New College and Career Readiness Infographic from Career Key

Career Key's new college and career readiness infographic shows the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) new ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success covered when students take the Career Key's career interest inventory. Counselors can use the infographic to easily visualize how their use of Career Key aligns with these research-based standards.

The assessment, based on Holland's Theory of Career Choice, helps middle and high school students make sense of career choices and choosing classes by identifying careers that match their personality and interests.  Research shows this match leads to higher levels of engagement, satisfaction and success.

New Career Key Test and Activity Booklet Published

We just reprinted and updated the Career Key Test and Activity Booklet, now available for sale on Amazon. (Free shipping!) They cost about $2 apiece and are sold in sets of 35 booklets.

These booklets are perfect for when you need an easy, printed activity that covers the career essentials for students and adults in classes and workshops...

The 20 page, color booklet includes the self-scoring Career Key test, a description of Holland's Theory of Career Choice including the hexagon, and recommended activities with worksheets to further engage in the career exploration process, like:

• Learning more about occupations
• Learning more about yourself
• Creating a career portfolio, and
• How to make a good decision.

5 Tips for Introverts' Success in Career Choices and in School

Introverts face certain challenges to their success at work and in the classroom. Introversion can also be a benefit.  Identifying the right compatible work and school environments can increase your chances of success.

The Introversion-Extroversion Scale with Holland's Hexagon

By combining what we know about introverts with Holland's theory of person-environment match, Career Key author and counseling psychologist Dr. Lawrence K. Jones, NCC gives you five tips for introverts' success in this new self-help article. Find it at the Introverts link above or in our Choose a Career section.

Choose a Career and College Major with Holland's Theory, New Career Key Video Series

Learn how to choose a career or college major with Holland's Theory of Career Choice in a new YouTube video series "How to Achieve Career and College Success" from Career Key.

These short videos cover Dr. John Holland's six main ideas, including the Holland personality types (also known as Holland codes), Holland's work and education environments, and how to use the Holland hexagon. It's based on the popular Career Key web article on Holland's Theory of Career Choice.

How to Achieve Career and College Success Video Series

• How to Achieve Career and College Success: Introduction
• The Six Holland Personality Types
• The Six Holland Environments
• Holland Environments: searching for and interacting with them
• The Holland Hexagon
• Congruence: Making a Good Match

The series is created and presented by Career Key author and nationally recognized counseling psychologist, Dr. Lawrence K. Jones, NCC. It is followed by a series on good career decision making.

All these videos will appear soon in a new section of the Career Key website.

Subscribe to The Career Key's YouTube channel to get notified of new videos as they appear.

Holland Personality Type Patterns That Are Inconsistent - and Their Advantages

One part of using Holland's Theory of Career Choice to choose a career is the concept of choosing a compatible work environment, one that matches your strongest personality types. Most people are a combination of types, most often found close to one another on the Holland Hexagon. The hexagon shows the relationship between the types - the closer they are to one another, the more compatible.

But what if your strongest personality types are opposite each other on the hexagon, like Realistic-Social (RS) Investigative-Enterprising (IE), or Conventional-Artistic (CA)? These are sometimes referred to as inconsistent personality patterns. But don't be alarmed.

While these combinations are less common, they are normal. In fact, Career Key's author Dr. Lawrence K. Jones has an inconsistent pattern himself: Realistic-Social. His personal story also shows these characteristics.

To learn more about understanding and taking advantage of these kinds of personality type combinations, visit Career Key's articles:

• The Inconsistent Holland Personality Pattern and Its Advantages
• Dr. Jones's advice to a Career Key user about these types of patterns, using his own experience as an example.

If you're new to Holland's approach, then start with our Holland's Theory of Career Choice article. We plan on adding a short video about inconsistent personality patterns soon to Career Key's YouTube channel so please subscribe if you want to be notified when that comes out.

Common Core Standards and School Counseling

Why are Common Core Standards important to school counselors?  How do they relate to ASCA Standards?  Career Key answers these questions in a new website guide, "Common Core and ASCA Standards, School Counselors and Career Key."

Career Key's author and counselor educator Dr. Lawrence K. Jones, NCC has written this guide to help school counselors collaborate with teachers in getting students career and college ready. Free resources include:

1. "Common Core State Standards: A Challenge and Opportunity for School Counselors." PDF eBook;
2. "Help Middle School Students Get Career/College Ready with Holland's Theory." Webinar recording (12/13/13) with Dr. Jones and myself. 100% of feedback survey respondents would recommend it to a colleague.
3. Learning Activities with Overlapping ASCA National Model and Common Core Standards, PDF Download; and
4. ASCA and Common Core Standards Addressed in Career Key Test Taking Scenario, PDF Download.

For more, visit our school counseling resources page at the Career Key website.

Holland’s Theory Promotes Innovation Skills

Taking advantage of Holland’s Theory of Career Choice in the form of a good person-work environment fit promotes skills needed for innovation.  These skills include collaboration and problem-solving, which top the list of 21^st Century “in-demand” job skills in employer surveys. When people work with people of similar interests, abilities and values, collaboration and problem-solving are natural outcomes. 

I made the Holland Theory/Innovation connection while listening to innovation evangelist Tony Wagner’s keynote at this summer’s National Career Development Association conference. Here are three other ways applying Holland’s Theory to career choices promotes innovation:

1. Person-environment fit encourages curiosity.  Wagner says that “curiosity, which is a habit of asking good questions and a desire to understand more deeply,” is an “innovation skill.” A good person-environment fit encourages immersing oneself in a career field, especially in a job market rewarding specialization. Colleagues interact with others of similar interests, learning from one another and feeding off mutual enthusiasm and curiosity in a career field.

2.  Knowing one’s strongest personality types leads to healthy risk-taking and confidence in career decision-making. Knowing more about themselves gives people a platform from which to take risks and create innovation within a job. It also enables necessary job and career changes required in the new economy. If you know your compatible environments within the world of work, you can see more options to make better, more informed choices.

3. Learning about the six different personalities and work environments teaches people about the value of “differing gifts.” Understanding Holland’s Theory highlights the need to collaborate and network with people blessed with “differing gifts.” Wagner says collaboration is an integral part of innovation – especially across disciplines. For example, an architect who wants to promote her innovative designs would likely be more successful integrating advice and ideas from Enterprising and Conventional types to promote and sell her work.

For more on innovation, see Tony Wagner’s book, Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World.

Career Key's Career Test Gets New Design and Update

The paper-pencil version of Career Key's popular, valid career interest inventory and career test has a beautiful new design and update.  Available in Career key's eBookstore, the self-scoring, paper-pencil Career Key career test helps youth and adults assess their personality and identify matching careers for satisfaction and success.

In addition to a professional graphic redesign, the test now includes advice for exploring matching college majors and education programs.  Research shows that a close personality major match leads to higher grades, greater persistence in the major, and higher on-time graduation rates.

Career Key's QR Code

The new test also includes a QR code so that test takers can use their smart phone or tablet to quickly access Career Key's online resources.  For example, in Match Your Personality with Careers, test takers can access all the test's occupations and links to current career information about each one from the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

The test takes about 15-20 minutes and is self-scoring.  Licenses to print individual and group copies can be purchased in the eBookstore for the same great price of $4.95 (individual) and $12.50 (group - 25 copies).

Promising Conventional Careers 2011: Administration, Health, and Records

If you're a Conventional personality type, employers are looking for your structured, orderly approach to records, numbers or machines in many promising careers. Administrative careers involving mathematical detail or the ability to work well with material or records processing systems are in demand. In the last post of this 6 part series, Promising 2011 Careers that Match Your Personality, we list occupations compatible with the Conventional Holland personality type.

We recommend starting with Part 1, our introduction and tips on how to use this Promising Careers list. To see promising careers for the other five Holland personality types, see our other posts in this series:
Realistic Careers, Investigative Careers, Artistic Careers, Social Careers, and Enterprising Careers.

The world of Conventional occupations has greatly changed in the last 50 years.  Paper handling and filing occupations of the past have disappeared with better computers, information technology, and outsourcing.  But if you combine the needs of a more high-tech world with analytical skills and attention to detail, you will find Conventional jobs that pay well and have a positive job outlook.

Combining an occupation (from any personality type) with a growth industry (health care, information technology (see my previous post on high-tech in particular), energy, and materials moving and processing) is a recipe for more job opportunities.

When researching career information, make sure to use BOTH the O*NET (occupations below link to it) and the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH). There is a link to the OOH at the end of each O*NET occupation page. Read this previous post about their different advantages and disadvantages.

Promising Conventional Careers by Career Key Work Group

Holland's Theory of Career Choice and a description of the Conventional personality type

Mathematical Detail

Actuaries

Bill and Account Collectors

Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

Energy Auditor

Computer Security Specialists

Cost Estimators

Database Administrators

Investment Underwriters

Mapping Technicians 

Web Developers

Network Designers

Financial Detail

Financial Analysts

Material and Records Processing

Cargo and Freight Agents

Freight Forwarders

Logistics Analysts

Medical Records and Health Information Technicians

Administrative Detail

Clinical Data Managers

Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists

Dental Assistants

Executive Secretaries and Administrative Assistants

Web Administrators

Medical Secretaries

Purchasing Agents

Regulations Enforcement

Compliance Managers

Environmental Compliance Inspectors

Government Property Inspectors and Investigators

Licensing Examiners and Inspectors

Quality Control Analysts

Regulatory Affairs Specialists

Risk Management Specialists

For ideas on how to learn more career information about the occupations and jobs that interest you, visit these Career Key website articles:
Learn More About Occupations
Learn More About the Jobs that Interest Me
3 Tips to Finding a Promising Job in High-Tech or Any Growth Industry

Promising Careers 2011 Part 5: Enterprising Careers

Explore these promising Enterprising career options, and consider how you might combine them with a growth industry (see my previous post on finding careers in high growth industries). In part 5 of our series, Promising Careers 2011, we focus on careers compatible with Holland's Enterprising personality type.

While business, finance, and sales careers took big job loss hits in the last few years, you can see how much of a difference it makes to be in the right industry.

For example, real estate and banking have had massive layoffs and restructuring this recession.  But it's different story when you look at similar Enterprising careers in finance, business, management and sales jobs in growth industries like health care, technology, and the green economy.  No job is perfectly secure, but an aging population and the continued importance of energy makes managing projects and manipulating (in a positive way, right?) systems in these fields more promising.

To learn more about how to use this list and what "promising" means, please visit Part 1- our introduction and 4 Smart Strategies for Career Planning. We recommend starting with our valid career assessment that measures Holland's personality types, The Career Key test.  You'll also want to explore the careers for other personality types that fit you (see list at the post's end).

Promising Enterprising Careers by Career Key Work Group

Holland's Theory of Career Choice and a description of the Enterprising personality type:

Sales and Purchasing

Customs Brokers

Energy Broker

Insurance Sales Agents

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing,Technical and Scientific Products

Securities and Commodities Traders

Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents

Finance

Accountants

Auditors

Treasurers and Controllers

Financial Managers, Branch or Department

Investment Fund Managers

Personal Financial Advisors

Business Administration

Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes

Chief Executives

Chief Sustainability Officers

Clinical Nurse Specialists

Clinical Research Coordinators

Construction Managers

Employment Interviewer

General and Operations Managers

Logisticians

Logistics Managers

Loss Prevention Managers

Personnel Recruiters

Quality Control Systems Manager

Supply Chain Managers

Government and Public Administration

Curators

Regulations Enforcement

Financial Examiners

Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts

Regulatory Affairs Managers

Legal Practice and Support

Lawyers

Paralegals and Legal Assistants

Promotion

Public Relations Specialists

Other promising careers by Holland personality type in this series (there will be links when posted):

Promising Realistic Careers

Promising Investigative Careers

Promising Artistic Careers

Promising Social Careers

Promising Conventional Careers

Promising Careers 2011 Part 4: Social Services, Nursing and Education Careers

Are you interested in promising social careers, like different careers in social services, nursing and education? In part 4 of our Promising Careers series, we list careers that are compatible with Holland's Social personality type, linking them to career information from the U.S. Department of Labor.  Our series has one post for each Holland personality type.

For the introduction and 4 Smart Strategies for Career Planning, feel free to start with Part One of our Promising Careers series. It also has a description of what we consider to be a "promising" career.

When you click on each career, you'll see career information from the O*NET. But while they have good information about skills required and local job openings via CareerOneStop, I highly recommend you either click on the "Sources of Additional Information" at the bottom of each O*NET occupation page - the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH) specifically, or visit the OOH separately to search for the occupations that interest you. The OOH has much better education and training information than the O*NET (see my previous post comparing the two). Using both sources is ideal.

If Social Services interests you, you might download this excellent new (September 2011) PDF from the Occupational Outlook Quarterly called "Helping Those in Need: Human Service Workers."

Promising Social Careers by Career Key Work Group

Holland's Theory of Career Choice and a description of the Social personality type

Social Services
Child, Family and School Social Workers
Clergy
Emergency Management Specialists

Equal Opportunity Representatives and Officers

Medical and Public Health Social Workers

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers

Mental Health Counselors

Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors

Nursing, Therapy, & Health Promotion

Acute Care Nurses

Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurses

Athletic Trainer

Critical Care Nurse

Dental Hygienists

Genetic Counselors

Hearing Aid Specialists

Informatics Nurse Specialists

Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists,and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists

Nurse Midwives

Nurse Practitioners

Occupational Therapist Assistants

Occupational Therapists

Patient Representatives

Physical Therapist Assistant

Physical Therapist

Radiation Therapist

Registered Nurses

Respiratory Therapists

Child and Adult Care

Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses

Education and Library Services

Elementary School Teachers

Instructional Coordinators

Middle School Teachers, except Special and Vocational Education

Preschool Teachers

Secondary School Teachers

Self-Enrichment Education Teachers

Special Education Teachers, Pre-K, Kindergarten, Elementary

Training and Development Specialists

Sport, Recreation and Fitness

Adaptive Physical Education Specialists

Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors

Explore other Holland personality types in this series (I will add links when they are posted):
Promising Realistic Careers
Promising Investigative Careers
Promising Artistic Careers
Promising Enterprising Careers
Promising Conventional Careers

Related Blog posts:
3 Creative Approaches to Gathering Career Option Information (using nursing as an example)
5 Ways to Channel your Inner Career Choice Optimist - Being Realistic but Optimistic
Job Outlook for Careers Matching the Social Holland Personality Type (2009)

Promising Careers 2011 Part 2: Investigative Careers that Fit Your Personality

Our Promising Careers 2011 list continues with the second Holland personality type, Investigative.  If you score high in the Investigative personality type using a valid Holland career test like The Career Key, then consider these promising careers that fit you.  You'll find careers in science, technology, engineering and math: a.k.a. "STEM" careers.

To catch the intro to this 6 part series, including what we consider a "promising career", 4 Smart Strategies for Career Planning, and how to use our career list, see Part 1: Promising 2011 Careers that Match Your Personality.

To explore the other Holland personality types, see Promising Realistic Careers, Promising Artistic Careers, Promising Social Careers, Promising Enterprising Careers, and Promising Conventional Careers. And to see lists by personality type of college majors and training programs, green jobs, career clusters and pathways, visit The Career Key website.

Make sure that when you click on each one below to see career information from U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET, go to the bottom of that O*NET page to see other recommended resources, like the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).  Both O*NET and the OOH offer different career information so be sure to explore both.

Promising Investigative Careers by Career Key Work Group

Holland's Theory of Career Choice and a description of the Investigative personality type

Physical Sciences

Environmental Scientists and Specialists

Geodetic Surveyors

Geographers

Geographic Information Systems Technician

Geospatial InformationScientists and Technologists

Life Sciences

Biochemists and Biophysicists

Biologists

Geneticists

Medical Scientists, except Epidemiologists

Molecular and Cellular Biologists

Health Sciences

Allergists and Immunologists

Anesthesiologist Assistants

Anesthesiologists

Audiologists

Chiropractors

Coroners

Dermatologists

Family and General Practitioners

Internists

Naturopathic Physicians

Neurologists

Neuropsychologists and Clinical Neuropsychologists

Nuclear Medicine Physicians

Nurse Anesthetists

Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Optometrists

Orthodontists

Orthoptists

Pathologists

Pediatricians

Pharmacists

Physical Medicine andRehabilitation Physicians

Preventative Medicine Physicians

Prosthodontists

Psychiatrists

Radiologists

Sports Medicine Physicians

Urologists

Veterinarians

Veterinary Technologists and Technicians

Laboratory and Medical Technology

Cardiovascular Technologistsand Technicians

Cytogenetic Technologists

Cytotechnologists

Environmental Science andProtection Technicians

Forensic Science Technicians

Computer Science & Technology

Bioinformatics Scientists

Bioinformatics Technicians

Computer and Information Scientists, Research

Computer Software Engineers, Applications

Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software

Computer Systems Analyst

Computer Systems Engineers/Architects

Network and Computer Systems Administrators

Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts

Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers

Mathematics and Data Analysis

Biostatistician

Financial QuantitativeAnalysts

Mathematicians

Operations Research Analysts

Engineering

Automotive Engineer

Biochemical Engineers

Biomedical Engineers

Civil Engineers

Energy Engineers

Environmental Engineers

Industrial Engineering Technologist

Logistics Engineers

Management Analysts

Microsystems Engineers

Photonics Engineers

Robotics Engineers

Transportation Planners

Validation Engineers

Social Sciences

Anthropologists

Archeologists

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Market Research Analysts

Sociologists

Survey Researchers

Promising 2011 Careers that Match Your Personality

This practical, promising 2011 careers list from career guidance leader Career Key shows you how to match your personality to living wage (or better) careers that make sense in today’s economy. Holland’s Theory of Career Choice is one of the most widely used and respected career choice theories used by professional career counselors.

This will be a 6-part series (all linked together at the end) - 1 post for each personality type.  Included are 4 Smart Career Planning Strategies to put it all in perspective.

It’s time for us to choose more promising careers….

Of the largest 10 occupations in the U.S., only one (registered nurses) had an average salary over $44,410. That’s the mean for all U.S. occupations. (BLS, 2010) When you consider what food costs and the money it takes to support a family, that’s a staggering number of people making very little money – many of them in so-called “growth” a.k.a “service-related” jobs like cashiers and fast food workers. It’s also consistent with the latest Census national poverty rate of 15%. 

While it's true accountants, engineers, nurses and practically any occupation in the sciences is the ticket to good job opportunities and wages, there are many other options, with a variety of education and training requirements.

What is a “promising” career? 

It’s a career that,

• requires more training and education beyond a high school diploma*;
• has decent projected future job openings – a “bright outlook” according to the U.S. Department of Labor;
• exists in a growth industry or industries found nationwide**; and
• provides a “living wage” job (one with which you could possibly support a family) (minimum median $30,000/year).

*99.9% of all living wage jobs require at least a high school diploma, but not necessarily a 4 year college degree. (If you disagree, send me stats that say otherwise)

**I excluded careers that I thought were too specialized or narrowly focused (like biofuels processing). Explore our Green Jobs article for more promising, specialized green and energy-related jobs.

Begin with 4 Smart Career Planning Strategies

1. Take the right approach to work – the “Free Agent Outlook.”
2. Take a practical, 3 step “end-game” approach to career planning. 
3. Explore our promising career list below to help you decide on your career path. Find more resources at The Career Key website:  Match Your Personality to…  Careers, Green Jobs, College Majors and Training Programs, and Career Clusters and Pathways.
4. As you consider your options, think about the costs and benefits.  Some careers require a big education investment (time, money) but prepare you for jobs that do not pay very much.  Consider the repayment of student loans.  Consider the industry in which you will be employed. Ask yourself:  Are there better paying, more promising options, in growing industries that fit your personality that you hadn’t considered before? Go back to our "Match Your Personality with..." Lists for more ideas.

How to use our promising careers list:

1. Take our valid career test and career assessment to identify your Holland personality types you are most like, jobs that interest you, and learn more about each one;
2. Explore our promising careers list, and identify careers you’d like to learn more about. Click on each one to visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s O*NET website description for that career. Don’t forget to click on links at the bottom of the O*NET page to (1) “Wages and Employment Trends” to get more local information relevant to you, and (2) “Sources of Additional Information”, which takes you to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The OOH gives you much better education and training information than O*NET (see my recent post about using O*NET vs. the OOH for researching career information).
3. Do the activities listed in “Learn About Occupations” and “Learn More About the Jobs that Interest Me.” Pay a lot of attention to your local situation – or the location you intend to work.  Talk to (ideally face to face) real people working in the careers that interest you before investing in any training or education program.
4. Follow all 4 Smart Career Planning Strategies listed above.

Career Key's promising careers list by Holland personality type and Career Key work group...

Promising Realistic Careers

Holland's Theory and a description of the Realistic personality type

Safety and Law Enforcement

Correctional Officers or Jailers

Fire Fighters

Forest Fire Fighters

Municipal Fire Fighters

Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers

Private Detectives and Investigators

Security Management Specialists

Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs

Engineering

Automotive Engineering Technician

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists

Computer Support Specialists

Electrical Engineering Technologists

Electromechanical Engineering Technologists

Electroneurodiagnostic Technologist

Electronics Engineering Technologist

Endoscopy Technicians

Environmental Engineering Technicians

Histotechnologists and Histologic Technicians

Manufacturing Engineers

Manufacturing Engineering Technologists

Mechanical Engineering Technologists

Non-Destructive Testing Specialists

Photonics Technicians

Precision Agriculture Technicians

Robotics Technicians

Surgical Technologist

Surveying Technician

Transportation Engineers

Construction Crafts and Support

Carpenters

Construction Carpenters

Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters

Solderers and Brazers

Crafts – Mechanical

Automotive Master Mechanic

Automotive Service Technicians & Mechanics

Automotive Specialty Technicians

Hearing, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers

Medical Equipment Repairers

Crafts – Electrical-Electronic

Electricians

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers

Crafts – Metal, Wood, Plastic, Fabric

Museum Technicians and Conservators

Welders, Cutters and Welder Fitters

Manufacturing and Production

Manufacturing Production Technicians

Ophthalmic Medical Technologists and Technicians

Other Posts in this Series: 

Promising Investigative Careers

Promising Artistic Careers

Promising Social Careers

Promising Enterprising Careers

Promising Conventional Careers