A skills-based job description is a critical part of implementing skills-based talent practices. Without clarity on the skills needed for the job, it is hard to assess candidates. In addition, job descriptions that detail skills encourage STARs to apply. STARSight can be leveraged to identify the top skills for a job title and to understand how frequently those skills appear in job posts.
Understanding the top skills for a job title can:
- Enhance job descriptions: Incorporate the top skills identified into your job descriptions to attract candidates who are a strong match for the role.
- Inform hiring decisions: Use this information to identify candidates who possess the necessary skills.
- Identify skill gaps: Determine which skills your current employees or potential candidates may need to develop.
- Tailor training programs: Develop targeted training programs to upskill your workforce.”
By leveraging STARsight, employers can make data-driven decisions that will help build a more skilled and competitive workforce.
STARSight provides three dashboard tabs: Explore, Compare, and Assess. The steps in this guide will help you navigate between the dashboards used for this task.
Use the Assess dashboard to discover top skills
The Assess dashboard, the third tab on STARSight, will display the most frequently required skills for a role. Use the instructions below to learn more about the top skills required for a particular job title.
Step-by-step details
1. Use the search bar on the top right to type or scroll and select a location. The United States will be the default location if one is not selected.
2. STARSight uses occupations provided by the O*NET database in the job title search bar, which are informed using SOC codes to group related job titles. Type or scroll the dropdown list to select a job title for the job description.
3. If unavailable in the dropdown list, the O*NET Online tool can help identify the broader SOC job title.
- Navigate to the O*NET Online site and use the search bar to enter the job title you want to explore.
- On the results, click the blue How do they match? button to reveal the question mark icon next to each result and discover more about how the titles in the list relate to the search.
- Click the blue question mark icon next to the SOC job title best representing the role you are searching for to view more information. View the Alternate Occupation Titles to validate that the job title searched is included.
- Return to STARSight and use terms from the related O*NET-SOC Title in the job title search box.
For the example of Bookkeepers, note that the list of broader job titles in STARSight includes the best-fit option for Accounting & Auditing Clerks, which relates to the Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks title from O*NET. This is the option that should be selected.
4. Once a role has been selected, scroll to the chart below the search bar to review the most commonly required skills that have historically been used for the selected role.
For the Human Resources Specialist role, the top skills include negotiation, management of personnel resources, writing, systems analysis, reading comprehension, and systems evaluation.
5. Scroll to the chart at the bottom of the page to review additional related skills by relevancy.
- Hover over a skill to see a count of how often the skill has appeared in job postings for the role.
- The skills are listed as most required in darker purple, to least required in lighter purple.
Assess job postings for top relevant skills
1. Does the job description include the most relevant skills for the role?
2. Does the job description emphasize skills that may be less relevant?
3. Can the posting be updated to list the most relevant skills required to attract more STAR talent?