Holland codes explained

A Holland code is a short label—usually three letters—from John Holland’s interest model (often searched as “the Holland code” or Holland’s code). Each letter is one of six themes: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC). The code is about preferences, not IQ or “job worthiness.”

U.S. career tools, including O*NET, use this same interest language to organize occupations. TypeAxis scores your interests, builds a high-point code, and ranks careers by similarity to those interest profiles.

A Holland code assessment (or Holland code career assessment) asks how much you like certain activities, then builds your personal code. A static careers list by letter is useful for learning the model, but it cannot know your actual mix of interests.

TypeAxis is an interactive assessment: Holland interests + Big Five work style, then O*NET career matching. Start with the free Holland code career test.

People searching for a Holland types test or Holland type test are looking for these six themes. Most people are a mix; the top two or three usually matter most. Your Holland career code is typically those top letters in order.

Examples are illustrative of common interest themes—not a complete O*NET list and not a hiring recommendation.

A code like IAS means Investigative is strongest, then Artistic, then Social. Order matters: the first letter is your highest interest theme. Two people can share letters in different order and still look for different day-to-day work.

Codes are a shortcut for exploration. Skills, education, location, and values still decide what you can pursue next. Step-by-step: What is my Holland code?

• IAS

  Ideas first, then creative expression and people impact

  Sample directions: UX researcher, technical writer, instructional designer

• SAE

  People impact with creative craft and initiative

  Sample directions: Training design, advocacy, community-facing creative roles

• SEC

  People-facing roles with structure and clear processes

  Sample directions: HR specialist, school counselor, customer success lead

• RIC

  Hands-on problem solving with analysis and organized delivery

  Sample directions: Industrial engineer, quality technician, operations analyst

• AES

  Creative work with persuasion and audience connection

  Sample directions: Brand strategist, content marketer, creative producer

These are teaching examples. Your TypeAxis result may look different—and comes with a ranked career shortlist matched to your scores. See what Holland test results look like in a full sample report.

Holland’s RIASEC model groups work activities into six interest themes. Occupations and people are described by which themes they emphasize. TypeAxis implements that structure with public O*NET interest data—details on our methodology page.

Deep dives by letter: R, I, A, S, E, C. Sample codes: IAS, SAE, SEC, RIC, AES. Also Holland vs Big Five, RIASEC career test, career personality test.