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Historians

Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
    • Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
    • Teach and conduct research in colleges, universities, museums, and other research agencies and schools.
    • Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
    • Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
    • Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.
    • Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.
    • Translate or request translation of reference materials.
    • Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
    • Determine which topics to research, or pursue research topics specified by clients or employers.
    • Conduct historical research, and publish or present findings and theories.
    • Speak to various groups, organizations, and clubs to promote the aims and activities of historical societies.
    • Coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging and filing materials.
    • Prepare publications and exhibits, or review those prepared by others, to ensure their historical accuracy.
    • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.
    • Present historical accounts in terms of individuals or social, ethnic, political, economic, or geographic groupings.
    • Research the history of a particular country or region, or of a specific time period.
    • Research and prepare manuscripts in support of public programming and the development of exhibits at historic sites, museums, libraries, and archives.
    • Collect detailed information on individuals for use in biographies.
    • Recommend actions related to historical art, such as which items to add to a collection or which items to display in an exhibit.
    • Interview people to gather information about historical events and to record oral histories.
    • Edit historical society publications.
    • Edit historical society publications.
    • Organize information for publication and for other means of dissemination, such as via storage media or the Internet.
    • Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.
    • Trace historical development in a particular field, such as social, cultural, political, or diplomatic history.
    • Organize data, and analyze and interpret its authenticity and relative significance.
    • Advise or consult with individuals and institutions regarding issues such as the historical authenticity of materials or the customs of a specific historical period.

    Skills

    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.

    Abilities

    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.

    Knowledge

    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • 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.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • 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.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • 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.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • 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.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • 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.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    Education

    Education
    Master's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    94760/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    45.56/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    40
    Yearly Projected Openings
    10

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Cooperation
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Independence

    Tools

    • Assistive listening devices
    • Digital cameras
    • Digital voice recorders
    • Inkjet printers
    • Laser printers
    • Microfiche or microfilm viewers
    • Microphones
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Photocopiers
    • Scanners

    Technology

    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Data mining software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Industrial control software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Internet browser software
    • Map creation software
    • Music or sound editing software
    • Office suite software
    • Optical character reader OCR or scanning software
    • Presentation software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software