Know Your Core Values for Job Satisfaction

Are you considering a career change because you’re not feeling fulfilled in your current role? Perhaps you have a good job that meets your financial needs but leaves you feeling restless and wanting something different.

You might think that finding a company that supports a cause you’re passionate about is the answer. While that signals that the culture may be an excellent fit for you, it doesn’t define your core values for the role. Before taking the plunge into a new position, it would be best to take a step back and consider your core values surrounding your career. After you’ve defined those, you’ll be in a better position to create a dynamic career path that aligns with your fundamental needs to feel fulfilled.

Recognizing Core Job Values-

Core values are the critical ideas and codes by which you live your life, both at work and home, and they play a significant role in your overall job satisfaction. When a conflict occurs between your core values and those you’re being asked to assume, it’ll manifest itself in job misery.

Have you ever experienced a feeling of dread when heading to work? Perhaps you get a sense that you won’t ever really be at peak performance? Or, maybe you procrastinate duties often despite knowing that you are jeopardizing your position. It’s time to take a step back and analyze the different ways you can define value in your job.

Work Value Examples-

Understanding your core values creates a filter for decision-making. Generally, they’re divided into the following three categories.

1.Intrinsic Values

Internal rewards that are often intangible fill this category. Do you love to help others learn or enjoy tackling tricky projects with tight deadlines? Those are intrinsic values—the ones that keep you engaged and motivated at work. It could be public recognition for some, while others might not embrace being in the limelight. Do you rejoice at routine or variety in your workday tasks?

Accountants, for example, might thrive in a routine-oriented environment, whereas those who excel at sales are often drawn to changing metrics and challenges.

Of course, those are broad generalizations, but your first step is to define what aspects of work bring you the most internal delight.

Considerations:

• Routine tasks or continually changing tasks
• A fun working environment or a more formal one
• Challenging deadlines or a calm pace
• Leadership and advancement potential
• Possibility for mentoring others
• Opportunities for continuous growth

2.Extrinsic Values

The more tangible aspects of your job define your extrinsic values. Do you love to travel for work, explore new cities, and live out of a hotel frequently? What about team interactions? Do you thrive in a solo role, or are you inspired by collaboration and feel isolated by yourself? Is a paycheck or more time off a higher priority?

Considerations:

• Physically active or sedentary roles
• Amount of travel
• Team-focused or autonomous
• Level of income
• Title of role
• Perks and benefits
• Support for causes you’re passionate about

3.Lifestyle Values

Finally, you’ll need to define how your role affects the lifestyle that you’re seeking to build. Would you enjoy living in the city or in a more rural area? Do you seek remote work or in-office work? How about flexibility in your schedule? Would you prefer a hybrid role or a four-day workweek?

Considerations:

• Daily and weekly schedules
• Work flexibility
• Location requirements
• Working outdoors
• Work-life balance
• Socialization
• Ranking Your Values

Spend some time brainstorming each variable, then rank them in order of importance within each category. Hopefully, you’ll discover some truths about your ideal job that create insight into your next career move.

Creating a set of core values builds a foundation to communicate and connect. Prevent conflict in your career by filtering out those organizations and positions whose core values don’t match your own. Imagine interviewing with four different companies for a new position. How do you know which company will spark your fire?

Suppose you find a company that mirrors your values on mitigating climate change, for example. However, the role you’re applying for would require you to work remotely Monday through Friday without much team interaction. If you’re someone who thrives on the energy of collaboration and seeks a flexible schedule to balance personal obligations, this isn’t going to be a great fit, regardless of whether they support the same passions you do.

A misalignment of your core values can be a difficult challenge to overcome. That misalignment is what’s behind the desire to run screaming from your desk every afternoon by 3:00 p.m. Knowing your values upfront can spare you this anxiety, furthering your career by filtering out the wrong jobs.

Creating a Values Scorecard

Before exploring career opportunities, create a scorecard to measure potential jobs against. Ranking them in order of importance, you’ll be able to determine quickly if a position that seems appealing meets your basic requirements in a role. Leveraging this list ensures you find your best possible job fit.

Once you’ve created your list, if you discover that it’s time to seek out a more flexible job, StartWorkNow can help! With a massive database of flexible jobs in over 50 categories, you’ll find roles that range from freelance to full-time and just about every remote arrangement you can imagine. Take the tour and discover all of the ways that a StartWorkNow membership can help you find a job that matches your most essential core values.