Career Assessment:
Strong Interest Inventory
Prepared by
Strong Interest Inventory
• Assess your interests, personality, values,
and skills.
• Learn which career opportunities are the
best fit with your personality.
• The Strong measures interests, not abilities
(if you have the interest, you can develop
the abilities). There are no wrong answers!
Career Theory
• All individuals have unique characteristics
related to their interests, abilities, needs,
values, and personality.
• All occupations/jobs have unique
characteristics related to work tasks, skills
required, demands, and rewards.
• Workers and employers are most satisfied
when there is a match between the
characteristics of the worker and the
characteristics of the occupation/job.
Adapted from Facilitating Career Development by JoAnn Harris-Bowlsbey, Barbara H. Suddarth, and David M. Reile, 2005
Holland’s Theory of Vocational Interests
• People can be described as a combination of
two or more of six types: Realistic,
Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising,
Conventional.
• Job environments can also be described as a
combination of the same six types.
• People of a given type seek job environments
of the same or similar type.
• If a person can find such a compatible job
environment, he/she is likely to be satisfied
and productive.
THE HEXAGON OF GENERAL OCCUPATIONAL THEMES
REALISTIC
INVESTIGATIVE
ARTISTIC
CONVENTIONAL
ENTERPRISING
SOCIAL
Realistic
• Motivated by building, repairing, being outdoors
• Some of the best skills are making/repairing things,
problem solving with tools/machinery, mechanical
ingenuity and dexterity, physical coordination,
handling emergencies
• Think about it:
o
o
o
What kind of car would an “R” drive?
hat kind of vacation would appeal to an “R”?
What magazines would an “R” read?
Investigative
• Motivated by analyzing, inquiring, and
researching
• Some of the best skills are scientific
investigating, researching, analyzing, writing
technical documents, performing mathematics
• Think about it:
o
o
o
Car?
Vacation?
Magazines?
Artistic
• Motivated by creative insights, expressing
individuality, self- expression through art, music,
writing, cooking
• Some of the best skills are creativity, imagination,
verbal-linguistic, music, dramatics
• Think about it:
o
o
o
Car?
Vacation?
Magazines?
Social
• Motivated by helping others, empowering others,
instructing, nurturing
• Some of the best skills are developing
relationships, verbal communication, teaching,
listening, understanding others
• Think about it:
o
o
o
Car?
Vacation?
Magazines?
Enterprising
• Motivated by persuading, selling, leading
• Some of the best skills are public speaking,
persuading/selling, social/interpersonal
interaction, leading, focusing on organizational
goals
• Think about it:
o
o
o
Car?
Vacation?
Magazines?
Conventional
• Motivated by organizing, processing data,
managing information
• Some of the best skills are organization,
efficiency, patience, persistence, managing
systems/data, mathematics, operating
computers
• Think about it:
o
o
o
Car?
Vacation?
Magazines?
Tips for Taking the SII
• There are no right or wrong answers.
• Answer all 291 items; go with your first instinct.
• No one answer will affect your results, so try to give the first
answer that comes to mind
• Remember: Your answers should be based on whether you have
an INTEREST in something, not if you have an ABILITY or SKILL
in something.
• Don’t let COST or SALARY be a factor in your answers.
• Allow 30-45 minutes to complete the assessment.