Career Key classifies or organizes careers (occupations) and programs of study first by Holland personality type and then by smaller groups called work groups.  Work groups are based on worker traits, interests, temperament, skills and abilities.

Depending on how you’ve configured your CKD plug in, your discoverers may see careers and programs of study, or only one set of these.

Depending on how you’ve configured your CKD plug in, your discoverers may see careers and programs of study, or only one set of these.

Best of both worlds: interests and worker traits

We designed this unique classification system to capture the best features of two major, research-based systems for organizing occupations: (a) John Holland’s interest-based system, and (b) the U.S. Employment Security System’s worker trait-based system in the Guide to Occupational Exploration.

CK’s combined system enables discoverers to relate their Holland personality types to groups of occupations where the workers’ traits are similar in interests, aptitudes, temperament, skills, and abilities.

Similarly, discoverers can relate their personality type to groups of education programs containing students and professors with similar traits.  For more about CK’s classification methodology for programs of study, please see the Career Key Discovery Manual.

Advantages

This system for organizing occupations and programs has several advantages:

  • It is based on Holland’s Theory, with significant research supporting its key concepts.
  • It is based on the expert work of job analysts at the U.S. Department of Labor and Career Key.
  • Occupations are grouped according to the easily understood concept of work groups, as compared to two- or three-letter codes used by other Holland-based systems.  For example, see “Literary Arts” as a group of occupations with Holland code “ASE” (Artistic-Social-Enterprising).
  • It enables discoverers to explore a wider range of options, including those less familiar in the rapidly changing worlds of work and education.

Keep in Mind

This classification was done with great care. As with other classification systems, judgments are made when sometimes the system does not perfectly fit an occupation or program. Discoverers should be advised of this and encouraged to freely explore their top two personality types, or three types in the case of close scores. Read the next section, Advise Discoverers for more recommendations.

Occupation examples: An environmental scientist could fit equally well in the Physical or Life Sciences work group (Investigative); some occupations like accountant can cut across more than one RIASEC personality type (Enterprising or Conventional) depending on job duties.

Program examples: “Environmental Sciences” could fit equally well in the Physical or Life Sciences work group (Investigative); interdisciplinary and Liberal Arts majors or programs frequently cut across more than one RIASEC personality type.