One of the earliest theories of how to help students choose a career comes from John L. Holland, a researcher who outlined 6 Career Personality Types. While students today may not follow a strict trajectory of choosing a career when they graduate and staying with that career until retirement, this theory is still useful as a jumping off point for understanding what your student-employees may be interested in pursuing.
- Realistic: Realistic personalities prefer jobs that involve some physical work and allow them to solve concrete, tangible problems. These employees tend to value stability and practicality.
- Investigative: Investigative personalities prefer jobs involving ideas, theories, scientific research, and mathematical analysis. These employees tend to value independence and curiosity.
- Artistic: Artistic personalities prefer aesthetic, creative, and unstructured jobs that value imagination, self-expression, and originality.
- Social: Social personalities prefer jobs involving the care, support, education, and influence of others. These employees tend to value cooperation, relationships, and community.
- Enterprising: Enterprising personalities prefer jobs that are highly entrepreneurial and involve risk-taking and leadership. These employees tend to value influence and ambition.
- Conventional: Conventional personalities prefer jobs that have explicit and organized activities, such as record keeping, organizing data, and computations. These employees tend to value structure, order, and precision.