Holland’s code, which is also known as the RIASEC system in short, is known as a set of personality types that was developed by John L. Holland, an academic psychologist in the 1970s. Dr. Holland believes that people and work environments can be loosely classified into 6 groups.

Different people have different personalities and would find different work environments more hospitable, congenial and beneficial. Even though people might have some interest in several of the jobs in a few or all of the six groups, you may be attracted primarily to two or three of the areas. These two or three letters would be your Holland code.

The six personality types in Holland's code are known as Realistic (R) , Investigative (I), Artistic (A), Social (S), Enterprising (E) and Conventional (C) . 

People with the Realistic/ Doer personality typically prefer concrete tasks. They are interested in working with practical, hands-on tasks and also things that require problem solving. Some of the things that you might find people who are in the realistic category include working with objects, machines, tools, plants or animals.

Doers also enjoy tasks such as fixing, building as well as operating machinery. They are also often found to be athletic and like working outdoors. Due to this, they also usually enjoy working with their hands and feet.

As realistic people prefer concrete tasks, some of the careers that they prefer includes engineer, plumber, chemist, dentist, furniture finisher, audio and video equipment technician and rail car repairer.

Investigative/ Thinkers are people who like to observe, learn, investigate, analyze, evaluate or solve problems. They are usually interested in working with ideas, logical analysis as well as theories. They are also often found to be doing research as well as discovering new ideas in their work. Thinkers usually find joy in abstract problem solving and are usually to be found in fields that are academic and science related.

People that are in the Investigative category are also known to enjoy working independently. Due to this, they rather spend time analyzing data and coming up with new concepts rather than leading others. They typically perform the best wherever they can create new theories and explore concepts about the way things work around them.

As Thinkers prefer jobs that value more intellectual strength rather than physical strength, some of the careers that are preferred for Investigative people include sociologist, scientist, psychologist and economist.

People who fall in the Artistic/ Creator personality type are people who have artistic, innovating or intuitional abilities. They are also known to be people who are deeply interested in self expression. They are also known to be fairly imaginative and have some sort of artistic experience. 

Artistic people typically like things that are related to drama, fine arts, music and creative writing. In addition to this, they also like working with shapes, colors and patterns. Subsequently, jobs that require standard procedures as well as have strict rules would not be a best choice as they enjoy working in environments where they are free to express their individuality. 

As people with the creator personality work well when they can input their own personal spin as well as think outside the box, careers such as creative writing, performing artist, photographer and fashion designer are often preferred by them.

The Social/ Helper typically consists of people who like to work with people to inform, enlighten, help, train, develop or cure them. They are interested in working to improve the lives of other people around them. They love helping people to learn and grow and would generally be willing to be of service to others. Due to this, they can often be found doing jobs related to counselling, teaching and assisting people in need.

People who are in the social category usually would avoid jobs that require spending most of their time dealing with data and machines. This is because they typically enjoy working with people such as with children and elderlies. Helpers are also known to be very skilled with words.

As helpers rather serve and interact in a people- oriented work environment. Subsequently, jobs such as home health aide, certified nurse’s aide, RN, licensed practical nurse, social worker, occupational therapist assistant, teacher and celery would suit people in this personality type.

People who are in the Enterprising/ Persuader personality type like to work with people-influencing, persuading/ performing or leading/ managing for organizational or economic goals. They are usually interested in leading, managing as well as motivating others. This is because they love to inspire the people around them whether it is to inspire them or to sell them a product.

Persuaders are usually found in leadership roles wherever they go. They also tend to avoid jobs that do not enable them to take decisive action. Due to this, they enjoy working in business environments and wherever they can manage or start up projects.

As people who are in the enterprising personality type lean toward having to take one challenges, some of the jobs that interest persuaders include restaurant host or hostess, retail salesperson, attorney, chief executive, chef and wholesale or retail buyer.

Conventional / Organizers are people who like to work with data, have clerical or numerical ability, carrying things out in detail or following through on others instructions. They are also known to be deeply interested in handling details, data and processes. They typically prefer a structured work environment because they often like following clear procedures to organize information, and handle details and data with precision.  

People in the Organizer category are also usually fond of anything that has to do with office work. This includes managing files, systems and also records. Due to this, they often avoid jobs that have no clear process to follow as well as have unclear rules and expectations.

Because of the fact that conventional people prefer structured tasks and tending to details and are often conservative, the jobs that are suited for them  include accountant, bookkeeper, actuary, cost estimator, human resources assistant, paralegal and loan officer.

If you would like to find out which types of personality you will fall under,  click here to start the quick picture-based test! Your result will be given immediately, along with the list of tertiary programs recommended to your personality type. This psychometric test has been tested be helpful to many students and secondary school leavers. Feel free to proceed to the test, it's free after all.