Strong Interest Inventory

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Strong Interest Inventory

• The most widely used interest assessment in North
  America
• Started after WWI veterans returning to the
  workforce

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• Warm-up Exercise
• Guess the Occupation

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Why Use the Strong?

• The Strong Interest Inventory can help you
  identify your interests, which can lead to
  greater job satisfaction
• You can use the information to assist you in
  determining your career path

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The Assessment

• Measures your INTERESTS - NOT skills, aptitudes
  or abilities to do any of the occupations

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How the Assessment Works

• The Strong is organized in four ways
• 1- General Occupational Themes (GOT)
• An overall view of your interest patterns
• 2- Basic Interest Scales
• Specific interest areas based upon your GOT
• 3- Occupational Scales
• Specific interest patterns to people working in
  certain occupations that share your likes and
  dislikes
• 4- Personal Style Scales
• Your preferences on 5 different scales

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General Occupational Themes

• There are six broad areas that all occupations
  can be classified under
• People (and occupations) usually have a
  combination of two or three of the themes
• What is your theme code? (middle of page 2)

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The Six G.O.T Theme Codes

• Social
• People-oriented
• Enterprising
• Business-oriented
• Conventional
• Organizing

• Realistic
• Active, hands-on
• Investigative
• Analyzing
• Artistic
• Creative expression

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Realistic R

• People are generally interested in mechanical,
  construction and repair activities
• Enjoy nature and outdoors, adventurous, physical
  activities
• Providing public safety
• Like working with tools, machines, equipment,
  computers and computer networks
• Interested in action
• Enjoy work activities that include practical,
  hands-on problems and solutions

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Realistic R

• Potential Skills
• Mechanical ingenuity and dexterity
• Physical coordination

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Realistic R

• Work activities include
• Operating equipment
• Using tools
• Building and repairing
• Providing security

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Realistic R

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Investigative I

• Interested in activities related to science,
  math, medicine and research
• Like gathering information, uncovering new facts
  or theories, and analyzing and interpreting data
• Scientific and inquiring
• Enjoy abstract problems

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Investigative I

• Potential Skills
• Mathematical ability
• Researching and analyzing
• Writing

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Investigative I

• Work activities include
• Performing lab work
• Solving abstract problems
• Conducting research

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Investigative I

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Artistic A

• Generally interested in visual art, performing
  arts, culinary arts and writing
• Like observing and participating in arts
• Need to express artistic interests
• Interested in aesthetics and self-expression
• Interested in communication and culture

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Artistic A

• Potential skills
• Creativity
• Musical ability
• Artistic expression

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Artistic A

• Work activities include
• Composing music
• Performing
• Writing
• Creating visual art

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Artistic A

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Social S

• Generally interested in being with other people
• Enjoy working in groups, sharing
  responsibilities, communicating with others
• Like to solve problems through discussions of
  feelings and through interactions with others
• Interested in teamwork, helping, community
  service

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Social S

• Potential skills
• People skills
• Verbal ability
• Listening
• Showing
• Understanding

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Social S

• Work activities include
• Teaching
• Caring for others
• Counselling
• Training others

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Social S

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Enterprising E

• Generally interested in persuading and leading
• Seek positions of leadership, power and status
• Enjoy working with other people and leading them
  towards organizational goals and economic success
• Interested in business, politics, leadership,
  entrepreneurship

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Enterprising E

• Potential skills
• Verbal ability
• Ability to motivate others
• Ability to direct others

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Enterprising E

• Work activities include
• Selling
• Managing
• Persuading
• Marketing

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Enterprising E

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Conventional C

• Generally interested in activities that require
  attention to organization, data systems, detail
  and accuracy
• Work well in large organizations
• Like to use information to solve problems
  efficiently
• Interested in organization, data management,
  accounting, investing, information systems

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Conventional C

• Potential skills
• Ability to work with numbers
• Data analysis
• Finances
• Attention to detail

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Conventional C

• Work activities include
• Setting up procedures and systems
• Organizing
• Keeping records
• Developing computer applications

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Conventional C

• What kinds of occupations do you think are in
  this theme?

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Your Assessment

• Do you agree with your theme code?
• Page 2 summarizes your interest level on each of
  the six scales

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Basic Interest Scales

• Each General Occupational Theme is narrowed down
  further into more specific areas

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Basic Interest Scales
Realistic Investigative
Computer Hardware Electronics Mathematics
Mechanics Construction Science
Military Research
Nature Agriculture Medical Science
Athletics
Protective Services
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Basic Interest Scales
Artistic Social
Visual Arts Design Religion Spirituality
Performing Arts Human Resources Training
Writing mass communications Social Sciences
Culinary Arts Teaching Education
Healthcare Services
Counselling Helping
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Basic Interest Scales
Enterprising Conventional
Entrepreneurship Finance Investing
Law Programming Information Systems
Sales Taxes Accounting
Management Office Management
Marketing Advertising
Politics Public Speaking
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Basic Interest Scales

• Page 3 of your assessment summarizes your top
  five interest themes
• Your interest level is anywhere from very little
  interest (VL) to very high interest (VH)
• Notice that your LEAST favorite are also
  included why do you think this is included?

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Basic Interest Scales

• What do you think about your highest interest
  areas? Do you agree?

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Basic Interest Scales
Realistic Do er
Investigative Thinker
Artistic Creator
Social Helper
Enterprising Persuader
Conventional Organizer
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Occupational Scales

• Different from previous scales does not measure
  your interest level in the occupation itself, but
  measures how similar or dissimilar you are to the
  people working in the occupations
• Page 4 summarizes your top 10 occupations, while
  pages 5, 6 and 7 list all occupations

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Occupational Scales

• Occupations are listed in order from your highest
  to lowest interests
• Occupations that have a result over 40 shows that
  you have similar likes and dislikes to the people
  working in that occupation

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Occupational Scales

• You will notice that there are one, two or three
  letters in the Theme Code column next to each
  occupation
• The theme code for Attorney is A why do you
  think that is?
• The theme code for Health Information Specialist
  is C why do you think that is?

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Occupational Scales

• Ultimately you want to look at occupations that
  have your theme code in it what is an occupation
  with your theme code?
• Introduce the Holland Occupation Book

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Personal Style Scales

• Page 8 states your preference on five different
  scales
• Work Style
• Learning Environment
• Leadership Style
• Risk Taking
• Team Orientation

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Personal Style Scales

• Your score is in the right hand column
• Below 50 your preference is the left
• Above 50 your preference is the right

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Personal Style Scales

• Work Style
• Prefer working alone vs working with people
• Learning Environment
• Prefer practical learning environment, learn by
  doing vs an academic environment and learning
  through lectures

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Personal Style Scales

• Leadership Style
• Not comfortable taking charge of others, prefer
  doing job yourself vs comfortable taking charge
  of others and directing others
• Risk Taking
• Dislike risk taking, like quiet activities vs
  like risk taking, appreciates original ideas,
  seek thrilling activities

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Personal Style Scales

• Team Orientation
• Prefer accomplishing tasks independently vs
  prefer working on teams and collaborating

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Youre Done!

• Congratulations! You made it!
• Are there any clarifying questions? Keep in
  mind, if you have a question, someone else
  probably does too
• Review supplementary handouts
• As well, your individual counsellor can help

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Last game

• Mix Match
• Split into groups or pairs
• Match occupation definitions to occupational
  titles

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• Choose One Offbeat Occupation
• What is it?
• What type of education do you think it requires?
• Do you think there are lots of jobs? If so,
  where?
• Who would hire someone in this occupation? (where
  do they work?)
• Would you do this job????