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Archivist

Archivist profiles score highest on Organizing and Analyzing. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$64,550per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Graduate or professional degreetypical for the occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 25-4011.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Appraise, edit, and direct safekeeping of permanent records and historically valuable documents. Participate in research activities based on archival materials.

Skills rated most important

Reading Comprehension78
Active Listening72
Writing72
Speaking63
Active Learning60

Work context

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled97
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams92
Contact With Others78
Spend Time Sitting76
Spend Time Standing36
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled25
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles24
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling24
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body23
Spend Time Walking or Running22
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance12

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Archivist profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Organizing82
Analyzing62
Exploring60
Law-Abiding59
Safety-Seeking48
Persevering43
Helping34
Creating33
Harmonizing33
Operating32
Influencing15

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • High Law-Abiding. Measures your commitment to ethics, rules, and fairness. High scorers value honesty, follow procedures, and prefer environments with clear moral guidelines.
  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.

Friction points

  • Low Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • Low Law-Abiding. Measures your commitment to ethics, rules, and fairness. High scorers value honesty, follow procedures, and prefer environments with clear moral guidelines.
  • Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Graduate or professional degree.

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Archivist?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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