How to Use Your Values to Guide Your Next Career Transition 

The line between work and life is more blurry than ever for most people. Across industries, employees are re-evaluating their relationship with work and how work fits into their lives. This is why it’s time to get clear on your values as you design the next stage of your career. 

Putting words to my values was the single most impactful exercise I did while navigating my own career transition. It gave me a definitive way to filter opportunities in (or out) so that I could have a career that aligned to what is most important to me. 

What are values? 

Values describe what is most important to you in life, guiding your decisions and priorities in almost every interaction you have. They touch on deeply held beliefs you carry about life, career, and relationships. 

Your values aren’t necessarily static. As you learn and grow over the course of your life, your values may evolve as well. Think about significant life experiences you have had and how they have shaped your values. These experiences might include becoming a parent, losing a loved one, or a traumatic event just to name a few. 

How are career values different from personal values? 

As work and life become more and more integrated, career values and personal values have become integrated. I would argue that in today’s world each person has one set of values that guide them, however, they may show up differently in their career and personal lives. 

For example, one of my values is adventure. In my personal life that leads me to some pretty wild adventures in the far corners of the planet. But, in my career, adventure is a mindset of experimentation and curiosity. Both are aligned with my value, just in different ways. 

How do values relate to career transitions? 

You will be most engaged and fulfilled if you are able to work (and live) in alignment with your values. When going through a career transition it can be overwhelming to think about all the possible paths you might take. Values play a critical role in creating a career filter to make sure that you only invest your time and energy into opportunities that align with what is most important to you.  

Tips for identifying your values to guide your career transition 

Person holding compass up with nature in background
Your values you guide you in work and in life, much like a compass guides you on a trail.

1 | Make a list of what matters most to you. 

Take a short amount of time to identify what is most important to you. Get out a pen and paper, use a voice memo, or type it out, whatever method you prefer. But, here’s the thing – be honest with yourself. This list is of what matters most to you, not what you think others expect of you. 

2 | Reflect on experiences in your career where your values were most visible. 

Values are not abstract concepts. They should be present in your everyday actions and decisions. Use these reflection questions to identify your values: 

  • What was a time you felt particularly engaged or fulfilled in your career? What value was guiding you? 
  • What is an example of an extremely difficult decision or situation you’ve had navigate? What value guided you through that? Or what value was being challenged in that situation? 
  • What is an example of an extremely clear decision that took little thought or effort? What value guided your decision? 

3 | Complete a values exercise to identify your top 3-5 values. 

Values card deck sitting on a desk
A values card deck can help you narrow in on the values that most guide you in your life and career.

Finding the right language for your values can be challenging. That’s why I recommend using a values card deck as a resource to help you in the process.  

A values card deck is a deck of physical or digital cards, each with a single value. The goal is to identify 3-5 values that are most important to you. This is why it can be helpful to reflect on the questions above before doing this activity. 

Take action: Here is an example of a values card deck. Also, if preferred, try this digital values card sorting activity

First, do a quick sort of the deck into two piles: important to me, not important to me. Next, take the “important to me” pile and do another sort into two new piles: most important to me and important to me. Finally, take the “most important to me” pile and narrow it does to your top 3-5 most important values.  

This will be a challenging exercise. Many of the words will sound comparable. Choose the one that best represents what’s most important to you and resonates with you. You can further define the value in the next step.  

Pro Tip: There will be words you feel like you “should” choose, like honesty. Focus on what most drives your actions and behaviors. Not choosing something like honesty, doesn’t mean you aren’t honest, just that other values drive your behaviors and decisions more.  

4 | Define what the words mean to you. 

Your values aren’t just a list of words. Those words have meaning for you. Take time to identify what each of your values means to you and what actions demonstrate each value.  

For example, as I mentioned, one of my values is adventure. To me this means trying new things, having a mindset of experimentation and being curious about the world. 

5 | Use your values to identify the path forward in your career. 

Your values can be used in a number of different ways as you navigate a career transition, including: 

  • Evaluating which roles to apply for 
  • Identifying organizations to network and build relationships with (or setup job alerts for) 
  • Questions to ask in an interview 
  • What industries to focus your job search efforts on 

For example, one of my values is meaningful work. This led me to explore the world of local government, non-profits and other opportunities outside of the corporate world. When looking at jobs within the corporate world, I narrowed my focus to those whose mission aligned with my definition of meaningful work.  

6 | Revisit your values over time. 

Your values likely won’t change dramatically overnight but over time you may find that they become clearer or evolve. As mentioned earlier, this happens naturally as your perspective changes and as you think about the next stage of your life or career.  

What if my career isn’t in alignment with my values? 

The reality is that there may be times in your life where your career is not able to be in alignment with your values. For instance, you and your partner decide to prioritize their career, or you decide to prioritize caregiving responsibilities for a loved one. You have limited capacity and are choosing to invest your time and energy elsewhere despite not feeling that your career is in alignment with your values. 

While you may not be able to make a change at the moment, it’s normal to feel some internal tension when working out of alignment with your values. You may find it difficult to focus, stay engaged, or be as patient as you’d like just as examples.  

Try not to be hard on yourself when you are in this situation. Your values and circumstances are inviting you to focus elsewhere for a bit.  

Ready to dive into your values? 

Knowing your values will allow you to rule out career opportunities that aren’t in alignment with what’s most important to you and identify unexpected possibilities you haven’t yet considered. Designing the next stage of your career to be in alignment with your values will ensure you are engaged, fulfilled and at your best. 

Need help integrating your values into your career transition plan? Unearth Coaching & Consulting offers four career transition coaching packages, designed to match whatever stage of the career transition you are in. Contact me today to learn more and get started! 

Susan Gleissner

Susan Gleissner believes that life is better with adventure, including our careers. Her journey from being an engineering leader to an HR professional, combined with her passion for helping others reach their potential positions her to offer practical, individualized career transition and leadership coaching to those looking to take their career to the next level. Susan is a credentialed coach through the International Coaching Federation and Gallup. In her spare time she shares adventure travel inspiration on her travel blog, This Big Wild World.

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