Career Values

What It Measures

The Career Values tool helps you identify what matters most to you in your work life:

• Work Values - What you prioritize in a job or career
• Value Hierarchy - Ranking of importance among different values
• Values-Work Fit - Alignment between values and current work
• Career Direction - Values-based guidance for career decisions

History & Research Foundation

Work Values Research

• Donald Super: Career development theory emphasizing values in career choice
• Edgar Schein: Career anchors concept - core values that guide career decisions
• Schwartz Values Theory: Universal values applied to work context

Key Concepts

• Career Anchors: Schein's 8 anchors people organize careers around
• Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic: Internal satisfaction vs. external rewards
• Work Centrality: How important work is relative to other life areas

Key Researchers

• Donald Super - Career development, work values inventory
• Edgar Schein - Career anchors
• Shalom Schwartz - Universal values theory
• Amy Wrzesniewski - Job crafting, calling orientation

Scientific Validity

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strong Evidence Base

• Values-job fit predicts job satisfaction and performance
• Career anchors have been validated across cultures
• Values-based career counseling shows positive outcomes

What Your Results Tell You

Schein's Career Anchors

Technical/Functional Competence

• Value being expert in a specific area
• Identity tied to skill and expertise
• Prefer depth over breadth

General Managerial Competence

• Value leading and managing others
• Want responsibility for outcomes
• Drawn to organizational advancement

Autonomy/Independence

• Value freedom and flexibility
• Resist organizational constraints
• Prefer self-directed work

Security/Stability

• Value predictability and job security
• Seek stable organizations
• Prioritize benefits and tenure

Entrepreneurial Creativity

• Value creating new things
• Need to build own enterprise
• Driven by innovation

Service/Dedication to a Cause

• Value helping others or a cause
• Work must align with personal values
• Impact matters more than income

Pure Challenge

• Value solving difficult problems
• Seek competition and novelty
• Get bored without challenges

Lifestyle

• Value work-life balance
• Integrate work with other priorities
• Flexibility is essential

Values Categories

• Intrinsic: Meaningful work, challenge, growth
• Extrinsic: Income, benefits, status
• Social: Relationships, helping, teamwork
• Status: Recognition, advancement, influence
• Environment: Flexibility, location, conditions

Use Cases

Career Decisions

• Evaluate job opportunities against values
• Choose between competing options
• Understand why past roles did/didn't fit
• Guide career direction

Job Satisfaction

• Diagnose why you're unhappy at work
• Identify values being neglected
• Find ways to express values in current role
• Know when it's time to leave

Job Crafting

• Reshape current role around values
• Negotiate for what matters
• Create value alignment without changing jobs
• Build meaning into existing work

Career Conversations

• Articulate what you need from work
• Negotiate with clarity
• Interview for values fit
• Communicate priorities to managers

Key Insights

Values Are Stable: Unlike skills or interests, core work values change slowly. Identify them once and they guide many decisions.

No Universal "Good" Values: All values are valid. Security isn't "less than" creativity—they're different priorities for different people.

Values Conflicts Are Real: You can't maximize everything. Understanding your hierarchy helps make tradeoffs.

Fit Matters More Than Features: A job with great features but poor values fit will feel hollow. Alignment trumps amenities.

Values Clarification Process

Step 1: Identify

• List what matters in work (brainstorm freely)
• Consider past roles: what did you love/hate?
• Think about ideal work: what must it include?

Step 2: Prioritize

• Rank your top 5-7 values
• Force choice: if you could only have 3, which?
• Notice which values you won't compromise on

Step 3: Assess Fit

• Rate current work against each value (1-10)
• Identify biggest gaps
• Notice patterns in satisfaction

Step 4: Act

• Address biggest gaps first
• Consider job crafting opportunities
• Evaluate whether change is needed
• Use values to guide decisions

Common Work Values

Practical Tips

1. Be Honest: Your actual values, not what sounds good
2. Consider Evidence: What have past choices revealed?
3. Accept Tradeoffs: You can't have everything maximized
4. Revisit Periodically: Life changes may shift priorities
5. Use for Decisions: Values clarification should drive action

Limitations

• Values may conflict with each other
• Market realities constrain options
• Values are easier to identify than to act on
• Some values are clearer than others

Complementary Tools

• Holland Code - Career interests alignment
• Ikigai - Purpose and meaning in work
• Work-Life Circle - Balance values in work and life
• Values Wheel - Overall life values beyond work

Further Reading

• Schein, E. (2006). Career Anchors: Self-Assessment
• Super, D. (1980). A Life-Span, Life-Space Approach to Career Development
• Wrzesniewski, A. & Dutton, J. (2001). Crafting a Job
• Schwartz, S. (2012). An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values

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Your career values are your compass. Know them clearly, and career decisions become clearer.