"Your job application must show you have what the employer is looking for."
YOUR VALUES
Your values are the things you believe in and which you think are important.
Every person has their own value system which has been influenced by their background and their philosophy of life.
Some jobs give you a chance to express what you believe. Other jobs may go against certain values.
Your objective is to find a job which supports your value system 🙂
There is such a strong link between jobs and lifestyle!
The things you value in your lifestyle – income, location, free time, etc. – play an important part in your career choice.
Such a job will interest and motivate you far more than any job which goes against your values.
WHAT ARE VALUES?
There are 30 different “values” shown below… there are a lot more!
Remember this section is just meant to help you to start thinking about this stuff! We’re not going too heavy into all the detail and theory etc LOL
You’ll need that notebook again 🙂 …
So…
Using the scale below, indicate how important each item is to you…
Very Important Important Neutral Unimportant Very Unimportant
- Justice (fairness, honesty)
- Intelligence (ability to understand)
- Wealth (material comfort and security)
- Friendship (trust, companionship)
- Excitement (adventure, travel, interest)
- Social Recognition (respect, admiration, fame, status)
- Achievement (contribution to society)
- Eternal Life (Heaven, life after death)
- Peace (freedom from war and personal conflict)
- Pleasure ( enjoyment, comfort)
- Beauty (appreciation of nice things)
- Security (personal and national protection)
- Belonging (being accepted by others, not isolated)
- Love (closeness, intimacy, self-giving)
- Family (security, care, closeness)
- Peace of Mind (freedom from inner conflict)
- Self-Determination (power to control own life)
- Happiness (satisfaction, joy, contentment)
- Self Respect (pride, confidence In yourself)
- Authority (total order, confidence in leadership)
- Environment (appreciation of nature)
- Freedom (power to do what you want to do)
- Learning and growing as a person
- Service (giving/doing to others)
- Popularity (being liked, respected)
- Equality ( opportunity for everyone)
- Glamour (attractive lifestyle, excitement, not mundane)
- Power (able to make changes, influence, control)
- Stability (lack of sudden unexpected changes)
- Comfort (ease, pleasure, relaxation)
WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES?
- Look at the values (above) you said were very important to you. Which TEN are the MOST important? Rank them in order of importance from 1 to 10.
- Look at the ones you marked as UNimportant. Which ones are of LEAST importance?
- Can you name five jobs you just could NOT do because of what you believe?
- How important is it to do a job which satisfies your values? Is it important to make sure jobs do NOT match your “least important” values?
In your notebook… write your answers to these incomplete sentences:
The things I want most to achieve before I die are ...........................
The things I want to achieve this year are ...................................
If I had a million dollars, I'd ..............................................
The things about myself that I value most are.................................
My greatest achievement so far is ............................................
The possession I value most is................................................
I wish .......................................................................
It would take away all meaning to my life if I lost...........................
Think about what rewards / satisfactions the following people might get from their work.
What type of values do they appeal to? What type of person might do this type of job?
- Child care worker
- Journalist
- Army officer
- Social worker
- Security guard
- Telephonist
- Waiter/waitress
- Hairdresser
- Nurse
- Computer Operator
- Fruit picker
- Receptionist
- Travelling Sales Rep.
Moving Right Along…
How important are Values in the Workplace?
BACK to Choosing a Career index.
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