Values and needs

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We all have cultural or personal values and needs that guide us in our daily choices, as well as values and needs that relate specifically to our educational and work choices. Considering which values and needs are particularly meaningful for you in your work and other areas of your career allows for meaningful goal setting and increasing life satisfaction.

1. In the context of career development, there are typically two different types of career values:

1. intrinsic values, such as what you enjoy and value doing in your work; and

2. extrinsic values, which are components that are external to your work, such as benefits, salary and the workplace environment, that you value and want an employer to offer (Gordon, 2023).

Intrinsic values will be referred to as “values” and are defined as the standards we live by and what informs the why of what we do, giving insight into the impact we’d hope our work has on the world. (Jackson, 2021; Drew, 2021). Extrinsic values will be referred to as “needs” and are understood as the optimal conditions that we look for in a job – salary, benefits and work environment – that support us in thriving in the workplace (Hansen, 2023).

The following content outlines two possible strategies for identifying your values and needs. There are more strategies than listed here, and you can check out additional tools by booking a career planning appointment with a career advisor. You may also refer to the Sustainable Development Goals in the impact section below to consider the higher-level values that inform your work.

Strategy one: identity circle

Some of our values and needs are shaped by our culture, religion, race, sexuality, ethnicity, gender identity, abilities, lived experience and much more. Reflecting on the intersections of your identity and how they shape your interactions in the world may reveal or give focus on the “why” of your motivations, the needs you require in a workplace and the motivations behind certain career choices that can support you in decision-making.

Creating an identity circle (see Figure 1) is one strategy for reflecting on how the intersections of your identity may inform your career decisions regarding values and needs (as well as other areas like the impact you’d like to have or the types of projects you are drawn to). Reflect on each section of the circle in Figure 1 and take note of the identities you have. How do these identities inform your career values and needs? If you are interested in doing a similar activity, you can reference We Rise’s “Identity Flower” exercise (We Rise Toolkit, n.d.), which is similar to an identity circle.

Figure 1

Strategy two: values & needs chart

Another strategy is using the value and needs chart below to identify your values and needs. You may even use the identity circle and this chart together to define more concretely what your values and needs are and how you want them to be satisfied in certain aspects of your life.

When looking for employment, it can be tricky to find an employer and/or a job that meets all your values and needs. Career decision-making involves identifying which values/needs are your absolute “must-haves,” which are your “nice-to-haves,” and which ones you could see yourself being okay to live without (at least for now).

Your must-have values/needs are the ones that will be essential for your career satisfaction and will support you in making confident job choices. Your nice-to-haves can provide further enjoyment in your work but are not necessary for that fulfillment and satisfaction. Additionally, the nice-to-haves can be something to seek out while in a job, as in “how can I bring in these values/needs into my everyday work?” And lastly, there may be some values/needs that you can live without in your work but can still fulfill in other areas of your life/career.

1. Next: Purposeful work and impact

Drew, K. (2021, August 3). Leveraging values-based storytelling in job application processes. CareerWise. https://careerwise.ceric.ca/2021/08/03/leveraging-values-based-storytelling-in-job-application-processes/

Gordon, K. (2023, November 1). How to determine your career values and achieve job satisfaction. The Hub. https://www.athabascau.ca/news/learners/how-to-determine-your-career-values-and-achieve-job-satisfaction

Hansen, A. (2023). Values Clarity: Why it Matters in Career Development. Career Convergence. https://associationdatabase.com/aws/NCDA/pt/sd/news_article/525122/_PARENT/CC_layout_details/true?tcs-token=c5d672670ffda7c9af250c94151f65ab7cc8f66578ef1b7f03a4fc33f7a58f82

Intersect. (n.d.) Identity. Retrieved July 2022, from http://www.lgbtiqintersect.org.au/learning-modules/identity/

Jackson, N. (2021, October 7). Why anchoring identity and values matters for jobseekers in today’s economy. CareerWise. https://careerwise.ceric.ca/2021/10/07/why-anchoring-identity-and-values-matters-for-jobseekers-in-todays-economy/