Why You Need to Know What Your Work Values Are

Why You Need to Know What Your Work Values AreWhy You Need to Know What Your Work Values AreYour work valuesare the subset of your beliefs and ideas that are related to your occupation or job. These core principles are an important part of who you are. They include things like honesty, service, self-respect, respect for others, peace, and success. Therefore, you must identify what work values you cherish the fruchtwein before you choose a careeror decide whether to accept a job offer. Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Work Values We all have both intrinsic and extrinsic work values. Intrinsic values have to do with the actual tasks involved in practicing a particular occupation or doing a job. They include helping others, doing challenging work, and being an exemplary leader. Extrinsic values are concerned with the bys of extrinsic values include high earnings, recognition, and job security. Identifying Your Work Values Becausenot identifying your work values will diminish your chan ces of ultimately being satisfied with your career or job, it is imperative that you identify them early on in the career planning process. To do this, you will use a self-assessment tool called a work value inventory. Although it may sound complicated, itis just a list of values that you simply have to rank by order of importance to you. For example, the instructions on one of these inventories may tell you to rate each value on a scale of 1 to 10, giving a 1 to those values that are most important to you and a 10 to those that are least important. Alternatively, you may have to arrange a list of work values in order of how much they mean to you, with the ones at the top being the most significant. If you are working with acareer development professionalsuch as acareer counseloror career development facilitator, he or she canadminister a work value inventory. You can also take one on your own simply by ranking a list of values, like the ones listed below. Then you will have to matc h the values at the top of your list with careers that satisfy them.O*Net Onlinehas an excellent tool you can use to search for occupations that are suitable for those with particular work values. Even within the same occupation, not every job will satisfy your work values. When evaluating a job offer, make sure your prospective employers corporate culture is in line with what you find important. For example, if collaboration is something you feel strongly about, steer clear of a job that requires you to work without others input. Examples and Definitions of Work Values Here are examples of items that could appear on a work value inventory, along with a definition of each one. When reading this list, think about how important each value is to you. AchievementDoing work that yields resultsIndependenceWorking and making decisions on your ownRecognitionReceiving attention for your workRelationshipsWorking alongside coworkers as well as helping othersSupportHaving supportive managem entWorking ConditionsBeing in an environment that youre comfortable withAutonomy Receiving little or no supervisionHelping OthersProviding assistance to individuals or groupsPrestige Having high standingJob SecurityEnjoyinga high probability thatyou will remain employed CollaborationWorking with othersHelping Society Contributing to the betterment of the worldCompensationReceiving adequate payUtilizing Your Skills and Background Using your education and work experience to do your jobLeadership Supervising/managing othersCreativityUsing your own ideasVarietyDoing different activitiesChallengePerforming tasks that are difficult or new to youLeisure Having adequate time away from workRecognitionReceiving credit for achievementsArtistic ExpressionExpressing ones artistic talents InfluenceHaving the ability to affect peoples opinions and ideas TraitsOther Than Work Values It is important to note that while your values play an essential role in career choice, you should not considerth em in isolation. You must also look at your other traits includingpersonality type,interests, andaptitudes.