How Aligned Is Your Work with Your Values?
Your Career Success and Satisfaction Could Depend on It
When people think of job search preparation, they usually think of skills, CVs, cover letters and interview practice. Before getting to those, however, values are the first thing I work on with career coaching clients. In fact, no matter the coaching purpose - career, self-leadership, or communication, we will inevitably explore values sooner rather than later.
Why Values?
Values are the often intangible things in life that are personally important to us as individuals, such as creativity, peace, freedom and tradition. They can change with life transitions, and as we get older and more experienced. A life lived in alignment with your values is generally a very satisfying one - although many struggle to create such a life. Commonly we tend to the values of others first, and sacrifice our own.
If you’re spending several hours a day working, then having your values satisfied or at least not compromised during that time will positively influence your working experience. What you do is one thing (e.g. marketing). How you feel while you’re doing it in a particular role/organisation is another (e.g. ethical/unethical).
Job searching with your values clear and present will help you make more successful decisions career-wise. Let’s think about it: if you join an organisation that doesn’t align with your values, one of two things are likely to happen:
You’ll be searching for a new job/organisation again soon. This is because you could not compromise on your values day after day working in a company that doesn’t support or goes against what’s important to you.
For example, perhaps the organisation’s actual work is in direct opposition to your values: a person who really values their physical health, or has recently lost someone to lung cancer may struggle to work for a tobacco company.
You’ll stay, but be unhappy, uncomfortable and in conflict every day that you work there. In turn, that will likely affect your career progress, personal fulfilment and general wellbeing.
For example, the way the company operates is not in alignment with your values. You value freedom, flexibility, and variety, and the organisation has a very rigid schedule and working conditions that don’t allow for any variations, such as in the military.
Finding Work that Aligns with Your Values
Knowing what your values are and how they would play out in the workplace is just as important as finding a role that suits your skills. Employees also need a work culture that supports them as humans, and that they can support and best operate within.
Being aware of your own values as you go into job search will help you to sooner eliminate organisations that would eventually result in time, energy and money wasted for you, and for them, if pursued.
First of all, get clear on your professional values. Explore them periodically, given that they can change in priority according to time and circumstance. It is even possible that your professional values differ from your personal values. Remember that your values are yours alone. They have no moral association. There is no right or wrong value as long as it is right for you.
Communicate your values clearly to recruiters to help them better match you with roles and employers. You will not be at risk of losing opportunities, only unsuitable options.
Articulate your values in interviews: they will come out eventually anyway, and they could be the differentiating factor between you and another candidate who has the same skills as you.
Check the values of the organisation you are interested in throughout the application process. Don’t hesitate to ask about them during the interview. It’s a great way to get to know the employer better, and set yourself apart as a candidate.
In Case of a Values Mismatch …
What if you simply can’t leave your current misaligned position, or find one that fulfils your values? In this time of mass lay-offs and increased cost of living, finding or refusing positions may not be an option.
The following coaching principles may help:
Stay open: even if the outlook has been bleak, don’t give up. New opportunities can arise at any time and you are more likely to find them if you are open to them.
View the big picture: even the best positions are rarely close to perfect. Life implies compromise. Few circumstances are permanent. While your current role may not satisfy your values, it may satisfy your needs - such as regular income, health insurance, etc. Consider the positive aspects you appreciate about your work today, with a view to achieving values alignment down the line.
Shift to a solution-focus: a misaligned position does not mean a misaligned life. Look for ways outside of work to meet your values instead. Focus on what is going well beyond work and do more of it.
Do a CIA review: in every situation, there are various elements that we can control, influence, and must accept. However, often we get stuck in frustration about what we have to accept. Yet we have more personal power than we realise to positively affect a situation. What can you control and influence to improve your experience at work: your workspace comfort; general culture; working hours; interactions with colleagues; engagement in tasks; work-life balance? I bet there are a few upgrades you can make all by yourself - and who knows what additional positive outcomes they might generate.
Communicate your values often, regardless: if your values aren’t clear to those around you, then they will have a hard time understanding you. Express your values often, even in absence of support for them. You will build confidence in doing so, and that will pave the way for better values alignment in the future.
When was the last time you explored you own professional values? There’s no time like the present.
If you would like to explore any of the themes mentioned in this article, let’s chat. Reach me at siobhan@siobhangallagher.co or book a chemistry call.
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Siobhán Gallagher is a coach, educator and writer focused on the intersection between self-leadership, communication and wellness. She helps individuals reclaim their voice and direction, so that they can finally fulfill their ambitions and check off their bucket list. Download her free guide: From Awkward to Empowered: 10 Steps to Assertive Communication. Connect with her at siobhangallagher.co, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay