Know your Personality Type with the Holland Code
One way of exploring careers is by looking at occupations according to occupational interest. John Holland
conducted research that divided job seekers into six broad personality type categories:
REALISTIC
INVESTIGATIVE
ARTISTIC
SOCIAL
ENTERPRISING
CONVENTIONAL
All types have both positive and negative qualities and none are better than the others. The Holland Code is a
generalization, and not likely to be an exact fit. This condensed survey is not intended to be as accurate or
comprehensive as a full instrument. Completing this survey might help you identify the cluster(s) of occupations in
which you would have the most interest and get the most satisfaction, and it will give you a place to start your
career exploration.
Step One: Circle the number of all items below that are appealing to you - leave the rest blank.
1. Planting and growing crops
17. Buying clothes for a store
33. Writing stories or poetry
2. Solving math problems
18. Working from nine to five
34. Attending sports events
3. Being in a play
19. Setting type for a printing job
35. Making your opinions heard
4. Studying other cultures
20. Using a chemistry set
36. Using business machines
5. Talking to people at a party
21. Reading fiction or plays
37. Building things
6. Working with computers
22. Helping people with problems
38. Doing puzzles
7. Working on cars or lawnmowers
23. Selling life insurance
39. Fashion design
8. Astronomy
24. Typing reports
40. Belonging to a club
9. Drawing or painting
25. Driving a truck
41. Giving talks or speeches
10. Going to church
26. Working in a lab
42. Keeping detailed records
11. Working on a sales campaign
27. Playing a musical instrument
43. Wildlife biology
12. Using a cash register
28. Making new friends
44. Using science to get answers
13. Carpentry
29. Leading a group
45. Going to concerts or the theater
14. Physics
30. Following a budget
46. Working with the elderly
15. Foreign language
31. Fixing electrical appliances
47. Sales people
16. Working with youth
32. Building rocket models
48. Filing letters and reports
Step Two: On the chart below, again circle the numbers of the items which appealed to you. Then count the
number for each row and write the number in the box to the left. The two highest categories are the clusters in
which you have the most interest, and their corresponding labels are your Holland Code. (For example, if you
scored highest in Social, and second highest in Artistic, your Holland Code would be SA. This is where you will
concentrate your career exploration efforts.)
R = REALISTIC
I = INVESTIGATIVE
A = ARTISTIC
S = SOCIAL
E = ENTERPRISING
C = CONVENTIONAL
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Highest score: _____________ Second highest score: _______________ My Holland Code: _______
In the lists below, you can identify your type, and then focus on your job search in the Interest section of
Advanced Search in the Wages and Occupational Data (WOOD) tool
REALISTIC
-
Robust, rugged, practical, physically strong
Uncomfortable in social settings
Good motor coordination
Weak verbal and interpersonal skills
See themselves as mechanically and athletically
inclined
Stable, natural, persistent
Prefer concrete to abstract problems
Have conventional political and economic goals
Rarely perform creatively in the arts or science
Like to build things with tools
Like to work outdoors
Cool to radical new ideas
Like to work with big, powerful machines
Buy boats, campers, snowmobiles, motorcycles
INVESTIGATIVE
-
Scientific orientation
Task-oriented, all wrapped up in their work
Introspective and asocial
Think through rather than act out a problem
Strong need to understand the world
Enjoy ambiguous tasks
Prefer to work independently
Have unconventional attitudes
See themselves as lacking in leadership skills
Confident of their intellectual abilities
Analytical, curious, reserved, independent
Great dislike for repetitive activities
Buy telescopes, calculators, electronic equipment
SOCIAL
-
Sociable, responsible, humanistic, religious
Like to work in groups
Have verbal and interpersonal skills
Avoid both intellectual problem-solving and
physical exertion
Enjoy healing, developing, training, or enlightening
others
Understanding, helpful, idealistic
Dislike working with machines or in highly
structured situations
Like to discuss philosophic questions
Concerned with the welfare of others
Cooperative, friendly, generous
Attend workshops, other group experiences
ENTERPRISING
-
Good verbal skills, persuasive
Strong leaders
Avoid work involving long periods of intellectual
effort
Strong drive to attain organizational goals
Concerned with power, status, and leadership
Aggressive, popular, sociable, self-confident
High energy level - Adventuresome, ambitious
Enjoy making things happen
Value money and material possessions
Dislike science and systematic thinking
Buy big cars, nice clothes, country club
memberships
CONVENTIONAL
-
Prefer well-ordered environments
Like systematic, verbal and numerical activities;
avoid ambiguous situations and problems
Conscientious, efficient, practical
Identify with power
Value material possessions and status
Orderly, persistent, calm
Adverse to free, unsystematic, exploratory
behavior in new areas
Do not seek outside leadership
Stable, controlled, dependable
Most effective at well-defined tasks
Save money, buy conservatively
ARTISTIC
-
Like art, music, drama, other creative interests
Prefer free, unstructured situations
Impulsive, non-conforming, independent
Adverse to rules
Deal with problems through self-expression in art
Value beauty and aesthetic qualities
Expressive, original, intuitive
Like to work in free environments
Like small, intimate groups
Willing to take risks to try something new
Dress in freer styles than other people
Have need for individualistic expression
Not assertive about own capabilities
Sensitive and emotional
Spend money on art objectsbooks, paintings,
DVDs, CDs
Department of Workforce Services, 140 East 300 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 Telephone (801) 526-9785 Fax (801) 526-9238
jobs.utah.gov Equal Opportunity Employer/Programs
