Employer Toolkit

Job Profiling: Matching Skills to Jobs

Just ask any business leader: skill shortages are an expensive, time-wasting barrier to effective hiring and training. How can employers determine which individuals are the best fit for highly skilled positions, or which workers are the top candidates to receive job-specific training?

This is why nearly 75 percent of businesses use job profiling—the process of analyzing the skills needed for job tasks—in their recruiting and hiring practices, according to a recent study by Society for Human Resource Management and ACT. With job profiling:

Employers can identify skills and skill levels current and prospective employees need in order to be successful on the job.
Individuals can compare their skill levels to those needed for jobs.
Trainers and trainees can make appropriate decisions about jobs, identify strengths, and set training goals.

Learn more about Job Profiling

Become an ACT WorkKeys Profiler

Key to building a stronger workforce is assessing capabilities of workers and potential workers, and if workforce skills are found to be lacking, to provide opportunities for growth. As a WorkKeys Profiler you will help employers identify the skills needed for their jobs and create an additional revenue stream for your organization. Depending upon the local market, profilers can usually cover the one-time training fee ($2100) and the annual software license fee ($1600) by conducting one to two profiles annually.

For a limited time, the training fee for the WorkKeys Profiling training program is discounted if there are no/few currently authorized Profilers in your area – at 50% off the regular price. WorkKeys Profiling training is a combination of distance learning activities and webcasts, and culminates with an onsite workshop – typically held at ACT’s corporate headquarters in Iowa City, Iowa. Contact ACT to determine if you are eligible for the discounted fee.

And we can come to YOU! Did you know that you can save money on travel expenses by having the onsite workshop in your area? If at least 8 people in an area want to be trained as WorkKeys Profilers, ACT trainers can come to you, at no additional cost, for the onsite component of the Profiling Training. While the discounted training fee applies only to onsite workshops held at ACT headquarters in Iowa City, the savings in travel expenses more than covers it. To join the next class or just get more information, click the link below or call 319-337-1724.

Inquire about the discount: jpanswers@act.org

If you would like to contact an ACT trained Job Profiler send your request to jpanswers@act.org for a list of available profilers.

Occupational Profiles By Industry Sector

ACT has aggregated national job profile Work Keys data by common occupations in high demand industry clusters.
This information should be used only as a guide.

Verify A Certificate

If the individual has made their ACT WorkKeys NCRC information searchable for an employer, you may verify the level with ACT. To verify the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (ACT WorkKeys NCRC) level of potential or current employees, enter the registration number here. The ACT WorkKeys NCRC registration number may be found on the front of the certificate as shown below:

Learn More About Workkeys

Browse the WorkKeys Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents required for more than 400 different jobs.

Occupational Skill Level Info

Browse the Occupational profiles to better understand the alignment between WorkKeys scores and occupational profiles.

For Employers

Show Your Support

Employer Directory

Find out which organizations are using ACT WorkKeys NCRC to pinpoint applicants with essential, verifiable workplace skills.

Download Our Brochure

What Others Are Saying

“One of the main reasons that we decided to remain in Pottawatomie County was because of the strong work force and the county’s commitment to workforce readiness through ACT WorkReady program.”

Robert Weimann
Sarto Countertops

"ACT WorkKeys assessments that comprise the WorkKeys NCRC are good indicators of a person’s learning potential which will, hopefully, lead to successful completion of apprenticeship and structured training programs for Eastman’s advanced manufacturing jobs such as industrial mechanics, chemical operators, and lab analysts."

Laurey Conway
Manufacturing Training Associate
Eastman

"At Eastman we want good-paying jobs and rewarding career opportunities for everyone in our community. And engaging in ACT Work Ready Communities is enabling us to work with other business and community leaders to introduce students and residents to ACT WorkKeys and the ACT WorkKeys NCRC and how it can help them take charge of their career decisions – whether seeking employment or furthering their education and training – we want everyone in Northeast Tennessee to be ready for success. I am thankful to work for a company that allows me to do that."

Tanya Foreman Education
Initiatives Manager
Eastman

"You have to have a starting block and the NCRC is a great first step."

Stacey Thompson
Processing Technician II
Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, LLC

"WorkKeys has been a consistent predictor of successful trainability for Glen Raven."

Dennis Jackson
Human Resources Director
Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, LLC

"The most significant advantage of using the ACT WorkKeys solution is validating the suitability of an employment applicant to the performance requirements associated with a position."

Ray Peters
Vice President of Human Resources and Marketing
RoyOMartin

"We used ACT WorkKeys NCRC Silver level when selecting candidates for our electrical/mechanical apprenticeship program, and not a single individual underperformed because of an inability to comprehend class materials. ACT WorkKeys was truly an asset to the success of the Maintenance Apprenticeship Program."

Ray Peters
Vice President of Human Resources and Marketing
RoyOMartin

"RoyOMartin is an active supporter of the ACT Work Ready Communities initiative, having our hiring team fully trained on using the ACT WorkKeys NCRC and WorkKeys Assessments in their hiring decisions."

Donna Bailey
Corporate Director of Employee Engagement
RoyOMartin

"Without a doubt, ACT’s KeyTrain Learning Modules and WorkKeys Assessment make a significant contribution to the rigor of the WorkReadyNH program."

Charlotte Williams
Workforce Development Administrator
Community College System of NH

"Over a one year period we had that model in place (ACT WorkKeys) and we reduced our turnover in half from 14% to 7% and we have remained at 7% every year."

Russell DuBose
Director of Human Resources
Phifer Incorporated

"WorkKeys assessments identify an individual’s skill levels in critical skills required for entry level positions with our company. It provides a baseline knowledge of the foundational skills of that individual and helps screen for potential job candidates, ultimately saving the company significant training dollars."

Dan C. Stroot
Senior Manager, LLOC Manufacturing Quality & Safety Technical Training
Boeing

"R.J. Reynolds is proud of its increase in diversity hiring since deploying ACT WorkKeys solutions. Having a skilled and diverse workforce is important to our company and our community."

Barbara Carter
Talent Requisition Partner
Regulatory RAI Services Company

"R.J. Reynolds has embraced the WorkKeys system and considers it as a strong tool to identify applicants who have the foundational skills to meet our stringent hiring requirements. The fact that it is a universal system, we know that all of the applicants have met the same criteria regardless of where they were tested. This has helped increase our candidate pool to enable hiring the best of the best."

Barbara Carter
Talent Requisition Partner
Regulatory RAI Services Company

"I would definitely recommend this program (ACT WorkKeys) for other employers. It allows you to focus your interviewing and your final testing of candidates on the most highly qualified candidates. It’s a huge time saver for me as the general manager and our hiring managers, that allows our team to focus on what they need to be doing which is building coaches."

Grant Kernan
General Manager
Newell Coach

"When you use the NCRC as your standard, not only are you getting people who are trainable and competent, you are getting access to a pool of people who would of otherwise been shut out. We feel very excited about it,…and I just can’t say enough about the value of the NCRC to our workforce and our future."

Ryan Costella
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Click Bond, Inc.

"(Using WorkKeys) we took our turnover in the initial three months from 14% on average to less than 4%. And now we are proud to say we have a turnover rate of less than 4% across the whole plant."

Jeff Powers
Director of HR and General Affairs
Toray

"We have seen a great return on investment with this program (ACT WorkKeys)….I believe it’s good for employees because they already feel a part of the team when they come in, they don’t feel so far behind and their learning curve is shorter."

Rachael Jenkins
Human Resource Supervisor
Daikin America

"Having been in site selection for many years, it has always been difficult to ensure my clients that there is available, stable and reliable workforce in a community. However, in the last few years when I see that a county is ACT Work Ready I know that they are following the steps in planning for the current and future workforce. Therefore, our tendency at FCG is to look strongly at ACT Work Ready Communities for new site locations. I would encourage all communities to seek that status."

Deane C. Foote
CEcD President & CEO
Foote Consulting Group, LLC

"ACT WorkKeys has been a tremendous help by showing us who has initiative by successfully taking WorkKeys and achieving the scores needed to walk in the door ready to be trained to safely and effectively run a chemical plant."

Todd Akard
Recruiter
Eastman

Employer Toolkit

Enter Certificate ID

For Employers

Employer Directory

What Others Are Saying