Pilot Test Results: Testing Subject Matter Expert Methodology for Collecting Occupational Information for O*NET

The primary method for collecting O*NET occupational information is to ask job incumbents from business establishments to rate the O*NET occupational descriptors (United States Department of Labor, 1999). However, subject matter experts (SMEs) may serve as the source of data for new and emerging occupations and those in which reaching incumbents is particularly difficult. This report describes a pilot study of this supplemental approach for data collection.