SOFTWARE REVIEW
Citation: Havranek, J.E. (in press). Review: Software: Job Browser Pro, Version 1.5. The Rehabilitation Professional.
IDENTIFICATION
Name: Job Browser Pro
Version: 1.5 Publisher: SkillTRAN LLC: Spokane, Washington
Date: 2007
Cost: $359 for a new license; 10% discount on new licenses for IARP members ($323). Update pricing as follows: from version 1.4 - $89.00; from version 1.3 / 1.2 - $ 159.00; from Version 1.1 / 1.0 or EZ-DOT - $249.95. WA residents - add 8.6% sales tax on upgrade. All orders - add $4.95 per order for shipping. Quantity discounts and enterprise licensing are also available - contact SkillTRAN directly. New licenses include 12 months of the online update service.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
Systems: Microsoft Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP
RAM: 256 MB minimum
Hard Disk Drive space available: 140 MB
Pentium class machine recommended [should work on 486 machines]
Screen Resolution: 800x600 - small fonts
Printer: Any, Postscript driver better for HP
Tested on: Hewlett Packard Pavilion 543 (Pentium 4)
PURPOSE OF PROGRAM
For Whom: For
Whom: Vocational counselors, rehabilitation consultants, forensic
rehabilitationists, labor market analysts, job analysts, rehabilitation
educators, and researchers.
For What: Vocational
counseling, planning rehabilitation services, identification of job
information, provision of a format for job analysis, extensive occupational and
labor market information by job title, assessment of competencies and training
for jobs, SSA and VE analysis; provision of job outlook and earnings
information; interest and work importance testing; and assistance in resume
compilation. It is also useful as an interactive program between clients and
counselors, as well as training of rehabilitation counselors.
INSTALLATION
Insert disk and then follow a few very easy steps which are presented by prompts.
Less than five minutes to install.
DOCUMENTATION
The following information is contained in Job Browser Pro: Dictionary of Occupational Titles (1991) and all associated worker characteristics; Occupational Outlook Handbook, (2006-2007); 2005 OES-based wage data (mean and median) at national, state and MSA levels; 2005 Census-based national wage data and choice of mean/median/both and men/women/combined; OES national projections of long-term job outlook (2004-2014) with automatic interpolation for intervening years; fully integrated editable job analysis format; web enabled links to sources of additional information, including O*NET Online - Version 6.0 ready; wages in Top Jobs listings; cross references to Census 2000 codes; multiple training programs per occupation; printing which does not require color printing, thus more economical; cross-reference to SOC 2000 and O*NET-SOC Version 6.0; free O*NET Career Exploration Tools, including Computerized Interest Profiler and Work Importance Profiler; interest search using Holland code (R-I-A-S-E-C); advanced searches by SOC 2000/O*NET, WORK field,, MPSMS, GOE, OGA, Data-People-Things, Old OES, Census 2000, NOC (2001 Canadian National Occupational Classification) or unskilled occupations; military job titles; matching titles includes O*NET-SOC code and pre-sorted by industry, strength and title; "Show All DOTs" button in Census and OES groups; click column headings of lists of jobs to trigger a column re-sort by DOT code, DOT title, strength, SVP, or O*NET; and, crosswalks between various occupational coding systems.
All documentation is electronic and rapidly
available through extensive, context-sensitive online help from every screen.
Online help descriptions of the worker characteristics include frequency
distribution tables for each characteristic. Special online help topics suggest
various ways to use the software in common counseling situations.
OPERATION/INTERFACE
Operation of Job Browser
Pro 1.5 is remarkably simple. The opening page provides the opportunity to
enter a job title or DOT code, or to go straight to areas of interest
(OOH and Holland codes), industry, top jobs, education, or
advanced searches. Choosing advanced searches allows one to search by GOE, OGA,
OES, Work Fields, DPT, SOC 2000/O*NET-SOC, MPSMS, Census, all unskilled, or by
NOC codes.
The following
information is available for each DOT occupation: description,
skills/competencies; education needed; aptitudes; temperaments; physical
demands and environmental/working conditions; wage and employment information;
long term outlook; and related information. Also included are unique skill and
competency statements which assist with identification of transferable skills,
particularly for white collar occupations. This information can be printed
directly or easily incorporated into a word processing document using
windows-standard copy and paste functions. Printed reports are available in
limited or complete detail according to simple checkbox choices by the use with
both printed and Quick View (coded summary) formats. The Job Analysis format is
easily selected for printing with as much or little detail as needed by the
user. The full Job Analysis format should lead the professional through a
thoughtful and thorough process of job analysis that should result in an
ADA-compliant job description.
Additional features include: ability to print lists of matching titles with strength, SVP, O*NET, and general educational development codes; a presentation complete with OOH graphics (photographs from the OOH); hyperlinks to SkillTRAN's website to get current labor market information such as business listings for labor market survey and real jobs; ability to edit the Job Analysis format within the software itself; and, accessibility both by mouse and keyboard. CD-ROM is only necessary for installation. The software publisher asserts that the software is highly compatible with text-to-speech products such as JAWS, and allows full keyboard control. It also has "hot keys" that can be used to control any of the screen elements.
An important new feature is the optional on-line updates now available. Both program changes and data updates (e.g., labor market information) are available through internet connection. This service keeps the software current throughout the subscription period (typically one year). The price is $99.00 per year. For those not choosing the automated update feature, updates will be available at least annually and will contain new wage and employment information, job growth projections, and cross references. Substantial upgrades will also be available which will incorporate new databases and features.
Another new feature is the Occupational
Density Factor by Detailed NAICS Industry. To better estimate the frequency
with which a DOT occupation might be found, SkillTRAN has added the
Occupational Density column to the Long Term Outlook screen. This represents
the frequency with which an OES occupation is found by industry. Look up the
Occupational Density percentage for each industry in which a specific
DOT occupation might be found. Add up these percentages. Then, multiply
this summed percentage times the employment number given nationally, statewide,
or at the MSA level in the Wages and Employment screen for OES data. This
yields a better estimate of employment numbers using the national staffing
pattern.
An important aspect of this program for
determining wages is available. For each occupation, OES information is
available for national, state and MSA. Additional national information is CPS
data.
Finally, for visually impaired or
mouse-challenged users, Hot Keys are included for each button. A list of the
hot keys available at any screen is found by holding the CTRL key down and
pressing the F1 key. Press the ESC key or the Enter key to close the hot key
screen prompt and return to the program. All screens, except the Main Menu can
be closed using the ESC key. Certain keyboard keys can be used instead of the
mouse, or in addition to it.
OUTPUT/GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
This
software provides for maximum flexibility of searching across a wide variety of
categories. Data is so integrated that it is only a mouse click away. The
coordination of multiple resources is a key, e.g., wage information combines
the 2006-2007 OOH text, the OES National Projections information, and
the 2005 OES-based wage data. This level of data integration eliminates the
time required to compile similar information from so many different Internet
locations and formats. The comprehensive job analysis format is very
user-friendly and enables the user to quickly access the DOT information in a
format that allows for quick comparison between the DOT and the actual
job.
ASSESSMENT/SUMMARY
For those
familiar with the EZ-DOT or earlier versions of Job Browser, this is another
quantum leap forward. Both in information available and ease of operation, Job
Browser Pro 1.5 is light years ahead of any similar program this reviewer has
had the opportunity to review. It is much faster, less cumbersome, provides
much more timely and relevant information from more sources, and is much better
suited to the needs of rehabilitationists. This version also looks more
professional due to enhanced printer-system interface.
Jeff Truthan, whose work at AIS, CAPCO,
JobQuest, and now SkillTRAN is known to many, is the creator of this product.
Also available from SkillTRAN is an ever-expanding on-line services, e.g.,
placement planning service, pre-injury/post-injury analysis of access to
occupations, estimated local wages, and, targeted job search. The most exciting
new program is that of a list of 7,000,000 real job openings, to be used for
identifying potential employers for labor market survey and job search.
Military occupational titles also represent a key component in connecting
service jobs with civilian occupations. For more information, visit the
website: www.SkillTRAN.com.
Joseph E. Havranek, Ed.D., CRC
Professor of Rehabilitation Counseling
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Reprinted with permission
from author. To be published
in Rehab Pro by the International
Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP)