Where Should You Draw the Line with Shared Values in the Job Search?

Some workplace values are non-negotiable, so it is important to determine your immovable values. Rank your values to find which are most important. Research the company’s actions and speak to employees to see if your values align. Use your values ranking to decide whether to draw a line or work with the company.

By Lora Korpar

What do you value in the workplace? Some might prefer flexibility. Others might prioritize growth opportunities or diversity initiatives.

Deciding what you value can affect your job search. People want to work for companies that share their values. Misalignment between company and employee values can cause some employees to quit.

A Blue Beyond Consulting study of U.S. and Canadian workers found that 80% of respondents said “it was important that company values were consistent with their own,” according to BBC Worklife. About half said not having shared values would convince them to leave.

However, not everyone has the luxury of choosing a company based on values. So where to draw the line? The first step is to determine what your immovable values are.

How to Determine Your Job Search Values

Some workplace values will be more important than others. Maybe you are flexible on remote or hybrid work but won’t budge on a mental health-friendly environment.

Values-based career coach Alexander McCall suggests listing your values and determining which are most important.

“Look at that list that you create and say, ‘If all of these weren’t present, is there anything that would cause me to leave my career? Or is there anything else that would cause me to stay in a career?’” McCall said. “Doing that over and over again gives you a comprehensive list that you can rank one through 10, or however many may be. Then you can go into a job opportunity or current employer and say, ‘Here are my values. If these are met, I will be a superstar employee for you.’”

Your top two or three values are the immovable values or must-haves. The ones further down the list are more flexible. Take the time to reflect on which fall in the immovable or flexible categories.

Sheri Byrne-Haber, a values-based engineering, accessibility, and inclusion leader, added that “the first place you look for values is yourself.”?

If you are a person of color, part of the LBGTQ community, and/or have a disability, diversity initiatives for those identities will likely be of greater value. Or maybe you have volunteered since childhood and finding a company that values volunteer work is vital to you.

How to Determine a Company’s Values

Once you know your must-have values, determine whether the company you are applying to shares those values.?

Some companies show their values on websites or social media. For example, company websites include sections for diversity and inclusion initiatives. Research where the company has donated or volunteered. Then see whether their actions align with their words.

“Don't look for the words. Look for the actions,” Byrne-Haber said. “Everybody says they're inclusive, but do they actually take action that supports those claims of inclusion? … A lot of companies did letters of support for the Black community after the George Floyd incident. Look at what they've done since then. Have they announced that they're recruiting at HBCUs? Do they have a Black employee resource group? Some of that information for larger companies is public and you can find it on their websites. For smaller companies, that information might not be public, so you need to ask the recruiter.

“I have previously asked during interviews ‘Can I talk with the person who runs the disability employee resource group?’ because I feel like I'm going to get somebody who's really connected to the same cause that I'm connected to. And they're more likely to be honest than the person who's trying to get you to take the job.”

McCall also suggests contacting people who work at the company and speaking with them before the interview to better understand the company’s values.

“I prefer to do the sort of backdoor entry of finding a company that you're interested in, finding a role within that company, and then trying to connect with somebody on LinkedIn who was in that same role,” McCall said. “Set up a conversation to try and get a bit of a warm introduction, as opposed to just cold applying on different websites.”

McCall said to watch for a lack of clarity in the job description or values. Companies should be clear in their missions. Spotting more specific red flags is easier once you know your top values.

“For example, my top five values in the career scope are purpose, integrity, growth, flexibility, and abundance. So there's nothing that will cause me to leave a job quicker than if I don't feel like I'm tied to a specific purpose that I believe in,” McCall said. “If they don't have their values listed or if it's a purpose that I personally don't believe in… that's a big red flag for me.”

Where Do You Draw the Line with Shared Values?

Sometimes a misalignment of values isn’t black and white. Maybe a company agrees with some values and doesn’t agree with others. Or you have a strong values misalignment but need to take a job to stay afloat.

Whether you choose a career that doesn’t 100% align with your values is situational. That is why McCall stresses the importance of ranking your values.

“The way I was trained as a values coach is that your values are your subconscious driver. They drive how you spend your time and how you evaluate your time spent,” McCall said. “If there's a conflict between your top values and your more middle-range values, those top values will take over a little bit more. For example, my number four value is flexibility. However, if I'm really tied to a purpose, I might be willing to give up more flexibility in exchange for meeting that higher purpose.”

Also, don’t discount the value of taking an imperfect job to build experience before moving on to a position that fulfills your values more.

“I've worked positions, I'm sure as you have, where you didn't necessarily enjoy the work that you were doing, but there was an end goal,” McCall said. “I think that mentality is something a lot of people don't have as much anymore, especially with Gen Z and millennials being unhappy in jobs and wanting to leave immediately without necessarily seeing the value of the application toward the next job.?

“But with that, I don't think it's ever bad to be looking for that next opportunity. If you're unhappy in your position, [ask yourself] ‘Why am I unhappy right now? What's missing in my career?’ Then look for ways to create that in your current career or find that in your next one.”

Byrne-Haber said to establish clear work-life boundaries if stuck in a job that doesn’t share your values.

“I think you need to not be dwelling on the problems that you're experiencing at work during your personal time because if that starts to leak over, then it takes over your entire life, and that's not going to put you in a good mental health space,” Byrne-Haber said.

Sometimes, you have to advocate for a certain value if no one else in your company is recognizing it. But that is a lot of pressure to put on an employee, so do not feel obligated to take on that role.

“Just because you don't find the [company taking] action doesn't mean it's a hard no. It means you have to ask yourself as a candidate: ‘Am I willing to champion that?’” Byrne-Haber said. “In some instances, people will have the desire and the skill set to go into a place where they might be first and make a place where others feel welcome. Other people for whatever reason just aren't up for that… That's not to say one person is better than another person. It's just what your life circumstances and your life experience give you the emotional energy to invest.”

Top Takeaways

Finding a Company That Shares Your Values

• Create a list of values, then determine which are immovable and flexible.
• Company sites or social media will provide clues on its values. But make sure their actions reflect their words.
• Speak with people in the company to determine whether any values-based red flags exist.
• You might need to sacrifice lower-ranking values to fulfill your high-ranking ones.
• You can become the champion for a value, but do not feel obligated to become one if it will burn you out.