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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis

Self-Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper

Brittany Hallis

Chadron State College

COUN 534: Fundamentals of Assessment

Dr. Grant Sasse

Summer, 2022
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
Description the history and purpose of the SDS

The Self-Directed Search (SDS) is a self-administered, self-scored, and self-interpreted

vocational counseling tool (Holland, J. L., & Rayman, J. R., (2013). The SDS is based on a

theory developed by John Holland known as RIASEC theory, that both people and work

environments can be classified according to six basic types: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic,

Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (PAR Inc, 2022). In 1982 Holland culminated The

Dictionary of Holland Occupational Codes, which classified all occupations could be organized

into six groups that paralleled the six Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) types (Holland, J.

L., & Rayman, J. R., 2013). Without a useful theory, the SDS would not have been possible,

because its development required both a typology of persons and a classification of occupations

that used parallel construct: in this case, the six personality types – realistic, investigative,

artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional and the six occupational classes with the same

names (Holland, J. L., & Rayman, J. R., 2013). In Holland’s theory, the choice of a vocation is

an expression of individual personality based to some degree upon self-concept (Feehan, P. F., &

Johnston, J. A., 1999).

The Hexagonal Model was developed to have occupational categories in an order that was

consistent with occupational data (Holland, J. L., & Rayman, J. R., (2013). Once the individual

takes the SDS assessment they are given a two or three letter code, such as RIA, RIE, RAS, SCE,

etc. The Self-Directed Search is a 25-35 minute self-administered, self-scored, and self-

interpreted career internet assessment (Bailey, T. R., Blackwell, T. L., & Crtalic, A. K., 2015).

According to Holland & Rayman (2013), The SDS was developed for two main purposes: to

multiply the number of people a counselor can serve and to provide a vocational counseling

experience for people who do not have, or do not wish to have, access to vocational counselors.
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
The SDS has shown increases in self-understanding, number of vocational alternatives

considered, satisfaction with current vocational aspirations, and knowledge of the Holland

typology (Holland, J. L., & Rayman, J. R., 2013). Holland & Messer (2013), highly recommend

that the SDS be used only with individuals who demonstrate interest in learning more about

career opportunities and possibilities.

Summary of SDS results

After describing my favorite activities and interests, the three personality types matching

these activities and interests are SEC. This stands for Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. In

the Social domain, these individuals like to work with people more than things. They are

described as agreeable, cooperative, empathic, friendly, generous, helpful, idealistic, kind,

patient, persuasive, responsible, sociable, tactful, understanding, and warm (Holland, 2012).

Individuals with a high Enterprising score tend to be acquisitive, adventurous, ambitious,

assertive, domineering, energetic, enthusiastic, excitement-seeking, exhibitionistic, extroverted,

forceful, optimistic, resourceful, self-confident, and sociable (Holland, 2012). Conventional

individuals generally like to work with papers and numbers and are described as careful,

conforming, conscientious, dogmatic, efficient, inflexible, inhibited, methodical, obedient,

orderly, persistent, practical, thorough, thrifty, and unimaginative (Holland, 2012). Personality

types next to each other on the hexagonal model tend to be the most similar. Social is next to

Enterprising while Conventional is next to Enterprising. The highest score for any category is 56.

My scores were: Social – 53, Enterprising – 35, and Conventional – 28. When exploring careers

on the occupational list they will be listed as: SEC, SCE, ECS, ESC, CSE, or CES.
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
Insights learned from completion of the assessment

It was interesting to read through the summary of my assessment results. At my previous

place of employment, I was constantly complimented by my coworkers on how kind, patient,

understanding, helpful, and friendly I was. My supervisors would document on my end of the

year reviews how efficient, enthusiastic, energetic, resourceful, understanding, helpful, and

orderly I was on my day-to-day efforts. The above description of the social aspect does not

surprise me since I have always displayed these types of attitudes. During an ethical leadership

class I completed, I took an assessment that determined what my leadership style was, and it

reaffirmed I have a servant leadership style. Over the last couple years, I could see how this

personality trait has grown and has exemplified who I am. It’s another driving force as to why I

chose to do a career change. When I finish my degree, this aspect will be important in my role as

a school counselor. The characteristics described are important to embody when working with

students, parents, teachers, and staff. It will help build rapport, trust, and authenticity between

everyone I interact with.

I was a little surprised when I read, I had a high enterprising score as I always thought

these individuals were considered resourceful in recognizing opportunities and maximizing

them. When reading through my SDS summary code, the enterprising hexagon states these

individuals are described as outgoing, adventurous, energetic, optimistic, sociable, and self-

confident. Contemplating this description, I could see where I have demonstrated these

characteristics in my daily life. The new people I meet, comment they wanted to get to know me

because of my outgoing, confident, energetic attitude. I’ve always tried to be an optimistic

person, no matter what situation I was put in. I should not have been too surprised by these

characteristic since I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare leadership. In my previous career, I

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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
had a goal in mind to be a healthcare practice manager and eventually wanted to work up to

Chief Operating Officer or Chief Executive Officer, which is why I obtained a master’s in

business administration healthcare management. You would also need aspects of an enterprising

personality as school counselors interacting with students. Being social, energetic, optimistic,

and self-confident can help bring students into a place of feeling at ease, if the school counselor

doesn’t go over the top.

Under the social hexagon, I understand how my personal characteristics fit into this mold.

I always try to be efficient in everything I do, I am practical, I like things done in a certain order,

and am thrifty. This will be very helpful when doing the administrative side of school

counseling. If there is limited time for administrative duties, my personality would drive me to

find efficient ways to complete tasks in an orderly fashion.

How I can use this assessment with clients

The Self Directed Search is now in its 5th edition and is based on a new norm group,

appropriate for clients ages 11 to 70, and linked to updated occupational information including

the O*NET online database (Bullock-Yowell, E., Peterson, G. W., Wright, L. K., Reardon, R. C.,

& Mohn, R. S., 2011). Bullock-Yowell, et al., (2011), described a case study of a 28-year-old

seeking a career counselor to help find a career path that matches his interests in skills. After

reviewing background information, his interests, and skills, they discussed previous jobs he held

and what he did not find enjoyable about them. Eventually, the career counselor decided to

administer the SDS due to the client presenting with a lack of self-knowledge regarding skill and

interest (Bullock-Yowell, et al., 2011). In this case the SDS assessment helped organize the

client’s skills, interests, and gave ideas of occupations to consider. There are many clients in a
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
similar situation since they feel their current career is not satisfying to them with added stress

and anxiety for pursuing a different career so late in life.

College student clients may also benefit from taking the SDS. According to Behrens &

Nauta (2014), some college and university staff view career-decision making difficulties as

sufficiently common concerns that they address them in venues that reach almost all students at

their institutions. Some institutions have integrated the SDS into their university and major

orientation classes to provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and learn how

they may be used in career decision making (Behrens, E. L., & Nauta, M. M., 2014).

Students in High School and Middle School would also benefit from taking the SDS.

Osborn (2002) states the reality is that most children must begin making choices during middle

school as to which track they will follow in high school and some states require some type of

career assessment as part of developing an individual educational/career plan. In this case you

would need a reliable, valid tool that assesses this group’s interests providing a framework for

helping this population (middle and junior high) make decisions (Osborn, D., 2002). In Osborn’s

(2002) study, she concluded that at the end of the six-week group career counseling experience,

anecdotal comments from students indicated that they had learned about their interests,

occupations, post-secondary opportunities, decision making approach, and how to improve their

self-talk. As a career counselor implementing the SDS, they can help expose students to non-

traditional careers, point out examples in the media, and have students do research on non-

traditional occupations.

When using the SDS with any client it is important to keep into consideration the

following: If the SDS fails to support a choice or an anticipated job change, don’t automatically

change your plans, instead investigate to ensure you understand the career you have chosen
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
(Holland, J., 2012). Also, only the client can make a career decision. Completing the SDS will

not provide the student with a single, exact choice, but it may help them focus on some of the

more likely possibilities and identify areas for them to explore further (Holland, J., 2012). It is

important to review the answers with the client to see if they relate to the interests and skills

associated with their summary code. Also, when reviewing the summary code with clients, it

may be helpful to ask the client if they had experiences where they exemplified characteristics of

the summary code they received. Using the Self-Directed Search can be an essential aspect of

helping a client to move forward in his or her career development (Bullock-Yowell, et al., 2011).
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COUN 534 Self Directed Search (SDS) Assessment Paper Hallis
References

Bailey, T. R., Blackwell, T. L., & Crtalic, A. K. (2015). Test Review: Self-Directed Search®–

Fifth Edition.

Behrens, E. L., & Nauta, M. M. (2014). The Self‐Directed Search as a stand‐alone intervention

with college students. The Career Development Quarterly, 62(3), 224-238.

Bullock‐Yowell, E., Peterson, G. W., Wright, L. K., Reardon, R. C., & Mohn, R. S. (2011). The

contribution of self‐efficacy in assessing interests using the Self‐Directed

Search. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(4), 470-478.

Feehan, P. F., & Johnston, J. A. (1999). The self-directed search and career self-

efficacy. Journal of Career Assessment, 7(2), 145-159.

Holland, J. (2012). SDS Sample Report. Retrieved 29 June 2022, from

https://www.acer.org/files/SDS_Sample_Report.pdf.

Holland, J. L., & Messer, M. A. (2013). Self-Directed Search (SDS) Form R: Assessment

Booklet.

Holland, J. L., & Rayman, J. R. (2013). The self-directed search. Advances in vocational

psychology, 1, 55-82.

Osborn, D. S. (2002). Using the Self-Directed Search Career Explorer with Middle School

Students: The Practicality of Holland's RIASEC Theory.

PAR, INC. (2022, June 14). What is the SDS?: Self-directed search. SDS Development.

Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://self-directed-search.com/what-is-it/