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Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Brennan Hallock

Department of Counseling, Chadron State College

COUN 531: Counseling and Communication Skills

Dr. Grant Sasse

July 1, 2022
Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Description of the History and Purpose of the SDS

John Holland first developed his theory of vocational personalities and work

environments in 1959. It would not be until 1994 that the Self-Directed Search (SDS) would be

developed, an assessment that evaluates personality and work place and provides users with

possible compatible careers.

This assessment states that there are six types of personality that would need to be

examined in order to find the right work environment for a client. While he did admit in 1997

that there probably are more than six factors that determine a person’s fit with an occupation, he

did maintain that these six factors are the most important. These six factors continue to be used

in the assessment today: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional.

In 1997, the SDS became the most widely used career assessment tool in the world. By

2009, the SDS had been taken by millions of people and used in more than 25 countries. The

assessment has been tremendously successful and John Holland’s theory has been claimed as one

of the biggest breakthroughs in career counseling (Nauta, 2010). The SDS continues to be used

today and provides a user-friendly online platform for the assessment. It can be taken by anyone

who chooses for a nominal fee. Results are given instantly and the test user is provided with a list

of occupations compatible with their personality, educational requirements for the occupations,

and the project salary of the given occupations.

The purpose of the SDS is to align potential occupations with those that match the user’s

personality and interests. The assessment takes into account previous experience, as well as

future aspirations, in order to give the client an idea of occupations that closely align with the

individual. The goal is to help the client find a career that provides job satisfaction, job stability,

and life satisfaction (Nauta, 2010).

Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Summary of My SDS Results

The results of my SDS Assessment came back letting me know of the three domains that

best matched my answers. Mine came back as SAE, which is to say Social, Artistic, and

Enterprising. These were the domains that I had the most in common with and in the order of

highest commonality. SAE was reported as my Summary Code of interests.

The Assessment offers you a wide list of occupations that include SAE in any order,

showing that these careers could work with your personality. There are even symbols to show

you high paying jobs in a particular field or a career that is on the rise. The assessment provides

educational requirements and even salary data for each given occupation.

The Assessment even lets you see how compatible you would be with jobs you have

dreamed of in the past. The results were quite interesting as I only matched with three of the six

dreams jobs I had listed from my childhood up until now. It also shows you how compatible you

were with jobs you have had in your past. That was also interesting. I only matched with one of

them.

One thing I thought was particularly interesting was that my personality type matched

perfectly with my current occupation as a foreign language teacher and with my future career as

a school counselor. Not only did these have the same personality domains, they were in the exact

same order as my results from the Self-Directed Search Assessment. This provided some great

comfort as I feel that I have found my niche and am on the right career path.
Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Insights Learned from the Completion of Assessment

There are many insights I learned from the completion of the assessment and subsequent

research. One insight from taking the assessment was just how valuable it is to examine dream

jobs, past jobs, experiences, and interests when seeking a career. This assessment was quick and

interesting and I actually liked the lack of options. It was very direct: “Do you like this or not?”

By being direct, I feel that it narrowed down career options and interests quickly.

While the assessment was speedy, I do think it was thorough. It asked a variety of

questions that were not repetitive and it seemed to cover a wide array of topics, interests, and

occupations. When the results came back I was actually shocked to see how much information it

was able to gather on me in such a short amount of time. I also felt that the conclusions it came

to were accurate, which was also very impressive.

Not only was it accurate, there was a wide array of occupations for me to choose from. I

loved that it still allowed me to look at the many options that would align with my personality

and goals. Depending on my career or lifestyle interests, I could go through this list and make an

educated decision as to a career path to pursue. If money was a priority, I could look at the

incomes. If time off was a priority, I could look at career descriptions. I loved how I left this

assessment with many options still at my disposal.

Through my research, I was able to see just how useful this assessment can be. One such

study was conducted in 2021 and found that the SDS enables clients to tell their career story and

give practical applications to their own lives (Bullock-Yowell & Reardon, 2021). Another study

conducted in 2013 applauds the SDS and states that this assessment simulates what a counselor

and client might discuss in a career counseling session in a much faster way (Dozier, Sampson,

& Reardon, 2013).

Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

A 2020 study, however, indicates that the SDS could be even more useful if it was

combined with a way of adding story telling and interviewing (Watson & McMahon, 2020). I

found this to be a very interesting idea because I can see how this could deepen the counselor’s

understanding of the results and the client’s interpretation of a question or past experiences. I

think using the SDS in conjunction with interview questions would create a great environment

for successful career counseling.

Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

How I Can Use This Assessment with Clients

This assessment could be very useful for a high school student. I am planning on going

into school counseling and I believe that all students should take this assessment or one like

before graduating. What I love about this assessment in particular is how it creates a roadmap for

the student. It allows the student to know what kind of income can they expect from this career,

what they have to do in order to qualify for this position, and what the job would entail. This is a

wonderful tool that students could use.

Using this practically at school, I think we could require it to be taken in an English class

in a student’s Junior year so that they can have an idea of what they want to do before applying

to college. I think requiring it of all students help provide each student with a career or future

plan in mind while there is still time to prepare. I think it is important for all students to leave

high school with an idea of what their life could entail after graduation.

Assuming it was not possible and my principal said that I couldn’t make every English

class at school take the assessment, I would still do my best to give the assessment to all juniors

who came into my office. If I had a student come into my office asking about their future career

or future college aspirations, I would have the student take this assessment. Upon completion, I

would allow them to read it over and let it sink in and then I think we would discuss it. Does the

student think this is accurate? Why or why not? Is there anything surprising to them on the

assessment? Is there anything exciting that we need to explore? I think the SDS could be an

amazing tool to help students get on a trajectory for success and happiness.

To echo my findings from the previous segment, I do think the SDS is much more

effective if explored verbally with the client. I think that open dialogue and back-and-forth are
Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

crucial for the success and understanding of the assessment. Together, the assessment and

interview will help many students as they prepare for their future careers.
Running Head: Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

References

Bullock-Yowell, E., & Reardon, R. C. (2021). Using the self-directed search in the career

construction interview. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance,

22(1), 157–168. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-021-09478-z

Dozier, V. C., Sampson, J. P., & Reardon, R. C. (2013). Using two different self-directed search

(SDS) interpretive materials: Implications for career assessment. The Professional

Counselor, 3(2), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.15241/vcd.3.2.67

Nauta, M. M. (2010). The development, evolution, and Status of Holland’s theory of Vocational

Personalities: Reflections and Future Directions for counseling psychology. Journal of

Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018213

Watson, M., & McMahon, M. (2020). Career Assessment and creativity: Potential

complementarity or a contradiction in terms? British Journal of Guidance & Counselling,

48(1), 40–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2018.1476835