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One of the big challenges when considering a new career or just looking for a new job is to be able to answer the questions: "Will I be happy there? Is this job the right one for me?"
If you go to a career adviser, life coach or take any professional advice at all, one of the first things you'll be doing is assessing your values.
Life coach Ruth Donde says values are the things that are essential to a person, they can even be key strengths. "Each person has his or her talents and these are often aligned to their values."
Donde uses the value "love of learning" as an example.
"This is a value around personal and professional development. A person with this as a value is not going to be happy in a job that doesn't require or provide any development."
According to selfcounseling.com, values can include: freedom, achievement, arts, money, ethical practice, stability, self-respect, serenity, fame, challenging problems, competition, creativity, decisiveness, intellectual status, involvement, affection or family. There are hundreds of them.
Once people understand their values, they get "more of a feel of what they can do. It's easier to align themselves with their work," says Donde.
"People don't usually stay in jobs for the money. If a person values family and wants flexibility in her job, if that's given, it's likely they will stay."
Donde says there is danger in being in a job that goes against your values. "A person who values a democratic environment is going to find an autocratic one disheartening. It's certainly not a win for the person or the company."
Donde points out that having a values fit is vital for company and employee. "In an interview, a company should find out someone's values. This is in the interests of retention and engagement - of valuing staff."
If an employee values professional development, he or she may appreciate being sent on courses rather than a trip to the spa as a reward for good work.
Donde says her work involves trying to ensure that people's values are aligned with all aspects of their lives, not only work.
Values are an important part of the job search process, says Rod Berry, general manager of Employment Assistance Programme (EAP) Services.
"The organisation you work for must meet your values. Personal values include how you will get a job to fit with your lifestyle. Most people work to live, not the other way around."
He says values are a broad subject "and they do change as you get older. People need to assess their values all the time if they want successful employment."
He describes two personality types: hunters and gatherers.
"The hunters are the marketers, the ones who are happy to have a base salary and work on commission, they like to get out there and work hard. The gatherers are more admin-inclined, they like a steady job and salary. A driver for them may be to spend more time with the family. In that case flexibility may be the answer."
Patricia Merton, a councillor, career consultant and careers coach who works for EAP Services and on her own says: "It's important that a person knows his or her values at any stage of life."
When you're young and don't have children, being there for your growing family would not be a value. Once you have a family, it can become your most important value.
Merton says she always gives clients a values clarification exercise. She says people will usually say they know their top six values but with the exercise the order often changes.
"Your values are anything or any person you would not want to live without. This can be family, friends, clothes, lifestyle."
Her advice to people interested in discovering their core values is to get professional help.
"Go to someone. If you start by setting goals, you're entering the process halfway though."
You may have set a goal that takes you away from your core values. Working long hours could cause you stress and conflict because your core values are social life, family or friends. "Perhaps you need to reassess. Ask your boss for flexibility. Negotiate. Step down or move sideways," Merton says.
Business psychologist, executive coach, author and speaker Jasbindar Singh agrees that professional advice is often important.
"When it comes to searching for a job, people look at 'what' - the job description and how their skills fit it; 'Where' - their interest in working in a particular area; but they often leave out the 'why'."
The "why" is their values. "There needs to be a good meeting of skills, interest and values. People need to answer the question: 'Why do I want to do what I want to do.'
"A values mismatch affects one sooner rather than later. It causes internal conflict and frustration. However great a job may look, if it doesn't fit with your values, it's not sustainable."
Singh says values do change. "Early in your career, status may be a core value but, later on when you've done that, you may start questioning how to spend the rest of your career. It's about digging deeper for meaning and purpose. Values are the foundation of that search."
Singh tells of a former teacher who joined a company that was competitive and cut-throat and not about relationships. "He was very unhappy. He may have been earning more, but he was happier as a teacher. Values are a mental construct, a guiding thing. They pull us away from or push us towards certain things."
Singh says that knowing your values can be a challenge.
"It's about being self aware. Sometimes you need a bit of help to explore values. It's a bit like the old saying about fish and water [fish only recognise the importance of water when they're out of it]. You may find a job that is not a perfect fit - but knowing what to negotiate helps. You may be able to sacrifice being close to family for a more core value such and working for an ethical company."
Singh says she's interested not only in work values but in life values as well. "It's about living through exercising your core values."
For companies, having people who are aware of their values helps with engagement.
"If employees feel good about working, it increases their productivity, increases their effort and alignment with the company's goals."
She says much damage is done when companies do not walk the talk.
"There's a psychological contract between employee and employer. If the employer holds to its values and is a good company to work for, then there's a positive contract."
Life coach Ruth Donde says it's good to search the internet and ask a company in the interview about its values, but it's usually most effective to talk to others in the organisation - just to make sure that those values which are posted up on the wall are adhered to and are not just paid lip service.
