What is the Holland Code?

The Holland Code is a set of tests that can be used to help people find a career or vocation. The Holland Codes, the Holland Codes Career Model, and the Holland Hexagon are all names for the same thing. John L. Holland, an American psychologist, created the Holland Code. Holland created a total of six personality types that are naturally suited to various activities and jobs. Realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional are a few of them. RIASEC is a common abbreviation for the Holland Codes. Individuals can discover their own Holland Code by taking aptitude tests that assess personality traits and inquire about hobbies.

The Holland Hexagon is a graphic representation of the six personality types, with each type occupying a separate corner. Holland created it to show which personality types he thought complimented each other and which ones he thought clashed the most in people. Artistic, for example, is only one corner away from social but three corners away from conventional. This is meant to convey that artistic personalities frequently associate with social types, but not with traditional personalities. These are generalizations rather than hard and fast rules. Some people have characteristics of both an artistic and a conventional personality.

Each personality type is described in the Holland Code. According to this code, realistic types are the most hands-on, do-it-yourself types. These are people who enjoy working with their hands, participating in sports, and operating machinery. Investigative types are more analytical, employing their minds to explore and solve complex problems, and may be better suited to careers as lawyers or scientists. Independent and creative, artistic types are best suited to art and performance. Social types enjoy working in groups and are cooperative. These are the people who enjoy counseling and teaching. Leading groups and influencing others are two things that enterprising people enjoy doing. Managers, businesspeople, and communication majors are the most likely to fall into this category. Traditional personalities are meticulous and enjoy organizing tasks such as accounting, banking, and secretarial work.

The majority of people are subject to more than one Holland Code. As a result, most Holland Codes aptitude tests return an individual’s top three personality types. This is beneficial because most people succeed in their careers when they can bring a diverse set of personality traits to the table. In the field of career counseling, the Holland Codes are widely used. The Holland Code, for example, is used by the United States Department of Labor as part of its career counseling services.