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When your values sync with those of your employer, it gives you a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment, creating a more positive and productive work experience. What’s more, utilizing your talents in a job for an employer who truly values them can boost your personal confidence, performance, and your contribution to the overall success of the organization.
Aligning your workplace's interests with your own can also improve the odds that you’ll remain engaged and motivated throughout the course of your employment–and can minimize potential conflicts between your values and the organization’s policies or activism.
Take a look at 5 tips to help you identify and choose the right workplace where you can invest your talents and values.
1. Get to know the organization’s mission statement
An organization’s mission statement can offer you insight into its overall priorities and goal. By familiarizing yourself with a prospective employer’s mission statement and goals, you’ll be able to see how and if that organization aligns with your personal values and goals.
2. Explore the organization’s benefits and perks
An organization’s benefits and perks can give you a good sense for how they value their employees. Before you accept a job offer, take time to review the benefits and perks of the job to see if they give you what you need to succeed in that job and grow professionally and personally. Spend some time exploring and comparing that organization’s benefits to your own priorities and values–and those of the other organization’s you might be considering. If mental health is something that’s important to you, for instance, be sure to check out what mental health resources and even mental health days your prospective employer offers. Likewise, if a flexible work schedule or the option to work-from-home is important to you, make sure the organization offers remote work options to suit your needs.
3. Find out what employees say about the work environment
Before sites like Glassdoor and Indeed, job seekers were relegated to word-of-mouth or having a friend at an organization to get the scoop on an organization’s culture and the employees’ experience within that organization. Thankfully, both Glassdoor and Indeed, and others like them, have made getting information on a company so much easier, by providing a place where employees can give honest feedback on an employer and what it’s like to work within that organization’s culture. Using these sites as resources can give you an inside perspective on your potential employer, and provide information that you typically wouldn’t have access to by other means. So, be sure to take time to see what employees are saying about the organization you’re interested in when applying or interviewing for a job.
4. Research the organization’s view on the social or political topics you most value
Now, more than ever, companies and organizations are taking a stance on social and political issues, making them a part of their mission, and adapting workplace policies that support them. If you’re entering the workforce, or simply searching for a new job, understanding a potential employer’s stance on the issues near and dear to you can help you determine how your values align with theirs. Check out an employer’s site, social media, or articles by their senior leaders to see what topics they’re talking about. Finding an employer whose values align with yours reduces your chances of experiencing value dissonance in the future.
5. Make sure you understand the job description
It may go without saying, but fully understanding the role you’re considering and the responsibilities of that role is crucial to your satisfaction with the job once you’re in it. A recent survey found that 72% of millennial and Gen Z respondents were surprised by or regretted taking a role because the job or organization was very different from what they expected. Your talents and time are unique and invaluable. It’s important to apply them to a job that fits. So, be sure to review the job description thoroughly before you apply or before the interview, so you can fill any gaps in your understanding during the interview. Also, don’t be afraid to follow-up an interview with questions to your recruiter or the employer specific to the job. Gaining a thorough understanding of the job helps ensure that your energy is adequately channeled into an organization and a role you’re happy with–not wasted in a misfitting role.
As you begin to navigate the ever-evolving workforce, it’s important to find a job that meets more than just your basic needs. Finding a workplace suited to your values, talents, and interests can set you and your organization up for greater success.
For more insights and tips on setting yourself up for success in the modern workplace, check out our ‘Bridging the Gap’ blog series. Or, explore our free, downloadable resources and workbooks designed to help you become the best version of yourself in and out of the office.
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