If you think about your own life, your values form the cornerstones for all that you do, think, believe, and accomplish. Your values dictate your actions whether you are aware of it or not.
When I say values, I’m not talking about “honesty”, “integrity” or any of that standard stuff. I’m talking about what is the key reason or the key thing that drives and motivates you.
Part of the attraction toward a job or career is the satisfaction that comes from it. Research has indicated that the most satisfaction we get from a job is associated with the degree to which our personal values match those of the other employees that you work with. Both people and organizations have values and they need to be shared values.
Are your values real, meaningful, and sustainable? How do you think about your values?
When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.
I missed class last week, so we had to move things into a higher gear for the students this week. The clock is ticking and they need to be ready for the job market in a few months.
Our focus this week was on making sure that they had done all their required research to clearly position their personal brand. Their personal research has revolved around defining their values, understanding their personality and looking at their strengths from a few different perspectives including on-line tools, their achievements and what their classmates have seen in them.
They have also been asked to think about their target. What audience are they looking at? Where do they want to work? What industry? What position? They don’t have all the answers, who does, but they need to have a target to start with. This is another part of their commitment to define their personal brand.
I threw a few big questions at them also including;
- What do you have to do to get to where you want to go?
- What do you want to get out of the next step in your career?
