Values make us who we are as people. They shape our beliefs and help us determine what is right, wrong, fair, unjust, good, and evil. In the corporate world, these values are equally important. That’s why before you begin your job hunt or career change, it’s important to itemize the values you’re looking for in your preferred company. Finding a job that aligns with your values helps you thrive and grow professionally, because values drive a healthy workplace and a positive culture. If you’re worried about how to find a job that blends with your values, this article is here to guide you with five steps you can take when seeking jobs that will eventually evolve into a sustainable career that you’ll enjoy.
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Know who you are: You are definitely going to find it hard to get jobs based on your values if you don’t know what your values are. Take time to know things that are important to you. This would help you figure out corporate cultures you would want to be incorporated into your work life. You may be one who values collaboration, clear communication, trust, optimism, and development. Once you know who you are, you can check out if your prospective companies have a list of values that can fit into yours. Finding jobs based on values may take some internal examination, so you have to be ready to sit with yourself and do some homework.
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Participate in volunteering activities: Apart from gaining soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, being active in community service that relates to your values will develop a network of like-minded people and increase your chances of discovering work opportunities of your interest. Work with NGOs, churches, mosques, research institutes, and professional associations. Whenever you choose to pursue a career in the field you’re volunteering in, the connections you make also may help increase your job prospects.
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Research. Research. Research: You have figured out who you are, and what your values entail. Now, it’s important that you take your time to research before going head-on into applications and interviews. Perform plenty of research on the companies of your choice and see if their goals,visions and missions align with your values. This is so that you don’t get into a conflict with yourself and your prospective employers. Some of the things you should check out include what the company sells, i.e. the company’s products or services, the company’s clients, the company’s board of directors, annual report from the last two years (if available).
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State your values in your resume: Writing a list of the values you strongly feel about in your resume helps recruiters find a befitting employer for you. A vivid description of your values in your resume can also help you attract the type of employer you want when applying for jobs.
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Talk about your values during the job interview: This is a perfect opportunity to communicate your values to your future employers, and you also get the chance to properly know theirs. One of the ways you can make your values known is by answering certain interview questions such as, “What are your strengths?” and “What motivates you?” For example, if you are someone who believes in teamwork and proper communication in the workplace, you can answer those questions by sharing a story about how teamwork and proper communication in a previous position helped you and your team achieve a serious problem.
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Do not compromise: You will agree that job hunting can become very frustrating after a while. You can become tempted to receive offers that are not in alignment with your values. It might be a job that would give you a complicated work-life balance, therefore compromising your health and well-being. It may also be a job that doesn’t respect your views and keeps soiling your self-esteem. You don’t want to bear the heartache of compromising your self-respect to stay in a job, nor do you want to wake up to realize that you’ve compromised your values just to climb the corporate ladder or even keep a job you hate.
Having values is crucial regardless of your industry or profession. Finding jobs based on values requires being able to describe your values, which could be difficult for most people to do because of their lack of self-awareness. This will also help you identify your dislikes and what you do not want in your dream job. These five steps on how to find a job that aligns with your value will greatly help your job search and point you in the direction of your ideal career.