Danger Ahead
Just as I sat down to write this article, I realized the oddity of warning you about taking career advice… as I’m about to give you advice…
It’s a little ironic, don’t you think?
Cue my memory of Alanis Morissette’s song.
Well, it’s because I care that I want to warn you.
First, let me set the stage for where you might find yourself:
Contemplating a job change.
Receiving plenty of recruiter messages.
Considering how to get promoted.
Reading a lot of LinkedIn posts to be “ready” in the active job market.
This means you are likely soaking up a lot of information to know what the best decision is for you to make. I’ve coached many professionals into their next opportunity, and the area I want to shine a light on is your Values.
The values we hold are the filter through which we make our decisions. We can do this knowingly or be completely unaware. Admittedly, I made career decisions for years without realizing some of those decisions violated my values.
The power of self-awareness yields the benefit of fewer missteps on the journey of one’s career. As the front-seat rider on the job search with my clients, I witness the beauty of decisions made throughout the process that aligns with their values.
You might be reading this and think, that’s nice, but I don’t even know my values. Or maybe you think you know them, and the first you list is “family.” In actuality, ‘family’ is a thing. You want to understand the output that family provides to you that creates the value.
Let’s use an example. My top 3 values are:
Authenticity
Faith
Community
After you read that list, you may have thought you knew what those values mean to me because each word has a Webster’s Dictionary definition. What I had to do, and I’m recommending you do, is define the value. It holds merit because there is an internal meaning that is like a heartbeat to your body, pulsing life in it and through it.
Continuing in this example, my definitions of these values for me are:
Authenticity — Bringing my whole self to my work and team.
Faith — Belief and knowledge that Jesus Christ is my Savior.
Community — The very nature of how we have been created.
Armed with the qualitative definitions of my own values, how I process decisions will naturally filter through them. Let’s say I’m considering working with another company. As I evaluate the job description, I will naturally ask these questions based on my values:
Can I be authentic here? Can I bring my whole self into this work and with this team? Will my faith be challenged or celebrated here? Will I work independently or with a team so I can be in community?
I have loved witnessing the power shift into my client’s hands within the job search as they make qualitative “yes” or “no” decisions based on the filter through their values.
For a deeper dive into this topic, I recommend picking up Kristin Sherry’s book YouMap: Find Yourself, Blaze Your Path, Show The World! You want to lean into your own values. Know the definitions. And test them in pursuit of your next.
And so here’s the “advice” that I want to give you. Anyone who is about to shift into a new lane on their career journey should heed this warning:
Be Mindful of the Advice You Take.
Test It Against Your Values.
That includes this article!
The arrival into your next opportunity is sweeter when you know you’ve been true to yourself along the way. I also believe I have a 97% “stick factor” where clients land their roles and stay because of the work we do on their values.
Stay safe out there friends on the Job Search! Rooting for you, always.