My Holland Code
The Origin
There are things that you enjoy doing, whatever the industry or job title. The key to finding a satisfying career is to match your fundamental interests with occupations.
For instance, a Social person would go crazy sitting alone in an office all day. Or if you are Artistic, you would probably hate having to conform to a set of strict rules in your job. That is why career and vocational tests can be so helpful.
According to Dr. John Holland‘s theory of careers and vocational choices – known as Holland Codes – there are six personality types:
- Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional.
Test Yourself
Out of the various tests out there, this is one you may want to try.
Test Instructions: The test consists of 48 tasks that you will have to rate by how much you would enjoy performing each on a scale of (1) dislike (2) slightly dislike (3) neither like not dislike (4) slightly enjoy (5) enjoy. The test will take most five to ten minutes to complete.
Participation: This test is provided for educational and entertainment use only. It should not be used as psychological advice of any kind and comes without any guarantee of accuracy or fitness for any particular purpose. Also, your responses may be recorded and anonymously used for research or otherwise distributed.
Eric’s Score
I → Like to work with DATA.
C → Like to work with DATA.
A → Like to work with IDEAS and THINGS.
S → Like to work with PEOPLE.
E → Like to work with PEOPLE and DATA.
R → Like to work with THINGS.
Potentials
The list of suggested occupations for Eric includes some interesting hints. Potential professional challenges fitting his profile may be found here.
These suggested choices are based upon the information in the Occupational Information Network (O*NET). The O*NET is a free online database that contains hundreds of occupational definitions to help students, job seekers, businesses and workforce development professionals to understand today’s world of work.
I → People who like to “think and observe rather than act, to organize and understand information rather than to persuade”. They also prefer “individual rather than people-oriented activities”.
C → People who “like rules and regulations and emphasize self-control. They like structure and order, and dislike unstructured or unclear work and interpersonal situations”. They also “place value on reputation, power, or status”.
A → People who tend to be “creative, open, inventive, original, perceptive, sensitive, independent and emotional”. They rebel against “structure and rules” but enjoy “tasks involving people or physical skills”.
S → People who “seem to satisfy their needs in teaching or helping situations”. They tend to be “drawn more to seek close relationships with other people and are less apt to want to be really intellectual or physical”.
E → People who tend to be “good talkers and use this skill to lead or persuade others”. They also “value reputation, power, money and status”.
R → People who tend to be “assertive and competitive and are interested in activities requiring motor coordination, skill and strength”. They also prefer “concrete approaches to problem solving, rather than abstract theory”.
It looks simple but in reality, there is naturally more to finding an appropriate professional challenge than simply matching types.
Score Explained
- Investigative → THINKER → Analytical, intellectual, scientific, explorative, thinker (score 27)
Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
- Conventional → ORGANIZER → Detail-oriented, organizing, clerical (score 18)
Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. There is usually a clear line of authority to follow.
- Artistic → CREATOR → Creative, original, independent, chaotic, inventive, media, graphics, and text (score 18)
Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs, and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
- Social → HELPER → Cooperative, supporting, helping, healing/nurturing, teaching (score 13)
Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
- Enterprising → PERSUADER → Competitive environments, leadership, persuading, status (score 12)
Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking, and they often deal with business.
- Realistic → DOER → Practical, physical, concrete, hands-on, machine, and tool-oriented (score 12)
Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems, and solutions. These occupations do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Traits Conclusion
Eric is a clearly contoured individual who consistently exhibits a homogeneous behavior across various situations, driven by a total challenge mindset. He thrives in competitive environments, motivating others and achieving goals, while maintaining security and stability. His strong inner motivation influences people and circumstances, with a resilience that ensures his effectiveness under pressure. His intuitive, creative, and holistic approach to work emphasizes innovation and integration, complemented by a logical and analytical mindset for problem-solving. Eric’s ability to express ideas and teach, alongside his organizational skills, positions him as a thinking, organized creator and commercial entrepreneurial communicator who persuades doers. Gifted according to Stanford-Binet, highly intelligent per Cattell, and very superior per Wechsler, Eric is open to experience, conscientious, agreeable, and relaxed under stress. He achieves targets through determination and analytical focus, often perceived as pragmatic and objective. His top personality talents include implementation, creation, and analysis, with a work environment preference for detail orientation, risk appetite, and factual orientation. Autonomous and influential, Eric enjoys advanced working conditions, balances work-life effectively, seeks prestigious and financial rewards, values security, and consistently delivers performance while favoring self-development and occasionally underestimating work relationships.