Abstract
M.A.
Since personality plays a very important role in the choice of career, it was decided to undertake a study whereby the personality traits of individuals of a particular career, namely that of estate agent was explored. The purpose of the study therefore, is to determine whether there are statistically significant differences in certain personality dimensions between estate agents who according to Holland (1997) fit the estate agents category and estate agents who according to Holland (1997) do not fit the estate agents category.
Career counselling is discussed on the basis of the current literature on the topic. Career counselling entails matching an individual’s interests and abilities to a suitable career. The viewpoints regarding career counselling that are discussed in this study are the Trait and Factor theory, the career developmental approach of Super (1953) and Holland’s (1997) occupational interest theory. Holland’s (1997) theory is conceptualised in depth as his theory plays a large role in the current study. Furthermore, because personality plays a large role in an individual’s decision of career, various temperament and personality theories are discussed. The factors differentiating temperament from personality have also been included. Finally the relationship between personality and work is explained.
The sample group consisted of 44 estate agents who work at one of three branches of the same real estate agency in Johannesburg. Holland’s (1994b) Self Directed Search (SDS) was used to establish the specific occupational three letter code of each of the participating estate agents. This code was compared to the code found in the Occupations Finder (1994a) which specifies the code established by Holland (1994a) as the suitable code for estate agents, (namely ESI). Based on their SDS codes, the participants were divided into two groups. Group one consisted of estate agents who have either ‘ES’ or ‘SE’ as the first two letters of their occupational code, in other words the estate agents closely resembling Holland’s (1994a) code and therefore those that fit the estate agents category according to Holland (1994a). Group two consisted of estate agents whose first two letters of their occupational code were neither ‘ES’ or ‘SE’, in other words the estate agents who do not closely resemble Holland’s (1994a) code and therefore those who do not fit the estate agents category according to Holland (1994a).