience all the more enjoyable. The functional utility of dividing interest-matching careers into job zones was also a great way to give users an easy and intuitive discriminatory method to examine careers based on personal resources or willingness to make a substantial commitment to education and training.

My concern about the validity and relevance of the career information provided on this site, which I expressed in the answer to the previous question, evaporated when I saw how accurately the Interest Profiler matched my real interests. How the career-relevant information is organized on the page also makes more sense. For example, job outlook and training requirements are still at the bottom of the final page and the information relevant to career interests is at the top. Since interests, not job outlook, is used to match the user to careers, this information should be emphasized above job outlook and training requirements. Given how important career choice is to most people, I would highly recommend using the Interest Profiler to anyone who is searching for a career or who may be questioning a choice already made.

3. A good job analysis depends on the collection of different types of information (SHRM, 2009). This information includes data about the job, the people who work in this job, and what is required to perform this job in terms of knowledge and tools. Aside from these more general categories, more detailed and specific information is required, which can include the job purpose and goals, scope of responsibility, required technical skills, travel, work schedule, work environment, personality inclinations (loner or member of team), physical requirements, education, experience, and certifications. While O*Net may not provide all of the information needed for a job analysis, especially one tailored to a specific department within an organization, it can provide a reasonable foundation upon which a job analysis is built.

More specifically, the information provided on O*Net for job titles can establish minimum requirements for the position in terms of education, training, and certification ("I want to be a & #8230;," n.d.). Links are provided within the education box that could provide an HR job analyst with information about local schools providing the required or recommended coursework and/or training. For example, the O*Net site suggests a few years of college would make candidates competitive for CO positions but only a high school diploma is necessary for consideration. Minimum physical abilities can also be established, which for COs is the ability to remain physically active for long periods of time. The median salary provided by O*Net can be used to establish a ballpark salary for a job title and links provided within the job outlook box on O*Net takes the user to information about how competitive the local market is for a specific job title and gives local salaries by zip code. This type of information can be used to set a pay range for the position, depending on the level of experience required.

4. As an HR director, I would encourage my staff to use this site for several reasons. As discussed above, the O*Net site could serve as a good starting point for organizing and conducting a job analysis (SHRM, 2009). The general requirements for a specific career or job description are neatly organized and can be accessed rapidly without much trouble.

As manager I would recommend that my staff use the O*Net site as an example of how to narrow a job description in preparation for advertising an open position in the labor market. For example, the aesthetically-appealing manner in which the information is presented can be a useful guide for advertisements. More specifically, bullet points can be created that concisely list education, training, experience, skills, and physical requirements. When HR staff are involved in the interview process, I would also encourage them to use the O*Net site as a guide for general talking points that need to be covered.