11 Key Attributes Political Scientists Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Sophia Miller

Friday, August 21, 2015

Political scientists study the origin, development, and operation of political systems. They may also study topics, such as public opinion, political decision-making, and ideology. They may also analyze the structure and operation of governments, as well as various political entities. They may also conduct public opinion surveys, analyze election results, or analyze public documents. In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that political scientists would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for investigative work environments. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 94.8%

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 92.6%

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 89.6%

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 87.6%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 85%

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 82.4%

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 82.4%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%