Holland's Theory and Career Assessment

Abstract

This article explores how the career assessment activities in the Self-Directed Search (Holland, 1994), along with the secondary constructs in Holland's theory (e.g., congruence, identity, coherence, consistency, differentiation, commonness), can be used to increase understanding of an individual's Personal Career Theory (PCT). The quality of a PCT provides information regarding a person's readiness for career decision making and the intensity and duration of career interventions that might be effective in solving career problems. Implications for research, counselor training, and service delivery with theory-based career assessment using Holland's theory are discussed.