Career values are the fundamental beliefs and non-negotiable principles that guide your professional decisions and determine your overall job satisfaction. Understanding these values is the first step toward moving away from the Sunday scaries and toward a role that actually feels like you.
Key takeaways
- Career values act as a compass for decision-making, helping you avoid roles that lead to burnout or misalignment.
- Your values are deeply linked to your personality type, influencing whether you prioritises autonomy, security, or social impact.
- Regularly auditing your values ensures your career path stays relevant as your life circumstances and priorities evolve.
- Aligning your daily tasks with your core principles is the most effective way to sustain long-term professional motivation.
Have you ever landed what looked like the perfect job on paper, only to find yourself dreading the login screen every Monday morning? You have the right title, the decent salary, and the respect of your peers – yet something feels fundamentally off. You might feel like you are ungrateful or perhaps just not 'cut out' for the grind, but the truth is usually much simpler: your daily work is clashing with your career values.
We often choose jobs based on external markers of success – things like prestige, pay, or what our parents thought was a 'safe' bet. But when your environment requires you to act against your internal compass, it creates a friction that no amount of salary can lubricate. This misalignment is the primary driver of the exhaustion and cynicism we often mislabel as simple boredom. It is not that you are lazy; it is that you are tired of pretending to be someone you are not.
At Compono, we have spent a decade researching the intersection of human behaviour and workplace performance. We have seen that when people understand their 'why', the 'how' becomes significantly easier. Identifying your career values is not about finding a motivational poster slogan; it is about building a practical framework for saying 'no' to the wrong opportunities so you can finally say 'yes' to the right ones.
Your values do not exist in a vacuum – they are the outward expression of your internal wiring. This is why a 'Pioneer' might value innovation and risk-taking above all else, while a 'Coordinator' finds deep satisfaction in structure, order, and predictable outcomes. If you have ever been told you are 'too sensitive' or 'too rigid', it is likely because your natural values were bumping up against a culture that didn't recognise them.
For example, if you are an 'Auditor' type, your career values likely centre on precision, thoroughness, and the ability to work independently. Forcing an Auditor into a high-pressure, chaotic sales environment is a recipe for disaster. Conversely, a 'Campaigner' who values variety and social influence would feel stifled in a role that requires sitting in a quiet room analysing data all day. Hey Compono uses a personality-adaptive approach to help you see these connections clearly, mapping your natural traits to the environments where they actually belong.
When you start to view your career values through the lens of your personality, the shame starts to disappear. You realise that your need for work-life balance or your drive for social impact isn't a weakness – it is a core component of how you are built to contribute. Recognising this allows you to stop trying to fix yourself and start finding a context that fits you.
To make sense of the vast landscape of professional principles, it helps to categorise them into three distinct pillars: Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Lifestyle values. Most of us lean more heavily into one of these depending on our current stage of life and our dominant work personality. Understanding which pillar currently holds the most weight for you is essential for navigating your next move.
Intrinsic values relate to the work itself. Do you value helping others? Solving complex problems? Having the creative freedom to experiment? These are the 'Helper' and 'Pioneer' traits that keep you engaged with the actual task at hand. Extrinsic values are the 'by-products' of work – things like status, influence, and financial reward. While often dismissed as superficial, they are vital for many, especially those with an 'Evaluator' or 'Coordinator' mindset who value tangible results and clear hierarchies.
Finally, there are Lifestyle values. These are the logistical realities of how work fits into your world. Do you need a remote-first environment? Do you value a predictable 9–5 so you can pursue hobbies or family time? Many 'Doers' find that their values are rooted in the stability and predictability of their workflow. By assessing where you sit across these pillars, you can build a more nuanced profile of what you actually need from an employer.
Identifying your values is only half the battle; the next step is looking honestly at your current situation. An audit is a diagnostic tool to help you see where the leaks are. Start by listing your top five values – for example, Autonomy, Collaboration, Security, Innovation, and Integrity. Then, look at your last month of work and rate how often you actually felt those values were being honoured on a scale of 1–10.
If you value 'Collaboration' but spend 90% of your time in solo spreadsheets, that is a value gap. If you value 'Innovation' but every new idea you suggest is met with 'that is not how we do things here', that is a value clash. These gaps are where your energy is leaking. The goal of using Hey Compono is to close these gaps by providing actionable steps tailored to your specific personality, ensuring you aren't just identifying problems, but actually moving toward solutions.
This audit should be an evergreen process. Our values are not set in stone; they shift as we grow. What you valued at 22 – perhaps prestige and fast-paced growth – might not be what you value at 35, where flexibility and purpose might take centre stage. Regular reflection prevents you from staying on a path that you have long since outgrown.
Key insights
- Misalignment between work tasks and career values is a leading cause of burnout and chronic professional dissatisfaction.
- Your dominant personality type – such as the Helper, Pioneer, or Coordinator – heavily influences which values feel most non-negotiable to you.
- Career values are dynamic and should be audited regularly to ensure they reflect your current life stage and priorities.
- Successful career navigation requires balancing intrinsic rewards with extrinsic needs and lifestyle requirements.
Defining your career values is the first step toward a professional life that feels sustainable and authentic. It is about moving beyond what you 'should' want and embracing what you actually need to thrive. If you are ready to stop guessing and start building a career on your own terms, we can help you get there.
Ready to understand yourself better? Start with 10 minutes free – no credit card required. You can also learn about personality-adaptive coaching to see how your unique traits can be your greatest professional asset.
Career values are the core principles and beliefs that guide your professional choices. They represent what is most important to you in a work environment, such as autonomy, financial security, or the ability to help others.
You can identify your values by reflecting on past experiences where you felt most fulfilled or most frustrated. Looking at your personality type can also provide clues, as different traits naturally gravitate toward specific professional priorities.
Yes, it is completely normal for values to shift as you move through different life stages. What you prioritised early in your career might change as you gain more experience or as your personal circumstances evolve.
When your work aligns with your values, you are more likely to feel motivated, engaged, and satisfied. Misalignment often leads to burnout, stress, and a lack of purpose in your daily tasks.
Intrinsic values are related to the nature of the work itself, like creativity or helping others. Extrinsic values refer to the external rewards of a job, such as salary, status, or job security.