WORK VALUES

At Career Counselling Services we often make use of tests, questionnaires and exercises, and use their results to aid discussion.

Here is the kind of self-assessment exercise that can act as a useful basis for discussion.

People work for different reasons. most of us work for money, but the amount of financial security and income required by people will vary. We all 'help' others less fortunate than ourselves from time to time, but some people like to do this for most of their time. most of us like a challenge from time to time, but some of like to be faced with challenge after challenge.

The Table below lists a number of work and non-work values, needs or priorities. Think about how important each value is to you. Rate each one on the following scale:

of no importance
of very little importance
of little importance
of some importance
of considerable importance
of a great deal of importance
of the utmost importance

	Value Category (see Key below)	Your Rating 1-7
To have the company of other people	SO
To belong to a group	SO
To be involved actively in family life	SO
To have a strong religious faith and practice it	SO
To be sought out for advice	SO
To do something useful for society	ALT
To enjoy assisting others, with or without reward	ALT
To make a great deal of money for myself and others	EC
To be free of concern over my economic needs	EC
To accomplish important things	ACH
To take risks	ACH
To have considerable responsibility	ACH
To use skill and judgement	ACH
To develop skills	ACH
To have competition	ACH
To have considerable authority or power	P
To be well known	P
To lead other people	P
To influence the thoughts and actions of others	P
To be recognized as an expert	P
To seek knowledge	L
To learn new skills	L
To have change and variety of people	V
To have change and variety of activity	V
To have change and variety of scene	V
To have a great deal of discretion	IND
To be my own boss	IND
To work alone	IND
To work at my own pace	IND
To develop and create new ideas	C
To develop and create new devices	C
To develop artistic creations	C
To live simply, away from crowds and sophistication	LS
To live the 'good life': near theatres, restaurants, etc.	LS
To be busy most of the time	LS
To be free of pressures and expections	LS

KEY

SO	Social: enjoying the company of other people
ALT	Altruistic: helping others, being involved with good causes
EC	Economic: earning a lot of money, having enough money
ACH	Achievement: meeting challenges successfully
P	Power: having control and influence over the actions of others
L	Learning: "king knowledge, acquiring new skills
V	Variety: having a change of people, activity or scene
IND	Independence: doing things your own way, being your own boss
C	Creativity: developing new ideas, products or artistic creations
LS	Life Style: leading an active, quiet or sophisticated life

Now, take a separate sheet of paper and list those values which you have scored 7 points. Then 1st those you have scored 6 points, and so on. Are your main values where you would have expected them to be? Are you currently meeting your most important values at work? if these are not being met at work, are you finding an outlet for your values in your leisure, home or community life?

Perhaps this exercise has merely confirmed what you already know about yourself. It may, in addition, have provided you with some new ideas. Maybe you feel it is not enough just to write down your values, possibly in a mechanical way, without having an opportunity to discuss you thoughts with an impartial 'outsider'.

What is so effective about the CCS approach, is that we give you the chance to talk over the possible alternatives arising from such exercises and, through professional counselling guide you towards making a practical decision.