The Career Interests of Large Language Models

Abstract: Recent advancements in LLMs have significantly extended their capabilities, evolving from basic text generation to complex, human-like interactions. In light of the possibilities that LLMs could assume significant workplace responsibilities, it becomes imminently necessary to explore LLMs' capacities as professional assistants. This study focuses on the aspect of career interests by applying the Occupation Network's Interest Profiler short form to LLMs as if they were human participants and investigates their hypothetical career interests and competence, examining how these vary with language changes and model advancements. We analyzed the answers using a general linear mixed model approach and found distinct career interest inclinations among LLMs, particularly towards the social and artistic domains. Interestingly, these preferences did not align with the occupations where LLMs exhibited higher competence. This novel approach of using psychometric instruments and sophisticated statistical tools on LLMs unveils fresh perspectives on their integration into professional environments, highlighting human-like tendencies and promoting a reevaluation of LLMs' self-perception and competency alignment in the workforce.