Are you daydreaming about a new job? Maybe you find yourself counting down the hours on the clock until you get to leave the office. Or, despite the excellent salary you get, you realize that you simply hate your job.
If this is you, you’re not alone. When our jobs don’t align with our career values, it can lead to feelings of disengagement and, eventually, burnout. And no salary can compensate for misalignment between your career values and your job.
Before you start your job search, here are a few tips to understand career values and how to land a job that prioritizes what matters most to you.
What Are Career Values? Definition & Meaning
Career values, also sometimes called work values, refer to the personal values that define your professional career and work environment. These values will drive your career progression and will help guide your job search.
Why Do Work Values Matter for Your Job Search?
Do values really matter in your career? After all, it’s just a job, right? As it turns out, our jobs are more than just a means to pay monthly rent.
The Career Experts at FlexJobs, say that career values matter because, “When our values align with the work we are doing, we are going to have greater job satisfaction and success. Job seekers should consider if their values align with both the type of work they will be doing and the values and mission of the organization they will be working for when deciding which jobs to apply to.”
That means while a job that doesn’t align with your values may seem like just a means to an end, it can lead to lower job satisfaction and jumping into another job search sooner than expected.
FlexJobs Career Expert Keith Spencer also recommends that once you know your career values, you should rank them in terms of importance.
“It’s rare to find a job that aligns with all the values you find most important. By ranking the importance of your values, it helps you better assess the fit of a specific role in terms of what you are seeking. It’s also helpful to know if the lack of a certain value or two would be a ‘”deal-breaker’” for you, because chances are that if you accept a role that is missing those essential values, you will burn out quickly.”
What Are Some Examples of Career Values?
There are three main categories of career values, with many subcategories falling under each. Below, we share a few examples of the many career values that may drive your job search.
Intrinsic
Intrinsic work values relate to the daily tasks you perform that you find meaningful. Unlike compensation, these values focus on what motivates you internally and how these tasks make you feel. Some examples of intrinsic values include:
Helping Others
Maybe you’re helping children learn English, or you work at a nonprofit organization to protect endangered animals. If you enjoy helping others or believe in creating a better world, you may want to prioritize this value in your job search.
Creativity
When we think of creativity, fields like graphic design may spring to mind. But creativity isn’t necessarily the same as being artistic. Maybe you enjoy using creative problem-solving to build new Android apps or plan lessons for students. All of these are examples of using creativity in the workplace.
Extrinsic
Extrinsic values are the external rewards you get for the work you do. This isn’t just your salary or bonuses (although they are important). Below are a few examples of extrinsic values:
Promotions
Is there room to grow with the company and move up the ladder from your current position?
Working Conditions
Consider your working environment. Do you want the autonomy to work from home a few days a week in a hybrid arrangement? Do you need flexible working hours, or are you comfortable working 9-to-5 five days a week?
Lifestyle
Lifestyle values emphasize where you live, work-life balance, work schedules, and how you like to spend time outside of the workplace. Lifestyle values include:
Location
Do you prefer to live in a bustling city? Or, perhaps you’d like to work remotely from the rural countryside? When you are job searching, the flexibility to work from where you wantis critical in your search.
Family
Does your job allow you to work an alternative or flexible schedule? Does the company expect you to answer late-night emails or phone calls on weekends? Consider how this job will let you spend time with your family. For example, at FlexJobs, family is vital. We strive to ensure all members of our team can flex their schedules to balance work and their family’s needs.
How to Figure Out Your Career Values
So, you know that career values matter for your long-term happiness in your job, but how do you discover which ones matter the most to you? The team of career experts recommend checking out CareerOneStop, a free career assessment that helps you make sense of your career values.
The assessment takes only a few minutes and will help you gain valuable insights into your values that help inform your job search. For example, if you highly value independence, achievement, and working conditions, use that information to evaluate whether a prospective employer or position is a good fit.
Find a Career That Aligns With Your Values
Jobs are more than just a paycheck. Finding a career that aligns with your intrinsic, extrinsic, and lifestyle values is key to preventing burnout and ensuring long-term career success and job satisfaction. After all, our jobs take up a large part of our lives.
