SDS
SELF-DIRECTED
SEARCH
FORM CP
ASSESSMENT
BOOKLET
A guide to Career Planning in
Organizations
By John L. Holland, PhD
PAR
Psychological
Assessment
Resources ,Inc.
1|Page
Enter your name, age, sex, occupation, and the date in the spaces below
Name:
Age:
Date:
Sex:
Occupation:
1- Directions
The Self-Directed Search (SDS) is an interest inventory designed for career exploration and
planning. The inventory surveys your interests, competencies, and preferences and relates your
pattern of interests to more than a thousand careers. The SDS can also provide information about
preferred working styles, values, and work environments.
If you have already thought about possible careers or career changes, the SDS may support your
ideas or suggest other possibilities. If you are uncertain about what career path to follow, the SDS
should help you establish a list of careers for further exploration. When completing the SDS, do
not hurry, you will gain more by approaching the inventory in a thoughtful manner. Read the
instructions carefully and describe yourself as accurately as possible.
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2- Activities
Below are activities that cover a broad range of interests and settings. Write down Y for those
activities that you enjoy or believe that you would enjoy. Write down N for those activities that
you do not enjoy or that do not appeal to you.
R Activities
Y
N
Take a Woodworking course
Work on a car
Operate heavy machinery or equipment
Make mechanical repairs
Repair a fence
Make electrical repairs
Use metalworking or machine tools
Organize a hunting, fishing or camping trip
Set up a stereo music system
Plant a vegetable garden
Take an Auto Mechanics course
I Activities
Total Ys
Y
N
Apply mathematics to practical problems
Study a scientific theory
Take a Physics course
Work in a research laboratory
Take a Statistics course
Analyze information to create new understandings
Solve technical problems
Read scientific books or magazines
Study the chemical structure of liquids
Find solutions to complex problems
Visit a science museum
A Activities
Dramatize an idea or story
Play in a band, group, or orchestra
Practice a musical instrument
Write for a magazine or newspaper
Design furniture, clothing or posters
Create portraits or photographs
Sketch, draw, or paint
Read or write poetry
Take a course in design
Act in a comedy or play
Edit a magazine or journal
Total Ys
Y
N
Total Ys
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S Activities
Y
N
Take a Human Relations course
Work for a charity
Study juvenile delinquency
Read about important educators or therapists
Take a Self-Improvement course
Study a psychological theory
Read sociology articles or books
Train others to do a job
Help handicapped people
Settle arguments between others
Teach in a college
E Activities
Total Ys
Y
N
Take a course or seminar on leadership
Learn strategies for success in business
Be a project leader
Supervise the work of others
Meet important executives and leaders
Read about important leaders in business or
government
Practice in a political campaign
Operate your own service or business
Make important decisions
Influence others
Attend a sales meeting
C Activities
Set up a record keeping system
Take a Business course
Operate a computer
Take an inventory of supplies or products
Check paperwork or products for errors or flaws
Keep record of expenses
Perform math calculations in bookkeeping or business
Write business letters
Operate business machines
Fill out detailed forms
Take a Bookkeeping course
Total Ys
Y
N
Total Ys
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3- Competencies
Write down Y for those skills and abilities that you can do well or competently. Write down N for
those skills and abilities that you have never performed or perform poorly.
R Competencies
Y
N
I can make simple repairs on a TV set or radio
I can repair furniture
I can use woodshop power tools such as a power saw,
lathe, or sander
I can operate power tools such as a drill press, grinder,
or sewing machine
I can refinish furniture or woodwork
I can read blueprints
I can make a scale drawing
I can make simple electrical repairs
I can change a car’s oil or tire
I can use most carpentry tools
I can make simple plumbing repairs
I Competencies
Total Ys
Y
N
I can use a computer to study a scientific problem
I can interpret simple chemical formulas
I understand the half-life of a radioactive elements
I can use a calculator or slide rule
I can use a microscope
I can use algebra to solve mathematical problems
I can describe the function of the white blood cells
I can use logarithmic tables
I understand why man made satellites do not fall to the
earth
I can name three foods that are high in protein content
I can perform a scientific experiment or survey
A Competencies
I can write a speech
I can write news stories
I can write advertising copy
I can sketch people so that they can be recognized
I can do a painting, watercolor, or sculpture
I can create an artistic representation of a concept or
idea
I can design an advertisement
I can do interpretive reading
I can design the packaging for a product
I can decorate a suite of offices
I can act in a play
Total Ys
Y
N
Total Ys
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S Competencies
Y
N
I am good at helping others to make decisions
I am good at explaining things to others
I am a good coach for others
I am competent at entertaining people
People seek me out to tell me their troubles
I am good at making people feel at ease
I have participated in charity or benefit drives
I am good at helping people plan their futures
I find it easy to talk with all kinds of people
I am good at teaching others
I can lead group discussions
E Competencies
Total Ys
Y
N
I am good at measuring my own performance
I am good at motivating others
I have a reputation for being able to deal with difficult
people
I can manage a sales campaign
I can organize the work of others
I am a good salesperson
I can make social or work groups go well
I am a good debater
I am a good public speaker
I am good at planning a strategy to achieve a goal
I know how to be a successful leader
C Competencies
I am good at getting information over the phone
I can file correspondence and other papers
I can post credits and debits
I can keep accurate records of payments or sales
I can use a computer to analyze business data
I can transcribe from a dictating machine
I can type 40 words a minute
I can write business letters
I can operate a word processor
I am good at making the arrangements for a business
meeting
I can operate a duplicating machine
Total Ys
Y
N
Total Ys
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4- Careers
Below are lists of careers in business, industry, government, the arts, and academic settings.
Write down Y for those careers that interest you or appeal to you. Write downN for those
careers that you dislike or find uninteresting.
R Careers
Cabinet Maker
Livestock Farmer
Auto Mechanic
Tree Surgeon
Electronic Technician
Surveyor
Construction Inspector
Locomotive Engineer
Machinist
Fire Fighter
Welder
Fish and wildlife specialist
Geologist
Airplane Mechanic
Y
N
Total Ys
I Careers
Chief Engineer
Astronomer
Market Researcher
Medical Laboratory Technician
Physicist
Chemist
Editor of a Scientific or Scholarly Journal
Botanist
Surgeon
Anthropologist
Family Physician
Meteorologist
Social Science Researcher
Biologist
Total Ys
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A Careers
Y
N
S Careers
Y
N
Total Ys
Y
N
Total Ys
Film Editor
Freelance Writer
Photographer
Musical Arranger
Artist
Singer
Author
Screen Writer
Musician
Color Expert
Journalist
Copy Writer
Newspaper Editor
Actor/Actress
Hospital Administrator
High School Teacher
Social Worker
Speech Therapist
School Principal
Physical Therapist
Clinical Psychologist
Marriage Counselor
Social Science Teacher
Director of Welfare Agency
Youth camp Director
Personal Counselor
Sociologist
Substance Abuse Counselor
E Careers
Estate Planner
Manufacturer’s Representative
Hotel Manager
Radio TV Announcer
Real Estate Agent
Sales Manager
Marketing Director
Store Manager
Public Relations Executive
Advertising Executive
Tax attorney
Buyer
Judge
Stockbroker
Total Ys
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C Careers
Budget Reviewer
Accounting Clerk
Certified public accountant
Bank Teller
Bank Examiner
Tax Expert
Inventory Controller
Credit Investigator
Computer Operator
Financial Analyst
Cost Estimator
Quality Control Technician
Bookkeeper
Payroll Specialist
Y
N
Total Ys
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5- Calculating Your Holland Code
To tie your interests to specific careers, you need to calculate your Holland code.
To calculate your Holland Code, follow these steps.
1. ACTIVITIES
Go to pages 2-3. Count the number of times you marked
Y (YES) for the R Activities. Write that number in the box
labelled Total Ys and copy the number above the R in
the box to the right. Do the same for the I,A,S,E and C
Activities.
R
I
A
S
E
C
R
I
A
S
E
C
R
I
A
S
E
C
R
I
A
S
E
C
2. COMPETENCIES
Go to pages 4-5. Count the number of times you marked
Y (YES) for the R Competencies. Write that number in
the box labelled Total Ys and copy the number above the
R in the box to the right. Do the same for the I,A,S,E and
C Competencies.
3. CAREERS
Go to pages 6-7-8. Count the number of times you
marked Y (YES) for the R Careers. Write that number in
the box labelled Total Ys and copy the number above the
R in the box to the right. Do the same for the I, A, S, E
and C Careers.
4. TOTAL SCORES
Add your three R scores and write that number above the
R in the box to the right. Do the same for the I,A,S,E, and
C scores.
5. HOLLAND CODE
Enter the letter with the highest total score in the box
marked Highest. Enter the letter with the next highest
score in the box marked 2nd. Enter the letter with the third
highest score in the box marked 3rd. If two letters are tied,
put them in order.
Highest
2nd
3rd
These letters make up your code. For example, if your
three highest letters are E, I, and S, your Holland code is
EIS.
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