Professional interests

Knowing which perspective suits you is not only useful after you have achieved an educational qualification. In addition to features such as personality, decision-making behavior, and value orientation, personal professional interests also play a big role. Because the person must not only fit in with the job, but also the job to the person. The most well-founded model to capture this fit is the “RIASEC model” by John L. Holland (1997).

The basic idea behind this is to characterize people and environments in terms of their resemblance to six professional orientations (Holland, 1996):

Realistic (practical-technical)

People with realistic interests prefer tasks that...

• are concrete and hands-on
• involve tools, machines or materials
• produce a visible, verifiable result

They would rather work with their hands than with concepts and value finishing something by the end of the day. Accordingly, they thrive in technical, skilled trade and manufacturing fields, for example as a mechatronics technician, farmer or site manager. Many engineering roles also carry a strong realistic component. This dimension matters in hiring because it decides fit in many skilled and technical roles, while conventional application documents barely reveal it.

Investigative (investigating-researching)

Persons interested in investigative research prefer tasks that...

• are complex
• encourage analytical thinking and combining
• describe mental and scientific phenomena

They love to analyse, learn and puzzle. Accordingly, they develop best in professional fields in which problem-solving and the acquisition of knowledge are in the foreground, for example as a psychologist or researcher.

Artistic (artistic-creative)

People interested in artistic and creative activities prefer tasks that...

• are open, unstructured
• are particularly in the literary, musical or artistic fields
• enable the creative expression of ideas or emotions

It is often easy for them to express themselves creatively or linguistically and they enjoy working with unusual ideas, special materials, music or culture. For them, therefore, a career in the areas of language, art, music and drama is a good perspective. In addition to intuitive jobs such as acting, they also feel at home as interior designers, for example.

Social (educating-nurturing)

People interested in educating and caring prefer to deal with...

• assisting or advising others
• collaborative work
• areas where empathy and humanitarianism are required

They prefer environments where social interactions are in the foreground. Jobs that let them interact with others through teaching, training, providing or caring for others suit them best. They score particularly well there with their conviviality and willingness to help. One example of this is work as a caregiver or nurse, but also as a consultant in various professional fields.

Enterprising (leading-selling)

People interested in leading sales are enthusiastic about...

• activities with entrepreneurial aspects
• managing a team/company
• convincing others of their ideas

Through their often self-confident and enthralling manner, they shine in areas such as marketing or sales and often make it to management levels there thanks to their willingness to take responsibility and focus on success. But they also feel at home as lawyers or real estate agents, for example.

Conventional (order-managing)

People interested in organising and managing are enthusiastic about...

• establishing and maintaining clear routines
• the structured regular handling of data
• meeting clear performance standards

As a result, they are true organizational geniuses, keep track of things even when faced with complex tasks, and are best able to thrive in regulatory and administrative activities. This makes them valuable employees in many fields, for example in production management or accounting.

In each professional field, professional orientations vary and each person is interested in the various areas to a different extent. Some areas are also more similar than others, which is why they can be arranged in a hexagon.

Holland Code

It is common to categorize people and professional fields according to their three most dominant areas of interest. The so-called Holland Code consists of the three dimensions in which the person achieves the highest fit, in descending order. For example, if a person is most interested in the education-nursing sector (social), then leading-selling (enterprising), and in third place investigative-researching (investigative), they would receive the code “SEI”.

One of the best predictors of job satisfaction is the fit of the Holland codes between person and job (e.g. Assouline & Meir, 1987). If this is high, people in their professional field are offered opportunities, tasks and roles that fit their skills, interests and self-image.

A congruence between professional interests and job requirements also leads to stable career paths and better performance at work. An incongruity, on the other hand, results in dissatisfaction, frequent employer changes and highly fluctuating benefits (Holland, 1996). This can be prevented by recording the professional interests of applicants before hiring.

Sources

• Assouline, M., & Meir, E.I. (1987). Meta-analysis of the relationship between congruence and well-being measures. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 31 (3), 319-332.
• Holland, J.L. (1996). Exploring careers with a typology: What we have learned and some new directions. American psychologist, 51 (4), 397.
• Holland, J.L. (1997). Making Vocational Choices: A Theory of Vocational Personalities and Work Environments. Psychological Assessment Resources.

Aivy captures all six interest dimensions in the “Variety of Activities” assessment.