Building - People with realistic interests like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They enjoy dealing with plants, animals and real-world materials, like wood, tools and machinery. They enjoy outside work. Often people with realistic interests do not like occupations that mainly involve doing paperwork or working closely with others.

Thinking - People with investigative interests like work activities that have to do with ideas and thinking more than with physical activity. They like to search for facts and figure out problems mentally rather than to persuade or lead people.

Creating - People with artistic interests like work activities that deal with the artistic side of things, such as forms, designs and patterns. They like self-expression in their work. They prefer settings where work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Helping - People with social interests like work activities that assist others and promote learning and personal development. They prefer to communicate more than to work with objects, machines or data. They like to teach, to give advice, to help or to otherwise be of service to people.

Persuading - People with enterprising interests like work activities that have to do with starting up and carrying out projects, especially business ventures. They like persuading and leading people and making decisions. They like taking risks for profit. These people prefer action rather than thought.

Organizing - People with conventional interests like work activities that follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and detail more than with ideas. They prefer work in which there are precise standards rather than work in which you have to judge things by yourself. These people like working where the lines of authority are clear.