HIGH SCHOOL

CLASSROOM READY CURRICULUM

INTEREST PROFILER AND WORK IMPORTANCE PROFILER

AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION’S DOMAIN:

Career Domain

Standard A: Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed decisions.

Competency 1. Develop Career Awareness

Indicator c. Develop an awareness of personal abilities, skills, interests, and motivations

ACTIVITY: Identifying career interests and career values using the Interest Profiler and the Work Importance Profiler from the California CareerZone.

TARGET GROUP:High School (9th grade)

GOAL: Students will develop an awareness of their personal interests. They will also develop an awareness of their work values and how these correlate with being satisfied in a work or job environment.

SUMMARY:

MATERIALS:

  • Instructor Notes
  • Computers with Internet access for students
  • Computer with the ability to project on to a large screen for the instructor
  • Projector
  • Worksheets:Interest Profiler Assessment (Holland Code) and Work Importance Profiler Assessment (below)

STRATEGIES:

  • Introduction to the subject (see Instructor Notes, Section I)
  • Administer the pre-test. (See Evaluation Tool below)
  • Have students access the California Career Center website (
  • Instruct them to log on and click the “Career Options” link; find “Discovering Your Interests and Skills” and click on “California CareerZone.”
  • NOTE: In order for students to save assessment results they will need to create a California CareerZone account. To set up an account they choose “Sign In” at the upper right corner of the page, then select the “Create an Account” tab and provide the required information noted by an asterisk.
  • From the home page, choose “Begin Assessment” and click on “Interest Profiler.”
  • Allow time for all students to complete the assessment.
  • Explain the results (see Instructor Notes, Section II) using the worksheet Interest Profiler Assessment (Holland Code) and Work Importance Profiler Assessment
  • Have the students enter their top three interest codes on the worksheet.
  • Have students return to the homepage on the California CareerZone and click on “Begin Assessment.” Then click on “Work Importance Profiler.”
  • Allow time for the students to complete the assessment.
  • Explain the results (see Instructor Notes, Section III).
  • Facilitate a discussion on the activities the students completed: 1) Do you feel the information from the Interest Profiler reflects you and your personality? Explain why or why not. 2) Do you feel the information from the Work Importance Profiler reflects what you think is important? Explain why or why not. 3) What new information did you learn about yourself as a result of these two activities?
  • Administer post-test (See Evaluation Tool below).
  • Closing statements (see Instructor Notes, Section IV).

ESTIMATED TIME:1 class period

EVALUATION TOOL: Pre/Post Test

  1. Identify your top three personal interest areas (Holland Code).
  2. Identify your top two or three work values.

HIGH SCHOOL

INTEREST PROFILER ASSESSMENT (HOLLAND CODE)

WORK IMPORTANCE PROFILER ASSESSMENT

WORKSHEET

Realistic people enjoy working with animals, being outdoors, working with their hands and tools. They value common sense, honesty, and practicality. They are reliable and straightforward. They enjoy manual and mechanical activities.

Occupations include:

  • Carpenter
  • Cook
  • Electrician
  • Industrial Arts Teacher
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Airline Pilot
  • Paramedic

Investigative people like to figure out problems, search for facts, and work with ideas. They value accuracy, achievement, and independence. They are curious, intellectual, somewhat reserved and precise.

Occupations include:

  • Pharmacist
  • Surgeon
  • Veterinarian
  • Researcher
  • Computer Programmer
  • Laboratory Assistant
  • Drafter

Artistic people enjoy creative work in the areas of art, performance, dance, writing, and music. Free expression is very important. They value beauty, imagination, and creativity. They are independent, open, and can be unconventional.

Occupations include:

  • Advertising Executive
  • Author
  • English Teacher
  • Musician
  • Photographer
  • Artist
  • Floral arrangers

Social people enjoy helping others, volunteering, teaching, training, solving personal problems for others, and being care-givers. They value service to others, fairness, and understanding. They are friendly, trusting, helpful, and kind. They enjoy working with others especially in a team environment.

Occupations include:

  • Counselor
  • Elementary School Teacher
  • Nurse
  • Police Officer
  • Physical Therapist
  • Security Guard
  • Child Care Worker

Enterprising people like to lead others, make decisions, and influence what others do. They value success, taking responsibility and initiative. They are ambitious, out-going, self-confident and enthusiastic.

Occupations include:

  • Lawyer
  • Sales Manager
  • Financial Planner
  • Travel Agent
  • Telemarketer
  • Project Director
  • Judge

Conventional people enjoy working with details and data. They like to complete projects according to schedules and routines. They like record keeping, filing materials, and organizing things into an orderly plan. They value accuracy and honesty and attention to detail. They enjoy working with things and numbers.

Occupations include:

  • Accountant
  • Bookkeeper
  • Payroll Clerk
  • Website Editor
  • Librarian
  • Editorial Assistant
  • Tax Preparer

List your top three Holland Codes in order of importance from your Interest Profiler Summary:

1.______

2.______

3.______

List your top two or three work values from your Work Importance Profiler Summary:

1.______

2.______

3.______

HIGH SCHOOL

INSTRUCTOR NOTES ON

INTEREST PROFILER AND WORK IMPORTANCE PROFILER ASSESSMENTS

  1. Introduction to the subject:

Have you ever asked yourself “Who am I?” and “What is important to me?” These may be unusual questions but they need to be considered as you move through high school and beyond. Over the course of the next four years or so, you will be making decisions regarding where you see yourself after high school and making plans to get there. Today that journey begins as you explore some of your interests and consider what is important to you. In other words, what makes you, you!

  1. Explanation of Interest Profiler:

The scores from the Interest Profiler Summary represent your “Holland Code.” The Holland Code is named for John Holland, a psychologist, who did research connecting personal interests with personality styles and career choices. According to Dr. Holland, everyone has three preferred personal interests from among these six:

  1. Realistic (the Do It person)
  2. Investigative (the Explore It person)
  3. Artistic (the Create It person)
  4. Social (the Share It person)
  5. Enterprising (the Sell It person)
  6. Conventional (the Keep It Going person)

Your results indicate your top three interest areas. Consider the traits on the Interest Profiler Assessment (Holland Code) and Work Importance Profiler Assessment worksheet while I review them. Write down your top three Holland codes from the Interest Profiler assignment on the worksheet. Next, you are going to take an inventory asking you to decide what you think is important and what you value in work situations.

III. Explanation of the Work Importance Profiler:

The scores from the Work Importance Profiler Summary reflect what is important to you. Research indicates that being satisfied in a job or career increases when the person’s work values are reflected in the work place. Look at the box on the summary screen page that outlines the work needs for each work value category. Reflect on this information as you consider the top work values representing the results of your Work Importance Profiler assessment (verbally review the information in the box). On the bottom of your Interest Profiler Assessment (Holland Code) and Work Importance Profiler Assessment worksheet, write down your top two or three work values from the Work Importance Profiler Summary.

  1. Discussion:

Facilitate a discussion on the activities the students completed:

  1. Do you feel the information from the Interest Profiler reflects you and your personality? Explain why or why not.
  2. Do you feel the information from the Work Importance Profiler reflects what you think is important? Explain why or why not.
  3. What new information did you learn about yourself as a result of these two activities?
  1. Closing statements:

This has been your first step in the process of exploring who you are and what you consider to be important. To be ready for the next activity on exploring your abilities, strengths, and skills, you need to record your personal interest code and your top work values on your Putting It AllTogether worksheet. Do the following:

  • Go to the California Career Center Website’s Homepage
  • Log on
  • Click on “My Stuff”
  • Scroll to and click on “Student Activities”
  • Find “High School Putting It All Together” (web)
  • In the section on “Self-Assessment” enter your three top interest areas (Holland Code) under the title “My Personal Interests,” save it
  • Next enter your top two or three work values under the heading “My Work Values,” save it and log off
  1. Collecting Results Data:

Process Data: Number of students who participated in the lesson.

Perception Data:Pre/post test results determine the knowledge gained regarding being able to identify the three Holland Codes that most closely match personal interests and the top two or three work values that are personally important in a career setting (short-term data).

Page 1 of 7