Aligning Your Values with Your Career Path

Employees today want more than just a salary and benefit – while desirable, certainly, we need more than that to be truly satisfied in a career. Aligning your values and ethics with your career is one of the most effective ways to create a job that has a positive impact, both on your own life and others around you, leading to increased job satisfaction and motivation. 

At S-SA Digital, we understand that talent and passion are equal partners in aligning the best tech professionals with companies that share their values. But, understanding the importance of value alignment is one thing, putting it into practice is another.How do you ensure your 9-5 job truly reflects your purpose and principles? 

Whether it’s choosing a company with a positive work culture or making sure you’re allocating enough time for your own interests, here are a few ways you can keep your career in line with your values.

Reflect on What Your Values Are

If you don’t know what your values are, you’ll struggle to know whether you’ve chosen the correct career path, or what company is the right fit for you. Take some time to reflect on your core values, whether integrity is of high importance, establishing a good work-life balance is important, or you crave opportunities for personal growth or creativity. Maybe you want to work for a business that prioritises its environmental impact with renewable power or sustainable packaging solutions. Alternatively, you may want to find a role that allows you to work remotely so you can balance your work and personal life more effectively, to reduce burnout and stress.

Not knowing what your core values are is a common problem – many people would struggle to pinpoint what it is they value. Ask yourself a few questions:

• What bothers you or what you get upset about - in work or more generally?
• What are your strengths and how have you overcome challenges in the past?
• What qualities do you admire in others, and what do you want your legacy to be?

These are all questions that can help guide you towards the things that matter most to you.

Seek a Mentor

Mentorship can be incredibly valuable in helping you navigate your career and gaining a fresh perspective. Sometimes, we can become blinkered to opportunities without the opinion or viewpoint of others – mentors with significant experience have likely gone through similar challenges in the past and will have the wisdom to guide you through it. Their insights and knowledge can help you expand your network, gain clarity on what you want from a job and help you make more informed career choices. You may also choose to join a professional organisation or community that can help you connect to like minded peers or find mentorship.

Prioritise and Be Discerning

Evaluating career options can be challenging – there’s a lot to consider and balance, and you may find that not every role ticks every box on your list. This is where it pays to be discerning and prioritise your values. Choices may need to be made between your work-life balance or a job that offers more opportunities for professional development, or maybe opting for a job that aligns with your values means taking a bit of a pay cut. Some values will carry more weight than others, so knowing what you’re willing to bend on and what is an absolute must will make your job search much easier. However, always make sure you’re prioritising authenticity and integrity in your search, in order to choose a job that fulfils you and aligns with your principles.

Assess Your Skills and Interests

Beyond the alignment of your values, you need to consider how your career aligns with your skills and passions. After all, a job you’ll get the most interest and satisfaction from is one where you can really excel and feel like you’re leveraging your strengths. In doing so, your role is not just meaningful, with positive impact, but is also fulfilling to you personally. Consider what you’re good at and the areas of previous jobs where you’ve been the most interested and passionate – what connects these skills and is there a job that you can do where these skills will be of use.

Research Businesses or Industries Thoroughly

You know the type of job you want, the skills you have to offer and where your passions lie – now it’s time to research industries or specific businesses that support this. One of the most effective ways to do this is to dig into the company culture of a business and how a brand connects with its current employees. Maybe you do this by seeking out interviews with existing staff or looking at websites like Glassdoor and Blind which will provide you with verified reviews. This is a great way of seeing what people think about working for a business and the pros and cons of being an employee there, so you can see whether it’s something you want to take on in your own working life.

The Rise of Value-Based Recruitment 

Just as you seek to prioritise personal values within your career goals, many forward thinking companies are now similarly choosing to adopt value-based recruitment (VBR) strategies. VBR places higher importance on hiring candidates whose personal values and beliefs align with company culture and mission, rather than solely on skills and experience. This approach provides a positive opportunity for candidates who can articulate their values and life experiences effectively, and potentially offers them an edge over candidates with similar qualifications. When researching potential employers, look for indications that they practise VBR. This might be evident in their job postings, which may emphasise cultural fit and values, while both company websites and social media profiles will often highlight company values and how they integrate these into daily operations.  

Think Outside the Box

Making a career change, whether it’s a big leap to a whole new industry or moving within your existing sector to a new role, is something that requires a lot of thought and research. But aligning it with your values doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work for a non-profit organisation – there are ways to find meaning in a job in any industry. That might mean working for a start-up building a product you’re passionate about or finding a role where you can bring your passions to work every day, such as working on creating visual content, or extending your tech hobby into the wider digital space.  

In a work environment that’s always changing, aligning your personal values with your career choices will help you foster genuine fulfilment and job satisfaction, regardless of the businesses you work for over the course of your career. By consciously seeking out roles or organisations that align with your principles and values, you can unleash your true potential and foster a career that has a positive impact while still making a living.  

If you’re looking to take the next step in your digital tech career, S-SA Digital is here to help. We are a knowledgeable, trusted, and values driven partner for hiring managers and talent teams. Let us find opportunities that not only match your skills but also resonate with your personal values, and offer fully aligned career potential.