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Chemist

Chemist profiles score highest on Analyzing and Exploring. 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
$91,240per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Bachelor's degreetypical for the occupation
Outlook
BrightO*NET Bright Outlook occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 19-2031.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Conduct qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses or experiments in laboratories for quality or process control or to develop new products or knowledge.

Skills rated most important

Science78
Critical Thinking75
Reading Comprehension75
Speaking72
Active Listening69

Work context

Indoors, Environmentally Controlled95
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams94
Contact With Others71
Spend Time Sitting52
Spend Time Standing48
Spend Time Walking or Running29
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body16
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled15
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling10
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles6
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance5

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

The trait profile

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

Analyzing93
Exploring88
Operating77
Organizing63
Safety-Seeking55
Persevering53
Law-Abiding44
Harmonizing19
Influencing12
Creating11
Helping4

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • High Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • High Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.

Friction points

  • Low Exploring. Measures your openness to new experiences and curiosity about the unknown. High scorers seek novelty, enjoy experimentation, and value the journey itself.
  • Low Organizing. Measures your preference for structure, detail, and systematic processes. High scorers excel at creating order, optimizing workflows, and maintaining precision.
  • Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • Low Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.

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: Bachelor's degree.

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

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 Chemist?

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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