General Job Title Definitions
When you only need one or two sentences describing what a particular job involves, try searching on the yourDictionary.com website to learn more about a specific career. Definitions, synonyms, and pronunciations are provided for a number of common job titles.
If you're looking for a comprehensive dictionary that provides detailed information for job titles in many different industries, the Occupational Information Network Online is guaranteed to be a helpful resource. This website offers extensive definitions for a variety of positions, as well information on each job's average salary and employment outlook. A powerful search engine makes this site extremely easy to use.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is another excellent resource for people interested in exploring career opportunities within the United States. Visitors can choose to either browse an A-Z index of all job titles or perform a keyword search to learn more about a specific occupation. As an added bonus, many of the definitions also have links to relevant professional organizations that can provide you with additional information about a particular career area.
Specialty Employment Glossaries
If you can't find the information you need in a general dictionary of job titles, try searching in a specialty employment glossary. For example:
- Agriculture: The Careers in Agriculture glossary provides an explanation of the various employment opportunities beyond traditional farming that are available in the field of agriculture. Each definition provides a brief description and a listing of potential employers.
- Broadcasting: The career page from the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations provides short definitions of the most common job titles in the field of broadcasting. This glossary is divided into radio jobs and television jobs, but cautions that you must consider potential differences in staff structure among various stations before relying heavily on these definitions.
- Clerical: The Administrative Support Job Description Glossary, prepared by the International Association of Administrative Professionals, provides job title definitions for various clerical, data entry, and customer service positions. Each definition briefly describes job responsibilities, as well as the skills and training one would need to be successful in the particular position.
- Education: The Glossary of Teacher Job Tiles is a PDF document detailing the various types of positions available within the field of education. This informative glossary covers general education, as well as job titles related to vocational education, special education, industrial education, and bilingual education.
- Healthcare: This short glossary provides a brief overview of careers available in the healthcare industry. Jobs are divided into entry-level positions and those which require specialized training or experience.
- Information Technology: The CompTIA's TechCareer Compass provides a look at information technology careers, including jobs within database development, digital media, network infrastructure, technical writing, programming, and web development. The website also offers an interactive tool that lets you compare your skills to each job's particular requirements.
- Library Science: The State Library of Ohio's job descriptions are a useful resource for anyone interested in a career in library science. Each description provides a brief overview of the position, as well as a listing of the necessary job duties, skills, education, and experience.
- Manufacturing: The American Society for Quality's job title definitions help explain some of the titles job seekers may use when seeking a position within the field of quality control. Most of the definitions in this glossary of terms related to people working with Six Sigma or Total Quality Management initiatives.
Writing a Job Description
Although general job title definitions can be a great resource for learning more about career opportunities, they often fail to take into account the potential differences in organizational structure among various employers. If you're trying to write a job description for yourself or someone in your company, the following resources may be helpful:
- How to Write a Job Description
- Steps for Writing a Job Description
- Tips for Writing Job Descriptions
- Results-Oriented Job Description Samples
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