Articles

« Previous | Return to Main | List All | Next »

Want Work You Love?
Make sure your CAREER GOALS fit your VALUES!

written by Gayla Doucet, President, People Powered Solutions, LLC

Six Influencing Values

Tackling a job search or contemplating a career change can be a stressful time for you! Then again, it also provides you with the IDEAL OPPORTUNITY to revisit the many facets of your own evolving life — one of which is your VALUES. You can profit greatly by using your current job search time to reassess your values, and discover your personal answers to questions like these:

"What is really IMPORTANT to ME in my career goals?"

"What areas of my life do I truly feel are MOST REWARDING?"

"What about me has CHANGED to make me
RETHINK my career options?"

Your answers will naturally reflect the hidden motivators that move you to action and supply you with personal rewards. These hidden motivators are your "values." Guess what? Values can change over your lifetime! Whatever yours are now, they are undeniably important to your well-being, happiness, and career options. That's why the role they play in your life needs to be seriously considered in any job search or career change you undertake.

Warning! If you are not clear on what your values are, you may be in store for repeated disappointments in your career changes. Personal values that are ignored tend to sneak up on you to get your attention, so take some time during your job search to get acquainted with them today! When you coordinate your personal values with your career goals, you are working in your own best interests.

Knowing your hidden motivators, or values, will help to throw light on your career goals. Thanks to Eduard Spranger and his groundbreaking book "Types of Men," published in the early 20th century, we are able to identify six major values that influence our choices at every turn, including career options. Below you will read an introduction to each of the six values. You can discover the roles these six values play in your own life through a validated assessment tool.

1. THEORETICAL

People who have a high Theoretical value find rewards in using their cognitive abilities to discover, understand, and systemize knowledge. They achieve personal satisfaction when their careers include the following: ability to learn new things, ability to become an expert in their field, ability to pursue continuing education to advance their knowledge.

2. UTILITARIAN

Those with a high Utilitarian value will find rewards in working to achieve a greater return on investment (ROI) of their time and resources. Often business oriented, they achieve personal satisfaction when their careers include the following: ability to create efficiencies in maximizing ROI, ability to be paid for individual performance, ability to pursue and achieve the highest monetary rewards.

3. AESTHETIC

Individuals who have a high Aesthetic value find rewards in self-expression and self-actualization. Careers that they find most rewarding can include the following options: ability to express themselves creatively, ability to enjoy balance and harmony in their work environment, ability to explore and expand their personal experiences while freely expressing their feelings.

4. TRADITIONAL

People who have a high Traditional value find rewards in living within the principles of a selected system. They achieve personal satisfaction when their careers include the following: ability to work for a perceived worthy cause, ability to work within a structured system where they support the established rules, ability to associate with others who are like-minded.

5. SOCIAL

Those with a high Social value will find rewards in working to help others and eliminate injustices in the world. They achieve personal satisfaction when their careers include the following components: ability to champion worthy causes that can better society at large, ability to develop potential in other individuals, ability to express empathy for others and help address their needs.

6. INDIVIDUALISTIC

This sixth value is one that works in conjunction with other values. People who have a high Individualist value need to be in careers where they can achieve leadership positions, power and recognition through one or more of the previous five values (explained above). They tend to excel in forming relationships that will advance their own career position.

How are you motivated by the above values? Perhaps you find some of them highly compelling, and perhaps others just the opposite. Maybe you USED to be motivated by one, and you are surprised that you no longer feel the same…! That's possible, because values can change during your lifetime, depending on whether or not they have been sufficiently satisfied. That is exactly why it is important for you to revisit your values now! Apply your improved understanding of what makes you want to "get up and get going" to personal success in your career goals.

Values matter! They are the hidden motivators behind your actions. Contact American Career Executives® to discuss a professional assessment that will enhance your job search success.

Gayla Doucet is President of People Powered Solutions, LLC in Scottsdale, Arizona. She is a Certified Professional Values Analyst (CPVA) and a Certified Professional Behavioral Analyst (CPBA). She integrates the concepts of values and behavioral style into workshops and personal consulting for her business clients.

Start NOW To Improve Your Results!
Click Here to Complete Your Confidential Career Profile