Holland's theory and occupational information

Holland's (1997) RIASEC model is predicated on the assumption that appropriate vocational choices are a function of a successful match between an individual's vocational personality (e.g., Social) and the work environment (e.g., high interpersonal contact). Therefore, the use of the RIASEC model in career guidance requires a method for linking an individual's interests, operationalized as his or her RIASEC profile, to the occupational demands which must also be expressed in RIASEC codes. In this paper, we review the use of Holland's RIASEC model in career delivery systems and demonstrate how individual interests were linked to specific occupations in two large occupational information systems. (C) 1999 Academic Press.