The Role of Cultural Fit in Finding Your Dream Job: Why it's Essential to Work in a Company That Aligns With Your Values.

Great benefits, good job location and career growth opportunities but what’s missing?

Have you ever held a job in a company that may have offered great benefits, a great job location and provided a great opportunity for you to grow in your career BUT, you felt that something was missing? Have you ever read a job description for a role at a company, and it immediately left you feeling less than inspired to apply? Or let’s look at the opposite…have you ever read a post online about a company where a friend or connection worked, and they raved about how supportive their leadership team was and that they were able to accomplish many life goals while being empowered to make decisions that impacted their work? If you have ever heard of any of these examples you were gaining a direct line to what were considered valuable or less desirable working conditions, also known as personal values to those people. Values are personal to each individual and represent who you are, what type of environment you prefer to be within and how you interact with the world around you. For instance, if you value friendship, you are more likely to work towards creating deeper connections with people you admire, provide dependability and a willingness to put others needs before your own.

What do my values have to do with my career?

Values have an important place in your career, and you’ve probably acted on your values in selecting the career you have right now or are seeking to obtain in the future. Values act as a guiding principle in your life as you make decisions on how you treat others and generally the treatment you will accept in return. When your values align with your career you are more likely to find joy, contentment, and upward movement in your chosen field. What’s more, at work you will feel supported and find a sense of belonging or as they say you may feel that you've “found your people.” Accountability, service towards others, and the satisfaction of building camaraderie may signal that you enjoy work cultures that value togetherness, compassion, and loyalty. On the other hand, there are career choices in and of themselves that create the culture that is required for an employee to thrive within. An example of this would be working in the banking industry, legal field, or law enforcement. These are fields that are best suited to the individual that embraces integrity, ethics, honesty, and perseverance.

How do I find a career that aligns with my values?

While there is a no one size fits all approach there are a few steps you can take to find companies that align with your values:

Review the company’s careers website and find their mission and culture statements.

Ask a current or past employee about their perspective. Now this may be a little tricky; however, do some research on past employees on a networking site like LinkedIn, reach out to them and ask them if they can share their perspective on their work experience and if they’d recommend the company.

Research past articles about the company: review press releases, Google searches and posts about the company you can find on social media.

Find out about their customer base: what product or service do they provide? Who is their typical customer? Do they have a large or small customer base? Do they offer an essential product or services or a luxury?

A dream job that aligns with your values is important.

Finding your dream job with a culture that compliments your values is important. Taking the time to do your research can be worth it in the end. Remember, you deserve to be successful, enjoy the work you do and work in a company that embraces who you are. If you need help with finding a career that you will love, you can learn more about free group and individual career coaching offered by SkillUp.