The RIASEC interest types
The six interest types are often called RIASEC, after their first letters: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional. The idea, first set out by the psychologist John Holland, is that people tend to be happier in work that matches what they enjoy doing, and that work itself can be sorted into the same six groups.
Most people are drawn to two or three types more than the rest, which is why results usually name a top three rather than a single type. Interests aren't the same as ability: enjoying an activity is one signal, and skills, training and circumstances are others.
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Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
- Toward the high end
- People here like practical, hands-on work with a result they can see: building, fixing, growing or operating things.
- Around the middle
- Some hands-on work appeals to people here, alongside other kinds of work.
- Toward the low end
- Working with tools, machines or outdoors is not what draws people here most.
Investigative
Working with ideas: researching, analyzing and solving problems.
- Toward the high end
- People here like to find out how things work and why. Research, analysis and hard problems tend to appeal to them.
- Around the middle
- Problem solving and research interest people here some of the time.
- Toward the low end
- Research and analysis for their own sake are not what draws people here most.
Artistic
Creating: writing, design, music, art and performance.
- Toward the high end
- People here like to create and express themselves. Work with room for imagination and original ideas tends to suit them.
- Around the middle
- Creative work appeals to people here some of the time.
- Toward the low end
- Creative and performing work is not what draws people here most.
Enterprising
Leading, persuading, selling and starting things.
- Toward the high end
- People here like to lead, persuade and make things happen. Business, sales and taking charge tend to appeal to them.
- Around the middle
- Leading and persuading appeal to people here some of the time.
- Toward the low end
- Selling, persuading and running things is not what draws people here most.
Conventional
Organizing: records, numbers, data and clear procedures.
- Toward the high end
- People here like order and accuracy. Work with clear procedures, records and numbers tends to suit them.
- Around the middle
- Organized, detailed work appeals to people here some of the time.
- Toward the low end
- Records, data entry and set procedures are not what draws people here most.
How scoring works
Each statement has five response choices. A response contributes from 1 to 5 points to the scale it belongs to, and the points become a position from 0 to 100. Around 0–33 is the low third, 34–66 is around the middle and 67–100 is the high third.
Looking at the separate positions is more useful than treating them as one overall score: the profile shows where the answers sit on each scale.
The benefits of knowing your interest types
Naming your top interests can widen your search. Each type covers many job families, and some of them may be ones you hadn't thought of.
It can also explain why a job that looked right on paper felt wrong in practice: a role can use your skills while giving you very little of the kind of activity you enjoy.
Using interest types in everyday life
Interest types work best as a starting point for questions: which parts of your current work or studies do you look forward to, and which type do they belong to? Could a side project, a course or a change of role give you more of it?
Talking to people who already do the jobs on your list, or trying a short course, will tell you more than any questionnaire can.
How to take the test
MindScale's career interest test has 48 statements and no time limit. Choose the response that best matches how you usually are, not how you would like to be.
You can go back and change an answer. When you finish, you can unlock your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Conclusion
The six interest types sort work into realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising and conventional activities. Most people lean toward two or three of them, and the mix can point to job families worth exploring.
If you'd like to find your own top three, the MindScale career interest test has 48 work activities to rate and lists matching job families. The price is shown before you start.
See your own result
Your score and full report: $2.95 for 7 days of full access, then $29.95 every 4 weeks until you cancel.
Social
Helping, teaching, caring for and working with people.