The Six Holland Occupational Themes
Center for Career and Experiential Education
First Floor Roosevelt Hall
uri.edu/career
The Six Holland Occupational Themes
• The six themes are: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic,
Social, Enterprising, and Conventional
• A person will usually identify with three codes strongly
– Represented with first letter of code name
• You can usually see yourself in all of themes, somewhat
• After age 25, the letters should stay the same, but the
order of them might change
• The verification process in the following screens will allow
you to rate yourself for best fit on each theme compared to
your results from the O*NET Interest Profiler
Realistic: The Doers
• Love to work with their hands, tools, machinery,
computer networks
• Rugged, practical, athletic, mechanical,
adventurous, self-reliant
• Enjoy fixing, repairing, building, working outdoors
• Like physical risks
• Prefer concrete rather than abstract problems
• Present oriented, thing oriented
Realistic Work Environments
• Places where they can produce tangible results
– Things that they can see and touch
• Situations calling for minimal interaction with
others
• Where casual dress is allowed
• Organizations structured with clearly drawn lines
of authority
Realistic Quiz
• What kind of car do they drive?
– Trucks, SUV, Jeep, 4WD
• What would be their ideal vacation?
– Camping, attending sports event, fishing, golfing, wilderness,
survival, hiking, adventure trip
• What motivates them?
– Hands-on, tangible results
• What would they buy?
– Boats, campers, sports equipment, power tools, ESPN magazine,
adventure books
Investigative: The Thinkers
• Like to gather information, uncover new facts, interpret
data
• Curious, abstract thinkers, rational, critical, intellectual,
introverted, insightful, persistent
• Love to explore learning
• Strong scientific or mathematic orientation
• Competent in analysis, writing, problem solving, research
• Very task-oriented
• Express themselves by using their minds
• Enjoy mental challenges
• Solve problems by thinking
Investigative Work Environment
• Unstructured work environments that allow
freedom in work styles
• Where they can work alone most of the time
• Research labs, universities, computer-related
industries, scientific foundations, medical facilities
• Where they can continue to learn and uncover
new data
Investigative Quiz
• What would they drive?
– Bicycle, Volvo, “hybrid,” Honda, Volt
• What would be their ideal vacation?
– Space camp, fossil dig, science museum, African safari, visit ruins,
historical places (Europe)
• What motivates them?
– Curiosity, learning, knowledge
• What would they buy?
– Telescopes, computers, books, puzzles, electronic equipment,
science fiction or mystery novels
Artistic: The Creators
• Enjoy music, art, drama, anything cultural
• Enjoy self-expression
• Independent and highly creative
– Creativity is expressed in many ways… ideas, writing,
appreciating or creating arts, performing, counseling,
developing programs, etc.
• Impulsive, non-conforming, sensitive, emotional, visionary,
introspective, imaginative
• Enjoy beauty, variety, and what is unusual
• Solve problems by doing something new
Artistic Work Environment
• Unstructured, flexible settings that allow selfexpression
• Where they can work on their own
• Where they can teach skills
• Where they can bring creativity into their work
• Theaters, concert halls, advertising, public
relations, museums, libraries, education, etc.
Artistic Quiz
• What kind of car do they drive?
– VW Bug, PT Cruiser, Mini Cooper, Convertible
• What would be their ideal vacation?
– NYC to see theatre, Venice to see art, dance/acting workshop,
lessons in something creative
• What motivates them?
– Self-expression
• What would they buy?
– Art objects, music CDs, colorful things, decorations, theatre tickets
Social: The Helpers
 Like to work with people, often in groups, to help inform,
train, teach, nurture, help, develop, cure
 Like to arrange positive relationships – create harmony
 Deep concern for people and excellent interpersonal skills
 Humanistic, cooperative, supportive, tactful, friendly,
outgoing
 Solve problems by discussing feelings with others
Social Work Environment
• Unstructured settings where they can get to know
others
• Where they can feel like they make a difference
• Where they can work with others
• Social services, non-profit, schools, human
resources, mental health fields, health care,
community-based jobs
Social Quiz
• What car would they drive?
– Mini-van, SUV, Suburban, station wagon, Volvo
• Where would be their ideal vacation?
– Cruise with friends/family, beach house vacation, Disney World,
family reunion, Habitat for Humanity
• What motivates them?
– Helping others
• What would they buy?
– Charity event tickets, food to entertain others, People magazine,
self-help books, anything at a fund-raiser
Enterprising: The Leaders
 Enjoy working with others to persuade, sell, lead, manage
 Lead others towards some organizational goal or economic
gain
 Self-confident, sociable, ambitious, energetic, verbal,
assertive, optimistic, competitive
 Prefer social tasks – can’t stay at a task for too long
 Like to lead groups, give speeches, manage people and
projects
Enterprising Work Environment
• Like careers in businesses and large
organizations
• Where they can work with others
• Where they can live thoroughly in their
environments and have variety
• Positions of leadership, power, status
• Own a business
Enterprising Quiz
• What kind of car do they drive?
– Lexus, BMW, Cadillac, Lincoln, high-end SUV
• What is their ideal vacation?
– Luxury cruise, spa retreat, week of golf, Hamptons or Cape Cod,
skiing in winter
• What motivates them?
– Persuading others, making a deal
• What do they buy?
– Nice cars, good clothes, country club memberships, the latest
equipment, bestsellers, Wall Street Journal
Conventional: The Organizers
• Like activities requiring attention to detail, organization,
accuracy, data systems, filing systems
• Enjoy mathematics and data management
• Practical, organized, systematic, accurate, dependable,
conscientious, efficient, quite
• Like to organize others
• Don’t mind being managed
• Live in orderliness
• Solve problems by organizing them
Conventional Work Environment
• Prefer support service roles
• Like to know the structure of the organization
– Well organized chain of command
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Where they can be around others and by self
Where they can be given exact instructions on a project
Large corporations, business offices, accounting firms
Where they can organize things and people
Conventional Quiz
• What kind of car do they drive?
– Buick, Honda, Saturn, fuel efficient cars
• What is their ideal vacation?
– Historical cities, knitting workshop, pre-programmed
tour, same cabin each year
• What motivates them?
– Organizing and bring things together
• What do they buy?
– Hobby collections, how-to books, file cabinets and
shelves
Occupational Themes Wrap-Up
• Questions?
• What have you learned about yourself?
• What do you need in a career to make sure it is in line with
your interests?
• What careers will you research as a result? Which majors
will you look into?