The types of areas in which you might like to pursue a career may become clearer by completing an Interests Questionnaire (such as the Occupational Interest Profile). Try completing the Interests Worksheet to obtain a rough comparison of your main interest areas.
The Occupational Interest Profile (OIP+) provides a comprehensive assessment of vocational interest and personal work needs. The vocational interests refer to work areas which an individual would enjoy (e.g., administrative, computational, persuasive, practical), whereas the work needs are related to an individual's personal needs within a chosen area of work (e.g. variety, structure, people, control). If you are currently rethinking your career, if you are a recent graduate/school-leaver, or if you want to know more about yourself or your employees, the OIP+ is the right choice for you.
The OIP+'s 122 questions produce scores for twelve scales, five measuring personal qualities and seven measuring occupational interests. The characteristics measured by the OIP+ have been selected for two reasons. Firstly, for their relevance to assessment and guidance decisions, and secondly, because of extensive research evidence demonstrating their validity. The test-user can therefore be confident that the OIP+ is measuring meaningful aspects of personality.
The OIP+ describes individuals in terms of their preferences for the following occupational interests and personal qualities:
Persuasive - with a high score on this scale, individuals show an interest in work roles involving the communication of information and ideas in a persuasive manner. Typical roles would involve public speaking and convincing others of their point of view, e.g. sales representatives, public relations and politics.
Scientific - individuals show an interest in discovering new facts and problem-solving. Primarily concerned with analytical skill and scientific curiosity, individuals with a high score on this scale prefer to work with ideas and scientific principles, e.g. medicine, laboratory work.
Practical - individuals show an interest in mechanical activities, working with their hands and being able to construct something, e.g. engineering, mechanical or civil engineering and crafts.
Administrative - individuals show an interest in organising and maintaining information and are suited to jobs that require attention to detail or large amounts of paper work. Activities of interest include bookkeeping and stock control, e.g. finance, clerical/administration.
Nurturing - individuals are interested in helping and caring for others. Such individuals will find it easy to talk to others and empathise with them. Thus they will be good at helping people who have problems, and will probably be sought out by others wishing to tell them their problems, e.g. teaching, social work, health care and other helping professions.
Artistic - individuals show an interest in areas concerned with the creation of artistic products or ideas. Areas of interest may include a wide range of artistic endeavours such as painting, theatre, photograph, design of all types and so on that allow self expression. Typical roles include most areas of the arts and entertainment industry.
Logical - individuals show an interest in logical, rational pursuits such as solving puzzles, logic, computation and mathematics, e.g. working with computers.
This scale provides a measure of the extent to which an individual requires variety and change in their life. High scorers will always be seeking new and exciting activities and will probably become extremely bored if asked to perform the same task for any length of time. Such individuals also enjoy taking risks and require some element of adventure or excitement in their life. Low scorers, on the other hand, will prefer set routines and the familiarity of doing things they have done before. These will be cautious, safety conscious individuals who have no need for excitement and thrills in their life.
High scorers on this dimension are emotionally stable, calm and composed individuals. Generally optimistic, they will rarely brood over past failures but will instead get on with the next task. Accepting criticism in a good natured way they will rarely be upset by the thoughtless comments others might make. Low scorers tend to be emotionally volatile and prone to sudden swings in their mood. Easily upset by others they may react adversely to criticism even if this is justified. Such individuals will have a tendency to worry about past failures and feel depressed at their perceived inadequacies.
A high score on this scale suggests an individual who will pay attention to detail, displaying perseverance and self-control. Well organised, they will be careful to plan ahead, attempting to account for any possible contingencies. If they start a task they will feel compelled to see it through to completion. Low scorers will not be the most organised people in the world, tending to be careless and impractical. Spontaneous people, they will see little need for making plans, and will often start tasks but lose interest in them before they are finished.
A measure of sociability, giving an indication of an individual's desire to work with people, be an active group participant and need group support and recognition. High scorers will dislike being on their own, preferring to be a member of a group. They will have a great liking for social occasions and will not shirk from being the centre of attention. Low scorers will much prefer to work alone, tending to prefer their own company to that of others. They will have little need for group support and social recognition, feeling comfortable when making their own decisions.
This scale gives a measure of a person's preference for leading and directing people, taking charge and responsibility for others. High scorers will be assertive individuals who are in their element in positions of power and responsibility. Thriving in a position of leadership and authority, they love to organise other people. Such individuals will tend to take the lead in group discussions pushing their own views and ideas forward, paying little attention to those of others. Low scorers will not particularly like being in positions of authority finding it difficult to give orders to people. They will much prefer to be left to get on with their own work rather than be responsible for organising the work of others.