20 Key Attributes Sociologists Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Noah Smith

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Sociologists study human society and social behavior by examining the groups and social institutions that people form, as well as various social, religious, political, and business organizations. They may also study the behavior and interaction of groups, trace their origin and growth, and analyze the influence of group activities on individual members.

The core tasks that sociologists are likely to carry out include:

Analyze and interpret data in order to increase the understanding of human social behavior.
Prepare publications and reports containing research findings.
Plan and conduct research to develop and test theories about societal issues such as crime, group relations, poverty, and aging.
Collect data about the attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in groups, using observation, interviews, and review of documents.
Develop, implement, and evaluate methods of data collection, such as questionnaires or interviews.
Teach sociology.

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 sociologists 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 group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 100%

Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 95.2%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.6%

Developing one's own ways of doing things, guiding oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89.6%

A willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88.2%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86.8%

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: 86.8%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 86.2%

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 85%

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 85%

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

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

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 85%

Creativity and alternative thinking to develop new ideas for and answers to work-related problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 83.4%

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.6%

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 82.4%

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
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: 80%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 80%