Worker-Oriented vs. Job-Oriented Descriptors

When modeling work, there’s a fundamental distinction between what the person brings and what the job requires.

Worker-oriented descriptors characterize the individual: their abilities, interests, values, work styles, knowledge, and skills. These attributes exist in the person and may be applied across multiple jobs.

Job-oriented descriptors characterize the work itself: the tasks performed, the activities required, the context in which work happens, and the outcomes produced. These attributes exist in the role regardless of who fills it.

The distinction matters because they change differently. A person’s abilities develop slowly; job requirements can shift quickly. A person carries their knowledge between roles; task requirements stay with the position.

Any system that conflates these will struggle with basic questions like “What can this person do?” versus “What does this job need?”

Related: 06-atom—cross-occupational-vs-occupation-specific, 06-atom—abilities-skills-knowledge-distinction, 06-molecule—onet-content-model-framework