Strong Interest Inventory

The Strong Interest Inventory (SII) is a psychological test used in career assessment. It is also frequently used for educational guidance as one of the most popular personality assessment tools. The test was developed in 1927 by psychologist E.K. Strong, Jr. to help people exiting the military find suitable jobs. It was revised later by Jo-Ida Hansen, and David Campbell. The modern version is based on the typology (Holland Codes) of psychologist John L. Holland. The newly revised inventory consists of 291 items, each of which asks you to indicate your preference from three responses.

The Strong measures interests, not skills or abilities, and the results can help guide you toward rewarding careers, work activities, education programs, and leisure activities - all based on your interests.

The Strong can be a valuable tool in helping you identify your interests, enabling you to:

* achieve satisfaction at work.

* identify career options consistent with your interests.

* choose appropriate education and training relevant to your interests.

* maintain balance between your work and leisure activities.

* understand aspects of your personality most closely associated with your interests.

* determine your preferred learning environments.

* learn about your preferences for leadership, risk taking and teamwork.

* use interests in shaping your career direction.

* decide on a focus for the future.

* direct your own career exploration at various stages in your life.

The Strong Interest Inventory has six (6) sections –

General Themes – Description of the interrelationship between Holland Codes and -
Interests
Work activities
Potential skills
Personal values

Basic Interest Scales – Identification of your Highest Holland Code Themes, Holland Theme Code, Standard Score, and Interest LevelsBasic Interest Scales point to work activities, projects, course work, and leisure activities that are personally motivating and rewarding.The Interest Scale Levels are Very Little, Little, Moderate, high, and Very High. Your Basic Interest Scales Report will give you your TOP FIVE Interest Areas and the Areas of Least Interest.

Occupational Scales – Comparison of your likes and dislikes with those people who are satisfied working in various occupations.The Occupational Scales matches your interests to 122 occupations. Your score matched the likes and dislikes of people who are working in and are satisfied that career. The occupations are an example of a larger job cluster. The TOP TEN Occupations are the careers that most closely match your interests. Within each Holland Code Theme, you will find careers that you are Dissimilar, Midrange, or Similar to your score, likes, and dislikes.

Personal Style Scales – Description of relationship between Holland Code Themes, work styles, learning, risk taking, and team work. Examples of Personal Style Scales include –
Working with People
Enjoying helping others
Preferring practical learning environments
Preferring short-term training
Taking charge of others
Taking risks
Making quick decisions
Working on teams

Profile Summary – Overview of Your Highest Themes, Theme code, Top Five Interest Areas, Areas of Least Interest, Top Ten Strong Occupations, Occupations of Dissimilar Interest, and Personal Style Scales Preferences
Response Summary – Summary of the Occupations, Subject Areas, Activities, Leisure Activities, People, and Characteristics Sections. You receive information about the number of responses in each section that were Strongly Like, Like, Indifferent, Dislike, or Strong Dislike.

Combination of Types

Holland's theory does not assume that a person is just one type or that there are "only six types of people in the world." Instead, he assumed that any person could be described as having interests associated with each of the six types in a descending order of preference. This assumption allows the Holland Codes to be used to describe 720 different personality patterns.

As the theory is applied in interest inventories and job classifications, it is usually only the two or three most dominant codes that are used for vocational guidance. In presenting his theory, Holland graphically represented the six types as arrayed on a hexagon. This graphic representation serves to describe the empirically determined correlations between the types.

The shorter the distance between their corners on the hexagon, the more closely they are related.Taken together, the Holland Codes are usually referred to by their first letters: RIASEC.

The RIASEC Holland Code is a theory of how people choose careers. It says, for example, that RI people (those whose strongest interests are in the Realistic and Investigative themes), will seek out RI jobs. "Engineer" is one of many occupations, which has an RI code. The R and I themes are close to each other on the hexagon and therefore share a common stronger interest of working with things rather than working with people. The themes are multidimensional; this is but one level.

College majors and over 12,000 occupations have been coded in this way and can provide useful and insightful information about where you might find satisfaction in the World of Work.

The Conventional Code

Data and Things are
what Conventional
types prefer.

A person with a Conventional Personality tends to be
Careful
Conforming
Conservative
Conscientious
Self-controlled
Structured

Examples of Conventional Abilities include
ordering activities paying attention to details

Examples of Conventional Holland Code Careers include
Accountant
Actuary
Banker
Clerk
Copier
Editor
Librarian
Office Manager
Payroll
Proofreader
Receptionist
Retail
Reporter
Secretary
Technical Writer


Possible Conventional College Majors are
Business
Accounting
Management

The Enterprising Code

Enterprising types prefer to deal with Data and People.

A person with an Enterprising Personality tends to be
Persuasive
Energetic
Sociable
Adventurous
Ambitious
Risk-taking

Examples of Enterprising Abilities include
leading
managing
organizing

Examples of Enterprising Holland Code Careers include
Administrator
Banker
Business
Consultant
Communications
Entrepreneur
Insurance
Investments
Journalist
Manager
Marketing
Politician
Producer
Public Relations
Public Policy
Publishing
Lawyer
Stockbroker
Salesman

Possible Enterprising College Majors are
Pre-Law
Business Management and Administration
International Business
Political Science

The Social Code

Social types prefer to deal with People.

A person with a Social Personality tends to be
Helping
Informing
Teaching
Inspiring
Counseling
Serving

Examples of Social Abilities include
interacting with people and concerned with the welfare of people

Examples of Social Holland Code Careers include
Audiologist
Caretaker
Clergy
Coach
Counselor
Therapist
Nurse
Nutritionist
Occupational Therapist
Social Worker
Sociologist
Speech-Language Therapist
Teacher
Theologian


Possible Social College Majors are
Nursing
Christian Education
Counseling
Biblical Studies
Social Science
Education

The Artistic Code

Artistic types prefer to deal with Ideas and People.

A person with a Artistic Personality tends to be
Complicated
Original
Impulsive
Independent
Expressive
Creative

Examples of Artistic Abilities include
cooperation
supporting
helping
healing/nurturing
using imagination
use of feelings
use of creative expression

Examples of Artistic Holland Code Careers
Animator
Artist
Art Therapist
Author/Poet
Dance/Expressive Therapist
Graphic Designer
Musician
Music Therpist
Actor/ Actress
Designer
Writer
Painter
Photographer
Sculpter

Possible Artistic College Majors
Art
Theater
Graphic Design
Music
Journalism
Communication.

The Investigative Code

Investigative types prefer to deal with Things and Ideas.

A person with a Investigative Personality tends to be
analytical
intellectual
reserved
independent
scholarly

Examples of Investigative Abilities include
analytical
intellectual
scientific
working with abstract ideas
working on intellectual problems
working with theory and information

Examples of Investigative Holland Code Careers include
Actuary
Biologist
Chemist
Computer Scientist
Economist
Engineer
Finance
Historian
Lawyer
Mathematician
Pharmacist
Physician
Professor
Psychologist
Psychiatrist
Researcher
Scientist
Statistician
Surgeon

Possible Investigative College Majors are
Botany
Engineering
Forestry Science
Physics
Foreign Languages