Overview
All Fast Food Cooks
-
$927 Weekly Pay
-
Strong Future Growth
-
49,900 workers Employment Size
-
Entry level Skill level rating
-
16% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
18 years Average age
-
29% female Gender Share
Fast Food Cooks prepare a restricted range of foods in fast food establishments.
Specialisations: Short Order Cook.
You can work as a Fast Food Cook without formal qualifications. Some on the job training may be provided. A Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in cookery or hospitality might be helpful.
Tasks
- taking and serving food and beverage orders, and receiving payment from customers
- preparing food such as hamburgers, pizzas, fish and chips
- washing, cutting, measuring and mixing foods for cooking
- operating cooking equipment such as grills, microwaves and deep-fat fryers
- cleaning food preparation areas, cooking surfaces and utensils
- ordering and taking delivery of fast food ingredients
- may arrange delivery of prepared food and beverages
Prospects
There were 49,900 Fast Food Cooks in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 56,600 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a large occupation.
- Location: Fast Food Cooks work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Accommodation and Food Services industry.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $927 per week (lower than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Less than half work full-time (16%, less than the average of 66%), showing there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 18 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are under 25 years of age (74%).
- Gender: 29% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Pathways
You can work as a Fast Food Cook without formal qualifications. Some on the job training may be provided. A Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in cookery or hospitality might be helpful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Retail Services and Tourism, Travel and Hospitality VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Fast Food Cooks who are reliable, interact well with customers and team members and are available when required.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Static strength
Lift, push, pull, or carry things.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Stamina
Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 35-2011.00 - Cooks, Fast Food.
Work Environment
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings
Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
-
Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 35-2011.00 - Cooks, Fast Food.
All Fast Food Cooks
-
$927 Weekly Pay
-
Strong Future Growth
-
49,900 workers Employment Size
-
Entry level Skill level rating
-
16% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
46 hours Average full-time
-
18 years Average age
-
29% female Gender Share
Fast Food Cooks prepare a restricted range of foods in fast food establishments.
Specialisations: Short Order Cook.
You can work as a Fast Food Cook without formal qualifications. Some on the job training may be provided. A Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in cookery or hospitality might be helpful.
Tasks
- taking and serving food and beverage orders, and receiving payment from customers
- preparing food such as hamburgers, pizzas, fish and chips
- washing, cutting, measuring and mixing foods for cooking
- operating cooking equipment such as grills, microwaves and deep-fat fryers
- cleaning food preparation areas, cooking surfaces and utensils
- ordering and taking delivery of fast food ingredients
- may arrange delivery of prepared food and beverages
There were 49,900 Fast Food Cooks in 2020. The number of workers:
- grew very strongly over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 56,600 by 2025.
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025. The number employed includes people who work in this occupation as their main job. People who work in more than one job are counted against the occupation they work the most hours in.
Employment Snapshot
- Size: This is a large occupation.
- Location: Fast Food Cooks work in many regions of Australia.
- Industries: Most work in the Accommodation and Food Services industry.
- Earnings: Full-time workers on an adult wage earn around $927 per week (lower than the average of $1,460). Earnings tend to be lower when starting out and higher as experience grows.
- Full-time: Less than half work full-time (16%, less than the average of 66%), showing there are many opportunities to work part-time.
- Hours: Full-time workers spend around 46 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 18 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are under 25 years of age (74%).
- Gender: 29% of workers are female (compared to the average of 48%).
Employment Outlook
Source: ABS Labour Force Survey, ABS seasonally adjusted data to November 2020 and National Skills Commission Employment Projections to 2025.
Weekly Earnings
Source: Based on ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), May 2018, Customised Report. Median weekly total cash earnings for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate. Earnings are before tax and include amounts salary sacrificed. Earnings can vary greatly depending on the skills and experience of the worker and the demands of the role. These figures should be used as a guide only, not to determine a wage rate.
Main Industries
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Industries are based on the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC 06).
States and Territories
NSW
VIC
QLD
SA
WA
TAS
NT
ACT
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian States and Territories, in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Profile
Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Education Level
Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
You can work as a Fast Food Cook without formal qualifications. Some on the job training may be provided. A Vocational Education and Training (VET) course in cookery or hospitality might be helpful.
Before starting a course, check it will provide you with the skills and qualifications you need. Visit
- My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
- AAPathways website to explore Retail Services and Tourism, Travel and Hospitality VET training pathways.
Employers look for Fast Food Cooks who are reliable, interact well with customers and team members and are available when required.
Filter Skills & Knowledge
Knowledge
These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.
-
Customer and personal service
Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.
-
Food production
Planting, growing, and harvesting food (both plant and animal), including storage and handling.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Education and training
Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
-
Mathematics
Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Engineering and technology
Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Chemistry
Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Medicine and dentistry
Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Operation monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Operation and control
Controlling equipment or systems.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
-
Complex problem solving
Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
-
Negotiation
Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Quality control analysis
Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Written comprehension
Read and understand written information.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Inductive reasoning
Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.
-
Categorising
Come up with different ways of grouping things.
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Static strength
Lift, push, pull, or carry things.
-
Written expression
Write in a way that people can understand.
-
Stamina
Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Planning and prioritising work
Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Collecting and organising information
Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Checking compliance with standards
Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.
-
Checking for errors or defects
Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials for errors, problems or defects.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 35-2011.00 - Cooks, Fast Food.
Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.
Filter Work Environment
Demands
The physical and social demands workers face most often are shown below.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings
Be exposed to minor burns, cuts, bites, or stings.
-
Time pressure
Work to strict deadlines.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Wear common protective or safety equipment
Wear equipment like safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hard hats or life jackets.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Loud or uncomfortable sounds
Be exposed to noises and sounds that are distracting or uncomfortable.
Values
Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
-
Relationships
Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.
-
Support
Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.
-
Independence
Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
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Recognition
Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.
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Working conditions
Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.
Interests
Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.
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Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.
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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 35-2011.00 - Cooks, Fast Food.