3.2: Your Interest Preferences
John Holland’s Classifications of Work Environments
Psychologist John L. Holland developed a career theory to explain how our personality types may fit into preferred occupational environments. His theory involves six types corresponding to preferred work tasks and environments (Bruce Hill, 2022).
Please click on the following link to view a video for more information about the Holland codes: Video Holland Codes [www.youtube.com] .
Image credit: The RIASEC Model (Holland Codes by QVhighschool01 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)
Please read over the different RIASEC work environments below and consider your first, second and third choice interests.
- Realistic: These people describe themselves as honest, loyal, and practical. They are “do-ers” more than thinkers. They have strong mechanical, motor, and athletic abilities; like the outdoors; and prefer working with machines, tools, plants, and animals. Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. These occupations often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many realistic occupations require working outside and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
- Investigative: These people love problem-solving and analytical skills. They are intellectually stimulated and often mathematically or scientifically inclined; like to observe, learn, and evaluate; prefer working alone; and may be reserved. Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and mentally figuring out problems.
- Artistic: These people are “free spirits.” They are creative, emotional, intuitive, and idealistic; have a flair for communicating ideas; dislike structure; prefer working independently; and like to sing, write, act, paint, and creatively think. Artistic types are similar to investigative types but are interested in artistic and aesthetic aspects more than scientific. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. These occupations often require self-expression, and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
- Social: These are “people” people. They are friendly and outgoing; love to help others; want to make a difference; have strong verbal and personal skills and teaching abilities; and are less likely to engage in intellectual or physical activity. Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
- Enterprising: These people are confident, assertive risk-takers. They are sociable; enjoy speaking and leadership; like to persuade rather than guide; like to use their influence; have strong interpersonal skills; and are status-conscious (Bruce Hill, 2022). Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. These occupations often deal with business and sometimes require risk-taking.
- Conventional: These people are dependable, detail oriented, disciplined, precise, persistent, and practical; value order; and are good at clerical and numerical tasks. They work well with people and data and are good organizers, schedulers, and project managers. Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
In this class, you will take the Strong Interest Inventory which is research-based and has been used for over 80 years. The inventory explains how people of similar interests are employed, and what motivates individuals in the workplace. The Strong Interest Inventory not only matches your interests to occupations based on the Holland Theory, the assessment also looks at other aspects of your personality, such as Personal Work Style, Leadership Style, Learning Style, Risk Taking Preference, and Team Orientation. The initial work on the Strong was done by its namesake, E.K. Strong, who developed the first “Strong” in 1927 at Stanford. In 1974 the Strong Interest Inventory was revised to integrate the theory by Holland (Yuan, 2021). As with the MBTI, your instructor will generate a report and interpret your results with you.
What's Your Occupational Type?
Using the descriptions of the RIASEC work environments listed above, choose the three types that most closely describe you and list them in order in the following table. Most people are combinations of two or sometimes three types. Then list the specific words or attributes that describe you best. After determining your primary, secondary and tertiary occupational types, take the first initial for each type, in order, to establish your occupational code (Bruce Hill, 2022).
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Occupational Type |
Word and Attributes That Closely Describe Me |
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Primary type (the one I identify with most) |
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Secondary type |
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Tertiary type |
Note: Your occupational code is made up of the initials of the three personality types you selected, in order.
My occupational code: ___ ___ ___
(For example: if Social, Enterprising, and Conventional are your top three occupational types, your occupational code would be: S E C). For the purpose of exploring careers, you can switch around the letters.)
Exploring Careers and Your Occupational Type
Now that you have determined your top three occupational types, you can begin to explore the types of careers that may be best suited for you. Holland studied people who were successful and happy in many occupations and matched their occupations to their occupational type, creating a description of the types of occupations that are best suited to each personality type. Just as many individuals are more than one personality type, many jobs show a strong correlation to more than one occupational type.
Use the top three occupational types you defined in the previous activity “What’s Your Occupational Type?” to help identify careers you may want to consider from the table below.
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Ideal Environments |
Sample Occupations |
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Realistic |
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Investigative |
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Artistic |
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Social |
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Enterprising |
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Conventional |
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You will be asked to reflect upon your psychological preference and preferred work environments along with your mindset, values and strengths in the Rest Stop at the end of this section.