Values assessments help students and young adults reflect on what matters most to them in school, work, and future career planning. These tools can help you think about the kind of work environment, responsibilities, schedule, support, purpose, and lifestyle that may fit you best.
Values are different from interests and skills. Interests are about what you enjoy. Skills are about what you can do or are learning to do. Values are about what feels important, meaningful, or motivating to you.
A values assessment does not choose a career for you. It gives you language for comparing options and making more thoughtful decisions.
Why Work Values Matter
Work values can affect how satisfied, motivated, and comfortable you feel in a role. Two careers may both match your interests, but one may fit your values better than the other.
Common work values include:
- Achievement
- Independence
- Creativity
- Stability
- Recognition
- Helping others
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Work-life balance
- Income
- Learning
- Security
- Variety
- Structure
- Responsibility
- Supportive supervision
- Positive relationships
- Working conditions
For example, a student who values independence may prefer roles with more self-direction. A student who values helping others may want to explore education, healthcare, nonprofit work, counseling-informed support, public service, or community programs. A student who values structure may prefer roles with clear expectations, systems, and procedures.
Values do not need to be perfect or fixed. They can change as students gain experience and learn more about work, life, and themselves.
Key Values Assessments
Values assessments are valuable tools that help individuals understand what they value most in a job or career. By identifying your core values, you can make more informed career decisions that align with your personal and professional beliefs, leading to greater job satisfaction and fulfillment. Here are some key values assessments to consider:
Work Values Inventory
- Description: The Work Values Inventory identifies your key work values and matches them with suitable careers. It helps you understand what aspects of work are most important to you, such as independence, recognition, or work-life balance.
- Usage: This tool is useful for finding careers that align with your personal and professional values, ensuring that you pursue opportunities that are meaningful and fulfilling.
- Resource: CareerOneStop Work Values Matcher
MyPlan Values Assessment
- Description: The MyPlan Values Assessment helps you understand what you value most in a job. It covers various aspects such as achievement, independence, recognition, relationships, support, and working conditions.
- Usage: This assessment provides insights into careers that match your values, helping you focus on opportunities that align with what you find most rewarding and important in a work environment.
- Resource: MyPlan Values Assessment
Life Values Inventory
- Description: The Life Values Inventory measures a wide range of personal values and examines their impact on your career choices. It assesses values such as achievement, creativity, economic security, independence, and responsibility.
- Usage: This tool helps you understand how your values influence your career decisions and can guide you in finding roles that align with your core beliefs and priorities.
- Resource: Life Values Inventory
4. Valued Living Questionnaire
- Description: This questionnaire helps individuals evaluate how closely their current actions align with their personal values across various life domains, such as career, relationships, and personal growth.
- Usage: A great tool for self-reflection and career planning, allowing you to identify areas where you may want to make changes to better align your life and career with your core values.
- Resource: Valued Living Questionnaire Template
Additional Resources
How to Use Values Assessment Results
Look for Your Top Values
After completing a values assessment, review your highest results. Ask yourself whether they feel accurate.
For example:
- Do I value independence or clear structure?
- Do I prefer teamwork or individual work?
- Do I want variety or routine?
- Do I care more about creativity, stability, income, service, recognition, or learning?
- What kind of environment helps me stay motivated?
Try to identify your top three to five values.
Compare Values With Careers
Once you know your top values, compare them with possible careers.
For each career, research:
- Daily tasks
- Work environment
- Schedule
- Level of independence
- Amount of teamwork
- Training requirements
- Income range
- Job stability
- Level of stress or pressure
- Opportunities for growth
- How the role contributes to others or society
A career may sound interesting, but still be a poor fit if the work environment conflicts with your strongest values.
Use Values in Career Conversations
Values assessment results can help you have better conversations with:
- School counselors
- Career counselors
- Teachers
- Parents or caregivers
- Mentors
- University advisors
- Professionals in fields you are exploring
Instead of only saying, “I want a good job,” you can say something more specific, such as:
“I want to explore careers that involve helping people, but I also need structure and long-term stability.”
That kind of statement makes career planning more practical.
Balance Values With Reality
Values matter, but they are only one part of career planning.
Also consider:
- Skills
- Interests
- Academic preparation
- Financial needs
- Family context
- Location
- Training requirements
- Work availability
- Health and well-being
- Long-term goals
Sometimes students may need to make tradeoffs. For example, a role may offer high income but less flexibility, or strong purpose but lower pay. Values assessments help you notice these tradeoffs before making decisions.
Revisit Your Values Over Time
Values can shift as you take new classes, gain work experience, volunteer, meet professionals, or learn more about different careers. Revisit values assessments when making major decisions about subjects, university programs, internships, jobs, or career pathways.
Conclusion
Values assessments can help students and young adults understand what they want from future work, not just what they are interested in or skilled at. They can clarify priorities such as independence, stability, helping others, creativity, recognition, income, teamwork, learning, and work-life balance.
Use values assessments as one part of career planning. Compare results with real career information, talk with trusted adults or professionals, and reflect on how each option fits your interests, skills, values, goals, and current life situation.