Correctional Officers and Jailers

People in this career often have these skills:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Active Listening - 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.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

People in this career often know a lot about:

• Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

People in this career often have talent in:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.

People in this career often do these activities:

• Count prison inmates or personnel.
• Maintain surveillance of individuals or establishments.
• Inspect equipment to ensure safety or proper functioning.
• Locate suspicious objects or vehicles.
• Search individuals for illegal or dangerous items.
• Record information about suspects or criminals.

• Apprehend criminal suspects.
• Inspect cargo to identify potential hazards.
• Guard facilities.
• Use weapons or physical force to maintain security.
• Escort prisoners to courtrooms, prisons, or other facilities.
• Drive vehicles to transport individuals or equipment.
• Resolve interpersonal conflicts.
• Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with fire regulations.
• Inspect facilities to ensure compliance with security or safety regulations.
• Inspect facilities for cleanliness.
• Discuss performance, complaints, or violations with supervisors.
• Investigate crimes committed within organizations.
• Attend training to learn new skills or update knowledge.
• Prepare activity or work schedules.
• Direct operations of correctional facilities.
• Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
• Supervise inmate activities.

• Social and Human Service Assistants

• Psychiatric Technicians

• Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

• First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers

• Detectives and Criminal Investigators

• Police Identification and Records Officers

• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers

• Residential Advisors