Overview
All Waiters
-
$975 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
100,000 workers Employment Size
-
Lower skill Skill level rating
-
16% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
42 hours Average full-time
-
22 years Average age
-
76% female Gender Share
Waiters serve food and beverages in hotels, restaurants, clubs and dining establishments.
Also known as: Food and Beverage Attendant.
Specialisations: Drink Waiter, Formal Service Waiter, Silver Service Waiter, Sommelier, Wine Steward.
You can work as a Waiter without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as hospitality.
Tasks
- setting and arranging tables
- greeting customers and presenting them with menus and beverage lists
- taking orders and relaying them to kitchen and bar staff
- serving food and beverages
- opening bottles and pouring beverages
- clearing tables and returning dishes and cutlery to kitchen
- removing empty bottles and used glasses from tables, and refilling and replacing glasses
- collecting payments for sales and operating point of sales machines and cash registers
- may recommend wines to complement food
Prospects
There were 100,000 Waiters in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 142,300 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 very large occupation.
- Location: Waiters 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 $975 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 42 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 22 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are under 25 years of age (63%).
- Gender: 76% 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 Waiter without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as hospitality.
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 Tourism, Travel and Hospitality VET training pathways.
Skills & Knowledge
Employers look for Waiters who connect with others, provide good customer service and are well presented and reliable.
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.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
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.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
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.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Extent flexibility
Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Stamina
Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Whole body coordination
Move your arms, legs, and body together.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Static strength
Lift, push, pull, or carry things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

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, 35-3031.00 - Waiters and Waitresses.
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.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
-
Enterprising
Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.
-
Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
-
Practical
Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
-
Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
-
Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

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, 35-3031.00 - Waiters and Waitresses.
All Waiters
-
$975 Weekly Pay
-
Very strong Future Growth
-
100,000 workers Employment Size
-
Lower skill Skill level rating
-
16% Full-Time Full-Time Share
-
42 hours Average full-time
-
22 years Average age
-
76% female Gender Share
Waiters serve food and beverages in hotels, restaurants, clubs and dining establishments.
Also known as: Food and Beverage Attendant.
Specialisations: Drink Waiter, Formal Service Waiter, Silver Service Waiter, Sommelier, Wine Steward.
You can work as a Waiter without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as hospitality.
Tasks
- setting and arranging tables
- greeting customers and presenting them with menus and beverage lists
- taking orders and relaying them to kitchen and bar staff
- serving food and beverages
- opening bottles and pouring beverages
- clearing tables and returning dishes and cutlery to kitchen
- removing empty bottles and used glasses from tables, and refilling and replacing glasses
- collecting payments for sales and operating point of sales machines and cash registers
- may recommend wines to complement food
There were 100,000 Waiters in 2020. The number of workers:
- fell over the past 5 years
- is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years
- is likely to reach 142,300 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 very large occupation.
- Location: Waiters 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 $975 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 42 hours per week at work (compared to the average of 44 hours).
- Age: The average age is 22 years (compared to the average of 40 years). Many workers are under 25 years of age (63%).
- Gender: 76% 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 Waiter without formal qualifications, however, they may be useful. Some workers have Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications in areas such as hospitality.
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 Tourism, Travel and Hospitality VET training pathways.
Employers look for Waiters who connect with others, provide good customer service and are well presented and reliable.
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.
-
English language
English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
-
Sales and marketing
Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
-
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.
-
Public safety and security
Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.
-
Psychology
Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.
-
Computers and electronics
Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
-
Production and processing
Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.
-
Personnel and human resources
Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.
-
Administration and management
Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.
-
Communications and media
Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.
-
Transportation
Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.
-
Economics and accounting
Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.
-
Law and government
How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.
-
Sociology and anthropology
Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
-
Clerical
Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.
-
Telecommunications
Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
-
Foreign language
Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
Skills
Skills can be improved through training or experience.
-
Critical thinking
Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
-
Monitoring
Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.
-
Serving others
Looking for ways to help people.
-
Coordination with others
Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.
-
Active listening
Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
-
Social perceptiveness
Understanding why people react the way they do.
-
Learning strategies
Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.
-
Speaking
Talking to others.
-
Judgment and decision making
Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.
-
Persuasion
Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.
-
Instructing
Teaching people how to do something.
-
Reading comprehension
Reading work related information.
-
Active learning
Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.
-
Time management
Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.
-
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.
-
Writing
Writing things for co-workers or customers.
-
Management of personnel resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.
-
Systems evaluation
Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
-
Mathematics
Using maths to solve problems.
Abilities
Workers use these physical and mental abilities.
-
Speech recognition
Identify and understand the speech of another person.
-
Trunk strength
Use your abdominal and lower back muscles a number of times without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
-
Speech clarity
Speak clearly so others can understand you.
-
Oral comprehension
Listen to and understand what people say.
-
Oral expression
Communicate by speaking.
-
Extent flexibility
Bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
-
Near vision
See details that are up-close (within a few feet).
-
Memorization
Remember things like words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
-
Problem spotting
Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.
-
Stamina
Exercise for a long time without getting winded or out of breath.
-
Manual dexterity
Quickly move your hand to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
-
Multitasking
Do two or more things at the same time.
-
Whole body coordination
Move your arms, legs, and body together.
-
Arm-hand steadiness
Keep your hand or arm steady.
-
Multilimb coordination
Use your arms and/or legs at the same time while sitting, standing, or lying down.
-
Selective attention
Pay attention to something without being distracted.
-
Static strength
Lift, push, pull, or carry things.
-
Deductive reasoning
Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.
-
Finger dexterity
Put together small parts with your fingers.
-
Sorting or ordering
Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
Activities
These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.
-
Working with the public
Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.
-
Handling and moving objects
Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, moving and manipulating objects.
-
Building good relationships
Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.
-
Doing physically active work
Use your arms, legs and whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling objects.
-
Influencing people
Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.
-
Communicating within a team
Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Negotiating and resolving conflicts
Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.
-
Looking for changes over time
Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.
-
Researching and investigating
Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.
-
Coordinating the work of a team
Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.
-
Training and teaching others
Understanding the needs of others, developing training programs, and teaching or instructing.
-
Working with computers
Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
-
Coaching and developing others
Working out the needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or helping them to improve.
-
Communicating with the public
Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.
-
Keeping your knowledge up-to-date
Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.
-
Helping and caring for others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.
-
Making decisions and solving problems
Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.
-
Assessing and evaluating things
Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.
-
Leading and encouraging a team
Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
-
Monitoring people, processes and things
Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

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, 35-3031.00 - Waiters and Waitresses.
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.
-
Contact with people
Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.
-
Face-to-face discussions
Talk with people face-to-face.
-
Walking and running
Spend time walking and running.
-
Spend time standing
Spend time standing at work.
-
Teamwork
Work with people in a group or team.
-
Physically close to people
Work physically close to other people.
-
Telephone
Talk on the telephone.
-
Contact with the public
Work with customers or the public.
-
Indoors, heat controlled
Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.
-
Frequent decision making
Frequently make decisions that impact other people.
-
Freedom to make decisions
Have freedom to make decision on your own.
-
Using your hands to handle, control, or feel
Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.
-
Impact of decisions
Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.
-
Being exact or accurate
Be very exact or highly accurate.
-
Angry or unpleasant people
Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.
-
Making repetitive motions
Spend time making repetitive motions.
-
Unstructured work
Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.
-
Lead or coordinate a team
Lead others to do work activities.
-
Responsible for outcomes
Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.
-
Health and safety of others
Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.
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.
-
Achievement
Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.
-
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.
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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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Helping
Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.
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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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Administrative
Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.
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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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Creative
Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.
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Analytical
Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

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, 35-3031.00 - Waiters and Waitresses.