Your Values are Vital to Career Satisfaction

From an early age we are asked questions such as, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and “What will you major in when you go to college?”

While on the surface there isn’t anything wrong with these questions, at the core there is a missing link that can better inform responses to these questions.  We talk a lot about finding careers that match one’s interests, skills, and personality; but, what about one’s values

According to Liz Cannata, Sr. Manager of HR Operations at CareerBuilder, “Just like personal values, work values have to do with your preferences, purpose, and desired path.  It’s important to consider these values as you explore your current job satisfaction level and think about future career development.”  Understanding one’s intrinsic values (i.e. feeling respected, having variety, being creative) and extrinsic values (i.e. high salary, health benefits, flexible work policy) can be a game changer when it comes to selecting a major that will lead you on career path or deciding whether to accept a job offer.

Forbes contributor Caroline Castrillion said, “Ultimately people are happier when their value system aligns with their job. In fact, job satisfaction is determined more by how your values align with your work environment than by any other factor.  Therefore, it is important to analyze your work values to clarify where your priorities lie.”  Better career choices can be made when one is able to answer questions such as: What kind of work will I find fulfilling? What work environment will best fit me? Is the culture of this work environment supportive

So the questions you may be asking yourself at this moment are, “How do I become more aware of my work values?”; “How do I use them to market myself?”; and “How can I utilize this knowledge to make a decision?” 

“How do I become more aware of my work values?”

There are a number of self-assessments that you can take, for FREE, that will provide you with a baseline of your values.  Through the DeSales Career Development Center you have access to the FOCUS2 assessment (access code: dsufocus2) which enables you to assess many facets of yourself, including your work values.  Not only will you be provided with a list of your work values, there are both major and occupational recommendations offered that match with your results.  This is by no means a way to tell you ‘what to do’; rather, it’s a way to provide new ideas or confirm current ones that you may have.

“How do I use them to market myself?”

You absolutely can use this knowledge to create a resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and interview question responses that articulates what is of most importance to you.   It is appropriate to express your work values by articulating them in a way that connects with a company’s mission, vision, or values.  For example, if an organization states in their job description they seek an employee who thrives in team environments and working for a company that embraces group thinking is a top value of yours…then state that in your cover letter. Always keep in mind, you want to make sure you are presenting yourself professionally and sharing with an employer the value you will bring to their organization.

“How can I utilize this knowledge to make a decision?”

Always know your non-negotiables!  Awareness of your values, in particular your work values, will be a great guide to determining what is and isn’t a right fit for you.  Go into an interview situation knowing the questions you want to have answered and the responses you are looking to hear in return.  Once you are offered a job, ensure you have follow up  questions to ask and ask if you can have a day or two to think about accepting.  There is nothing wrong with saying, “Thank you so much for offering me this opportunity, would it be possible for me to provide you with a response in ‘x’ days?”  This will provide you with some time to review everything that they are offering and for you to reflect back on the process, your interactions with the organization during the interview, and the compensation package being offered.  You have the time to think to yourself, “Does this align with my values, in turn impacting my motivation to be successful within the organization.”

Keep in mind that over the years, your values may change, so remain flexible.  When you are about to finish school, your number one value might be a high salary to pay off those student loans. While later in life, autonomy and creativity may move to the top of the list. So be sure to reexamine your values every few years.  Just because you have the skillset for a particular major or career path doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for you.  Focus on finding satisfying work that aligns with your values, and you will be much more likely to achieve professional success.