Introduction
This personality test is designed for people who have
desire to understand themselves better, with a particular accent on their careers.
Background
The Holland Occupational Themes is a theory of
personality that focuses on career and vocational choice. It groups people on
the basis of their suitability for six different categories of occupations. The
six types yield the RIASEC acronym, by which the theory is also commonly known.
The theory was developed by John L. Holland over the course of his career,
starting in the 1950s. The typology has come to dominate the field of career
counseling and has been incorporated into most of the popular assessments used
in the field. The RIASEC Markers from the Interest Item Pool were developed by
Liao, Armstrong and Rounds (2008) for use in psychological research as a public
domain alternative to the usual assessments which are marketed commercially.
Benefits of the Holland Career Test are multiple:
·
Identify your strengths: the test helps
individuals identify their unique strengths, interests, and skills, which can
be used to guide career decisions and increase job satisfaction.
·
Aid your career exploration: the test provides
individuals with a comprehensive list of career fields that match their
personality type, which can help them explore and consider career options they
may not have thought of before.
·
Improve goal setting: the test can help
individuals set clear and specific career goals based on their personality type
and interests.
·
Raise your self-awareness: the test can help
individuals gain a deeper understanding of themselves and their work style,
which can lead to better self-awareness and personal growth.
·
Improve your decision-making: the test can help
individuals make more informed career decisions by providing them with
objective data and insights.
Instructions
Print the list of various activities, that could be performed.
For each one, imagine on how you would like it and indicate on how much you
would enjoy that activity with the scale
1 – strongly dislike
2 – dislike
3 – neither like not dislike
4 – like
5 – strongly like
Input the number in the empty space to the right
Questions
Scoring
To score the test add up each column (numbered 1-6 from
left to right) and put the sums in the grid below.
Now take the category that you scored the highest in and
that is your personality type.
Realistic
This category identifies individuals who are practical,
hands-on, and mechanically inclined. Those who score highly in this category
prefer to work with tools, machines, and physical objects and typically enjoy
occupations that involve practical, tangible activities.
The Realistic personality can be described as “doers”.
They value things you can see, touch, and do.
People who fall in the Realistic category tend to be
practical, technical, systematic, and straightforward in their approach towards
things. They typically prefer physical activities, working with plants and
animals, or real-world materials such as wood, land, tools, and machinery.
A person with Realistic personality likes to tackle
problems and tasks hands-on, by getting right in there and doing something.
In the construction world, they are the builders.
People with Realistic personality traits are often
kinesthetic learner who like to “learn by doing” over sitting in a classroom
listening to lectures.
Most professional sports players are likely to score high
on the Realistic Holland code, so much so that this personality type is
sometimes referred to as “athletic.” While not exclusive to the Realistic
trait, there is also a strong correlation with preferring outdoor work in this
category.
Investigative
This category characterizes analytical, intellectual, and
curious individuals. High scorers in this category enjoy problem-solving,
research, and the pursuit of knowledge, often thriving in careers that involve investigation
and theoretical exploration.
Another term that could be used to describe the
Investigative personality type could be the thinker.” Holland’s original name
for this category was intellectual, probably because people with this
personality style tend to be analytical, research-oriented, precise, and
scientific. Because a lot of the work is “in their head,” Investigative persons
often prefer to work independently, but not always.
Investigative persons think abstractly, enjoy searching
for facts, like to deep dive for information, and love figuring out complex
problems. They could be considered as idea developers and ask a ton of
questions. They want to understand the how and why of things. These are
the people who thrive on calculations, theories, and challenging ideas.
Artistic
this category is for creative, expressive, and
imaginative individuals. Those who score highly in this category enjoy working
with forms of art, music, writing, or design and typically thrive in
environments that allow for self-expression and creativity.
If someone fits into the Holland artistic personality
type, they are creators by nature. When it comes to solving problems or
generating new ideas, these are the kind of people who are going to get
creative and think outside of the box.
A person with a high Artistic Holland code is someone who
is likely to be imaginative, unconventional, and emotionally expressive. In the
construction world, these are the designers and architects. Artistic
personality types are drawn to work that can be done without set rules or
structure.
Social
This category represents empathetic, compassionate, and
cooperative individuals. High scorers in this category enjoy helping others,
teaching, and facilitating personal growth and typically excel in careers
involving interpersonal interaction and service to others.
The “helper” could be another word used to describe
Holland’s social personality type. Within the Holland RIASEC Model, the word
“social” is not used solely to describe whether a person like being around
others, but rather their internal motivation related to vocational interests.
For example, a person with a high Social Holland code is likely to be a team
player, caring, flexible, and reliable. However, we are sure that if you
stopped to think about it, you can think of at least one gregarious, extroverted
person, who thrives on being the center of attention, that doesn’t fit that
bill. We will talk more about this important distinction later.
When we talk about Social personality traits as they
relate to occupational choice, the main goal of work for this group is service
to people. They thrive on working with others to help them grow, develop,
and/or heal. They are the caretakers and the great listeners. They
are also skilled with words, but in a manner that is geared towards helping,
teaching, and informing, rather than persuading.
Enterprising
This category identifies ambitious, persuasive, and
energetic individuals. Those who score highly in this category enjoy leading,
influencing, and persuading others and are often successful in roles that involve
entrepreneurship, sales, or managerial tasks.
Another name for the Enterprising personality type is the
“persuader”. This group of people are also great at communication and words,
but their motivation is to lead, guide, influence, and persuade. These are the
same reasons why they like working with people, and when asked for a single
word to describe themselves, “leader” is likely to be at the top of the
list.
Someone with a high Enterprising Holland code is likely
to be results-oriented, eager to take challenges head-on, spontaneous, and
adventurous. They are the risk takers and are often goal-oriented towards
economic gain.
Most entrepreneurs will have a relatively high
Enterprising score. What business they choose to get into is likely to be
related to their other interests and personality traits. For example, someone
who also scores high on Artistic and Social traits might start their own dance
studio, rather than work for someone else. Additionally, how well they succeed
at that business can be greatly influenced by either their other scores or how
well they can identify their weaknesses and get help. Every successful business
needs someone with at least some organizational, time management, and
accounting skills.
Conventional
This category characterizes detail-oriented, organized,
and methodical individuals. High scorers in this category enjoy working with
data, numbers, and structured systems and typically excel in roles that require
careful attention to detail, precision, and adherence to established routines
and procedures.
Someone who has the Conventional personality type could
also be called the “organizer”. This group tends to be focused, data-oriented,
detailed, and great with numbers. On the surface, there may seem to be a lot of
similarities with the Conventional and Investigative type, and there is
overlap, but a key difference is that they are more logical, concrete thinkers
rather than abstract.
A high Conventional RIASEC score indicates that a person
is likely to be orderly, methodical, and enjoy structure in their approach
towards work and life. They like working with plans and are great at keeping
records (and don’t mind doing it!).
Mobile Application
You can also access the test though the Android application,
available in Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.seabird.riasectest&hl=en_US&gl=US
