The purposes of this exploratory field study were to discover the utility of career-oriented skills and competencies in speech communication as perceived by representatives from employment agencies, to discover current perceptions of the field by representatives from employment agencies, and to discover the bases for these perceptions. The target sample for the study consisted of employment agencies located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. An interview schedule was constructed with 16 employment counselors. In summary, all of the masked career-oriented speech communication skills and competencies were perceived by respondents as important in terms of marketability. In addition, specialized technical skills, personal qualities, and previous work experience were mentioned as determinants of marketability. (The results are presented in both narrative and table format.) (RB)