By Kent Johnson


One of the most important things to consider when choosing a new career is will it match up with your core values. This is important because people perform better in jobs and careers where they feel good about the work they’re doing and the contribution they’re making to their company. If, on the other hand, they work for an organization that doesn’t mirror their values, they’ll eventually become unhappy and start looking for a new job.

To feel successful, satisfied, and fulfilled in their work, most people need to pursue a career that’s in alignment with their core values. Unfortunately, some people end up in careers that match their parent’s values, or their spouse’s, or someone they admired when they were younger. And these employees end up feeling lost and worn down when they realize that the things that are important to them, may not be important to their employers.

And your values are important when you’re setting your goals as well. For example, if your primary goal is to double your income within the next two years, and you have to work 12 hours a day to accomplish that, you could have a problem, especially if your values revolve around your family. To be truly successful in any endeavor, your values, goals, and career aspirations all need to be in alignment.

One way to identify your primary work values is to ask yourself the following questions:

I work because: 
 (List 5 reasons. For example, you could ask yourself: “Why do I work? What gives me the most satisfaction? What challenges me? What do I like most about the work I do? Who do I like working with?”)

I would like the following things out of my career:
(List another 5 answers. For example, you could ask yourself: “What do I want out of my new career? What would stimulate me about this type of work? How would I grow in this new career? How much money would I like to make? How far would I be willing to commute?”)

My top five values are:
(List more than just career values here. Some examples of your top values could be: family, financial security, helping other people, enjoying your work, achievement, prestige, freedom, variety in your work, ect.)


Now that you’ve identified some of your important values, you might ask yourself how many of those values are being fulfilled by your current job. If the answer is “not many,” you might need to take a serious look at a career change. 

If you’re considering starting your own business or working in a freelance capacity, you’ll need to determine the values that you want your business to represent. Business values can be broken down into the following four broad categories:

• Internal (values within the business, employees, managers, ect.)

• External (values toward your customers, vendors, ect.)

• Financial (cost controls, resources, handling of revenue)

• Growth and innovation (how will the business grow and evolve?)

Once you’ve identified your core values, you’ll have a better understanding of what your ideal career should look like, and hopefully lead you toward a career and a life that you find meaningful and rewarding.

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