Matching personality to jobs: Understanding Career Compatibility Tests
Have you ever done a computer test which promises to tell you which careers you’d be suited for? This week, we take a look at what lies behind these.
The logic underpinning these tests is what’s known as matching, or trait and factor. You start off by identifying your interests, values and strengths, and then use this to identify jobs which would be a “good fit” with these.
One of the most well-known models was developed by John Holland, a US psychologist. His theory, developed in the 1950s, is that people tend to be more fulfilled in jobs which align with their abilities and interests. He backed this up with research which found that people working in the same role tend to have much in common.
Holland categorised personalities into six types. These are:
Realistic (R): You’re practical and hands on. You’re likely to have mechanical abilities, enjoying physically active work, and working with things.
Investigative (I): You’re analytical, curious, and enjoy solving problems through research and intellectual exploration. You’ll often enjoy working with facts and can be drawn to roles in research or academia.
Artistic (A): You’re creative, imaginative, and enjoy abstract ideas. You’ll thrive in environments that allow for self-expression and creativity.
Social (S): You’re kind, empathetic, and enjoy working with people. You enjoy helping others to solve their problems and are interested in how people interact and relationships work. Those with a social personality type are often found in caring professions, but can enjoy any role involving strong relationships.
Enterprising (E): You’re ambitious, persuasive, and enjoy taking on leadership roles. You’re likely to be drawn to careers that involve business, sales, management, and entrepreneurship. Political roles may also be a good fit, as you can use your ability to persuade and influence.
Conventional (C): You’re detail-oriented, organized, and prefer structured and orderly environments. You tend to enjoy working with things and systems, rather than with people and ideas.
What’s known as a Holland Code or RIASEC Code (called after the initials of the traits) comprises your top three personality traits. A good tool to generate your Holland code can be found here.
The matching approach to career choice is so widespread that it’s easy to think that it’s the only way (it’s definitely not – see other Better Work Bristol articles!) It feels like a logical, step by step process. However, there’s a lot that it doesn’t take into account. For example, the context in which you are making your decision (you might have significant constraints), or the influence of other people and random events.
It can also be seen as oversimplifying what is quite a complex process, and not necessarily being very empowering. It’s quite easy to say “the computer told me I should be a…”, not like the answer and so stay stuck. Hence it's best used as a launch point to thinking about the jobs you might enjoy, rather than an end in itself.
It’s also worth noting a couple of things. Firstly, that personalities can change during our working lives, so Holland codes can be seen as a snapshot in time. Secondly, that many job titles can span a very broad range of activities and thus be suitable for many personality types. For example, the job title of accountant could involve crunching numbers, or it could involve making broad strategic decisions about an organisation.