Personality and Career Choice – Where do you fall?

John Holland, one of the key contributors to the field of Career development, suggests that our personality determines the kinds of environments we choose to work in. He came up with six personality types and described them as follows:

• Realistic Personality Type
These people have preference for manipulation of tools, objects, machines and animals. They usually avoid social situations and value concrete vs. abstract objects such as power and money. They may seem non-conforming, genuine, hard headed, normal, persistent, practical, inflexible and un-insightful. Usually have mechanical abilities. Most jobs they take are stereotypically considered masculine jobs. Examples include – plumber, electrician, machine operator, mechanic, photographer, and draftsman.

• Investigative Personality Type
They are scientific, analytical, cautious, critical thinkers, curious, permissive, reserved, and unpopular. Very task-oriented, independent and may defer leadership to others. Examples – chemists, physicists, computer programmer, electronics worker.

• Artistic Personality Type

Prefers self expression through the arts, imaginative, independent, introspective, ambiguous, free, unsystematic, expressive, original, intuitive, disorderly, and complicated. Examples – artists, designer, sculptor, writer.

• Social Personality Type

Prefers social interactions and has good communication skills, is concerned with social problems, is community service oriented, interested in educational activities. Likes to manipulate others- but not in a devious way-to inform, train, develop or cure them. Cooperative, patient, kind, persuasive, helpful, tactful. Examples – teacher, counselor, nurse, social worker, sociologist.

• Enterprising Personality Type

Prefers leadership roles, domineering, and ambitious, persuasive, good verbal skills. Manipulates others to achieve organizational goals and for economical gain. Have strong leadership skills, extrovert, and social, optimistic and self confident. Examples – managers, salesmen, real estate, insurance sales people.

• Conventional Personality Type

Practical, well controlled, sociable prefers structured tasks such as systematizing and manipulation of data and word processing. Good at data analyst, record keeping and filing. Orderly, careful, efficient, inflexible, methodical, obedient. Examples – clerical workers, secretaries, file clerk, bookkeeper, receptionist and credit manager.

No one person fits in a pure personality category. Holland suggests that even though we may have some qualities in four or more categories, we tend to have characteristics that will fit into three major categories. Thus individuals are described as RAE, SEC, RIA ands so forth, depending on the combinations of categories that most fits the individual. So, where do you think you fall?