RIASEC

Hollands Theory of
Career Interest

By far the most coming used assessment tool in career planning is the RIASEC Hexagon. First introduced during the
1970s by Dr. John Holland, a classification interviewer with the US army, RIASEC is based on four main assumptions
about people, interests, and careers:
1. Most people can be categorized into six types and that each person may be characterized by one type or a
combination of these types.
2. Occupational environments can be divided into the same six types, and a particular type of person dominates each
environment.
3. During career planning and development, individuals seek occupations that let correspond with their skills,
interest, and values, and obviously avoid work situations that are in conflict with their skills, interests, and values.
4. Behavior is determined by an interaction between a persons personality and the characteristics of their working
environment.
Dr. Holland theorized that the best way to identify a career area that feels like a good fit was to analyze their work related
personality characteristics, and match those with different types of work environments. Dr. Holland came up with 6
different categories that describe both work related personality characteristics and work environments. The idea is that
people with personalities that fit their work environments will be happier and more satisfied. While you may have some
interests in, and similarities to, several of the six types, you probably are primarily attracted to just one or two, possibly
three of the main areas. These 6 personality types, referred to as the General Occupational Themes in the Strong Interest
Inventory, are seen as six corners in a hexagon and their placement in the hexagon corresponds with how closely their
basic components are related to their neighbor.
While this theory seems pretty basic to us now, at the time it was pretty revolutionary to the career planning field. What
Dr. Holland provided the field, was a simple and efficient way for people to begin the assessment component of career
planning by assessing which type best described their own interests. Dr. Hollands six types are listed below:

Realistic

People who have

athletic or
mechanical
ability, prefer to
work with
objects, machines,
tools, plants or
animals, or to be
outdoors.

Investigative

Artistic

People who like

to observe, learn,
investigate,
analyze, evaluate
or solve
problems.

People who have

artistic,
innovating or
intuitional
abilities and like
to work in
unstructured
situations using
their imagination
and creativity.

Social

Enterprising

People who like

to work with
People who like
people,
to work with
influencing,
people to
persuading,
enlighten, inform,
performing,
help, train, or cure
leading or
them, or are
managing for
skilled with
organizational
words.
goals or economic
gain.

Conventional

People who like

to work with data,
have clerical or
numerical ability,
carry out tasks in
detail or follow
through on
others
instructions.

Lets take a closer look at the six corners of the hexagon:

REALISTIC The Do-ers
Are You:
Practical, Athletic,
Straightforward/Frank, Mechanically
inclined, A nature lover, Thrifty,
Curious about the physical world,
Stable, Concrete, Reserved, Selfcontrolled, Independent, Ambitious,
Systematic, Persistent

Can You:
Fix electrical things
Solve electrical problems
Pitch a tent
Play a sport
Read a blueprint
Plant a garden
Operate tools and machinery

HOBBIES:
Refinishing or building furniture
Hunting/Fishing
Building models
Landscaping
INVESTIGATIVE The Thinkers
Are You:
Inquisitive, Analytical, Scientific,
Observant, Precise, Scholarly,
Cautious, Intellectually self-confident,
Introspective, Reserved, Broadminded, Independent, Logical,
Complex, Curious

Growing plants/flowers
Home renovation, woodworking
Repairing cars, equipment
Playing or coaching sports, taking exercise classes

Can You:
Think abstractly
Solve math problems
Understand scientific theories
Do complex calculations
Use a microscope or computer
Interpret formulas

HOBBIES:
Book club
Crossword puzzles/board games
Computers
Collecting rocks, stamps, coins, etc.
Recreational flying
ARTISTIC The Creators
Are You:
Creative, Intuitive, Imaginative,
Innovative, Unconventional,
Emotional, Independent, Expressive,
Original, Introspective, Impulsive,
Sensitive, Courageous, Open,
Complicated, Idealistic,
Nonconforming
HOBBIES:
Photography
Writing stories, poems, etc.
Sewing
Visiting art museums
Travel
Homemade crafts
Speaking foreign languages

Like To:
Tinker with machines/vehicles
Work outdoors
Use your hands
Be physically active
Build things
Tend/train animals
Work with electronic equipment

Like To:
Explore a variety of ideas
Use computers
Work independently
Perform lab experiments
Read scientific or technical journals
Analyze data
Deal with abstractions
Do research
Be challenged

Astronomy
Preservation of endangered species
Visiting museums
Amateur Radio

Can You:
Sketch, draw, paint
Play a musical instrument
Write stories, poetry, music
Sing, act, dance
Design fashions or interiors

Like To:
Attend concerts, theatres, art exhibits
Read fiction, plays, and poetry
Work on crafts
Take photographs
Express yourself creatively
Deal with ambiguous ideas

Performing
Desktop Publishing
Taking dance lessons
Designing sets for plays
Playing a musical instrument
Painting

SOCIAL The Helpers

Are You:
Friendly, Helpful, Idealistic,
Insightful, Outgoing, Understanding,
Cooperative, Generous, Responsible,
Forgiving, Patient, Empathic, Kind,
Persuasive

Can You:
Teach/train others
Express yourself clearly
Lead a group discussion
Mediate disputes
Plan and supervise an activity
Cooperate well with others

HOBBIES:
Volunteering with social action groups
Joining campus or community organizations
Meeting new friends
Caring for children
Going to parties
ENTERPRISING The Persuaders
Are You:
Self-confident, Assertive, Sociable,
Persuasive, Enthusiastic, Energetic,
Adventurous, Popular, Impulsive,
Ambitious, Inquisitive, Agreeable,
Talkative, Extroverted, Spontaneous,
Optimistic

Writing letters
Helping others with personal concerns
Attending sporting events
Religious activities
Playing team sports

Can You:
Initiate projects
Convince people to do things your
way
Sell things or promote ideas
Gove talks or speeches
Organize activities
Lead a group
Persuade others

HOBBIES:
Discussing politics
Watching the stock market
Selling products
Operating a home business

Like To:
Make decisions affecting others
Be elected to office
Win leadership or sales award
Start your own service or business
Campaign politically
Meet important people
Have power or status

Reading business journals

Attending meetings and conferences
Leading campus or community organizations

CONVENTIONAL The Organizers

Are You:
Can You:
Well-organized, Accurate,
Work well within a system
Numerically inclined, Methodical,
Do a lot of paper work quickly
Conscientious, Efficient, Conforming, Keep accurate records
Orderly, Practical, Thrifty, Systematic, Use a computer terminal
Structured, Polite, Ambitious,
Write effective business letters
Obedient, Persistent
HOBBIES:
Collecting memorabilia
Playing computer or card games
Keeping club or family records, files
Studying tax laws

Like To:
Work in groups
Help people with problems
Participate in meetings
Do volunteer work
Work with young people
Play team sports
Serve others

Like To:
Follow clearly defined procedures
Use data processing equipment
Work with numbers
Type or take shorthand
Be responsible for details
Collect or organize things

Arranging and organizing house, work, etc.

Collecting any related objects
Reading home magazines
Writing family history

The Hexagon

R
Think of the hexagon as a big room. In each corner
there are people and activities going on that correspond
to their Holland code. Which corner would you like to visit first?
Second? Which corner are you least likely to want to visit?

A
E