Transferable Skills to Telephone Solicitor, Part II -- the DOT Data Set

Vocational expert assumes the presence of a work history that includes selling cable television service to walk-in customers.

259.357-022 SALES REPRESENTATIVE, TELEVISION CABLE SERVICE (radio-tv broad.)

    Contacts homeowners, apartment managers, and other prospects to sell cable television service: Compiles list of prospective customers from lists of homes that do not have cable television and lists of residential addresses with names of owners and occupants. Travels throughout assigned territory to call on prospective customers in their homes to solicit orders. Performs duties as described under SALES REPRESENTATIVE (retail trade; wholesale tr.) Master Title.
GOE: 08.02.06 STRENGTH: L GED: R4 M3 L4 SVP: 3 DLU: 88

The ALJ directs the VE to assume a limitation to sedentary work.  Vocational expert identifies the occupation:

299.357-014 TELEPHONE SOLICITOR (any industry) alternate titles: telemarketer; telephone sales representative

    Solicits orders for merchandise or services over telephone: Calls prospective customers to explain type of service or merchandise offered. Quotes prices and tries to persuade customer to buy, using prepared sales talk. Records names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects solicited. Refers orders to other workers for filling. Keys data from order card into computer, using keyboard. May develop lists of prospects from city and telephone directories. May type report on sales activities. May contact DRIVER, SALES ROUTE (retail trade; wholesale tr.) 292.353-010 to arrange delivery of merchandise.
GOE: 08.02.08 STRENGTH: S GED: R3 M3 L3 SVP: 3 DLU: 88

The regulations describe transferability:

(2) How we determine skills that can be transferred to other jobs. Transferability is most probable and meaningful among jobs in which—

(i) The same or a lesser degree of skill is required;
(ii) The same or similar tools and machines are used; and
(iii) The same or similar raw materials, products, processes, or services are involved.

We examine each of those elements.  It is clear that the SVP for sales representative is 3 and the SVP for telephone solicitor is also a 3.  Same or lesser degree of skill is required.

The concept of tools and machines is denominated by the DOT-data set as work fields (WF).  The concept of raw materials, products, processes, or services is described in the DOT-data set as Materials, Products, Subject Matter, and Services (MPSMS).  SSA recognizes this in POMS DI 25015.017, Transferability of Skills Assessment (TSA).  Paragraph I, step 4 tells the adjudicators to search for same or similar:

• guide for occupational exploration (GOE) code;
• materials, products, subject matter, and services (MPSMS) code;
• work field (WF) code;
• occupation group (first three digits of DOT code); or
• industry designation.

Compare the GOE:  08.02.06 versus 08.02.08.   The first four digits are the same.  The codes are similar.  The data for sales representative:

WORK    code: 292      MERCHANDISING-SALES
MPSMS   code: 869      COMMUNICATION SERVICES, OTHER

The data for telephone solicitor:

WORK    code: 292      MERCHANDISING-SALES
MPSMS   code: 885      SALES PROMOTION SERVICES

The work fields are the same.  No further inquiry is necessary.

The MPSMS codes diverge after the first digit.  We examine that element.  MPSMS group 860, communication services is described in the Revised Handbook for Analyzing Jobs:

This group includes aural or visual communication and broadcasting services provided by tele
phone and telegraph operators, radio and television broadcasters, radar-station operators, telephoto operators, and related workers. Newspapers, magazines, and related printed and published products are classified in Group 480. Telephone message services are classified in
Group 890. Lecturing and public-speaking services are classified in Group 930. Installation,
maintenance, and repair of communication structures and equipment are classified in Group
360 and 580. respectively.

The RHAJ describes MPSMS 869 as:

Communication Services, n.e.c. (cablevision, missile tracking and radar, telephoto, ticker tape, etc.)

That is the nature of the work as a sales representative.

The RHAJ describes MPSMS 880 as:

This group includes retail and wholesale trade, route sales and delivery, auctioneering, vending, rental, sales promotion, merchandise displaying, and related merchandising services rendered by commodity-sales personnel, vendors, peddlers, newspaper carriers, sales-route drivers, auctioneers, rental clerks, cashiers, demonstrators, models, window dressers, commercial decorators, professional shoppers, buyers, and similar workers. Sales personnel engaged in selling finance, insurance, real estate, transportation, utilities, advertising, and related services are classified according to the services being sold.

MPSMS code 885 is:

Sales Promotion Services (demonstrating, modeling, etc.)

Our friends at SkillTran, the publishers of Job Browser Pro, Occubrowse, and other products describes the landscape of the TSA for SSA purposes as:

SkillTRAN implements its transferability analysis as follows: 

Directly Transferable Occupations share at least one of the three digit WORK fields known from each job of the past work history AND have at least one of the same three digit MPSMS codes from any of those jobs done in the past. Directly transferable occupations have primary job duties that are very similar to past work. Little or no learning of job duties is anticipated. 

Closely Transferable Occupations are in combination WORK fields (which involve multiple work technologies) AND have at least one of the same three digit MPSMS codes from past work history. Some learning of a few job duties may be anticipated. 

Generally Transferable Occupations share at least one of the two digit WORK fields from the past work history AND have at least one of the two digit MPSMS fields from the past. Two digit coding by WORK and MPSMS clusters occupations into generally related groups that may not share the same specific skills as developed in the past. Some learning of essential job duties is likely to be necessary. 

Directly Related Occupations share at least one of the three digit WORK fields known from the past work history but could involve any kind of MPSMS. Some moderate to significant on-the-job training can be anticipated. Formal training may be necessary for some occupations. 

Generally Related Occupations share at least one of the two digit WORK fields known from the past work history but could involve any kind of MPSMS. Significant on-the-job or formal training can be anticipated.
Unskilled Occupations (SVP = 1 or 2) can be learned within 30 days and require no previous occupational experience. There are a total of 3,125 unskilled occupations in the DOT.  

 The transition from sales representative to telephone solicitor does not have transferable skills.  They are directly related occupations.  The same three digit work fields and unrelated MPSMS codes that will involve moderate to significant on-the-job training.  Of course, the only reason that no one needs training to perform the occupation of a telephone solicitor is in reality unskilled per the OOH.