The Art of: The Values List

Often times in our careers (and lives for that matter), we find ourselves at a crossroads of sorts. We can either stay on the course we’re currently on and see where it takes us, or we can take some action to disrupt that and create a different outcome. Which do you choose? Well, that will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish. What is your goal for next year? Three years from now? How will you be able to tell if the decision you make is the right one? If only there was some kind of document that could serve as a personal rubric… Something to grade yourself and your current opportunities against… Let’s make one!

I give you: The Values List.

What is it?

A Values List is a document that illustrates the ten traits and/or characteristics that are most important to you in your career / life. They can be anything – company culture, licensure (attaining your PE or AIA), mentorship, role/function, compensation, “adventure” – whatever matters most to you. Identify and define those traits (what does “culture” mean to you? How you would define “adventure?” Maybe it means doing something new and different every day, or maybe it means traveling to new places). The challenging part is once you’ve identified and defined your ten traits, you then put them in ranking order with #1 being the most important trait. The result is a document that clearly outlines the things that matter most to you, in order, and what exactly that means or looks like.

So, what’s the purpose of this?

The whole point of creating a Values List is to provide clarity as to personal career goals and aspirations. What exactly do you want? Well, why don’t we take a look at our handy-dandy Values List and find out?

How does it provide clarity, though?

By encouraging critical thinking! As Career Counselors, we love having these deep discussions to figure out what exactly is the best action (or lack thereof) with our candidates, but it’s important to note that we are not here to tell you what to do. I don’t know what is best for you and your family, but you do. By thinking critically about what matters most to you, it allows you to draw conclusions or a general map as to what you’re hoping to achieve.

Okay that sounds nice, but was is the benefit of doing this?

Direction!!!

In a candidate driven market, the question is no longer just “what am I qualified for?” but “what do I want to do?” A Values List helps you answer that by giving you a self-constructed roadmap to career/life goals. Whenever you’re wondering if something is really all that it seems to be, compare it to your Values List. How many boxes does it check? If it only checks two or three, and not even the top values that you’ve listed, maybe it’s not the best choice.

A Values List helps more than just the individual. It also helps your friendly neighborhood Career Counselors! “In what ways?” you may ask, well:

1. Direction. Just like how the Values List helps you decide what your next step is, it helps us curate your search on our end. We use this document to narrow down the vast number of contacts and relationships we have to a target shortlist of the 3-4 places that seem to be the best matches for you. No one has time to to go through 50 interviews, especially if the majority of places don’t feel like the right fit.
2. Assessment. The Values List is as much as a rubric for us as it is for you. We are able to determine which firms make the shortlist mentioned above by comparing them against the things that matter most to you. If an opportunity only checks 4/10 boxes on the Values List we’re going to keep thinking of better options.
3. Should you even be making a move? This question is what really separates a Career Counselor from a staffing/recruiting firm. There’s a reason why we don’t make a commission upon placements. We are not proponents of change just for the sake of making a change. Sometimes the best move is making no move at all. As cliché as it is, it’s true when they say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Sometimes, after completing a Values List, we come to the conclusion with our candidates that the best thing for them to do is sit tight. Maybe all their situation needs is to cultivate better conflict resolution or communication skills. That’s a lot easier and less jarring than uprooting and starting over somewhere new.

Our number one goal here at designforce is to help you achieve sustainable happiness as your career progresses. The best way to do that is by being thoughtful and thinking critically about what really matters most to you. The more in alignment your role and function is with your core values the more fulfilled you will feel by the work you do every day. So, take the time to dabble in the art of the Values List. Once you finish, feel free to give your Career Counselor a call. We would love to hear what you’ve come up with.