What Do YOU Value?

In this article, contributor Mickey Fitch takes readers on a values Q & A that they can apply in their own job searches, as well as personal lives.

When I was in college, at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, I was both a hall government representative as well as a community advisor. As part of the training and development for these roles, we attended a retreat at a local camp.  Our supervising hall director would hold a “values auction,” where we would bid against our fellow staff for different values such as honesty, clear communication, competition, and difference.  These auctions were interesting to me then, but what is fascinating to me now, as a student affairs professional, is this:  The items I won at these auctions are now traits that I consider to be my strengths!

During a job search, it’s tempting to let your values take a back seat to getting the “right” job. It’s easy to spend more time looking at the duties listed in the job posting than looking at what isn’t found there: benefits, values, and institutional culture.  Day in and day out, the overall picture of the position is what keeps us happy, motivated, and contributing to the success of our university, and to ourselves as people. Our job descriptions are not our life descriptions, people!

So, let me offer a few thoughts about values:

1)   Your values define you as a person. Like character traits, they don’t change from job to job, or university to university.

2)   While professionals talk a lot about values, it’s usually in the context of training, evaluation, or discussing problems we are having at work/with the job.

3)   On the other hand, we often try to teach values to our students, or to get them to examine their own.

Does anyone else see the irony here? We are teaching and preaching, but don’t necessarily walk our own walk!

Since many of our readers are currently in job searches, I thought it would be appropriate to share the following  series of questions to ask yourself, during your career exploration. (Although these topics aren’t as two-sided as I will present them, take the continuum into account as you think about them).

Do you value…

• Competition, or collaboration with peers/other colleagues?
• Regular, casual feedback, or formal evaluations?
• Individual/director decision-making, or team decision-making?
• Working alone everyday, or working with many others?
• Clear, written expectations and goals, or a general direction?
• Electronic primary communication, or non-electronic communication?
• Hands-on supervision, or hands-off supervision?
• Chains of approval, or immediate decision-making?
• Similar age/experience/education peers, or a variety of backgrounds represented?
• Clear, honest, direct communication with peers/supervisors, or passive, indirect communication?

To be more specific to our field, do you prefer…

• Structured learning communities, or general education programs?
• Supervision of several buildings/programs/operations, or  supervision of one?
• Department-funded programming, or student activity fee-funded programming?
• National greek chapter affiliation, or local/university greek chapters?
• Traditional two-bed housing, or a variety of housing options?
• Being on call 24/7 or the opportunity to unplug from work each day?
• Departments as “silos,” or  constant collaboration across campus?

What matters most to you, personally?:

• Living in a city, the country or the suburbs?
• Do you  need full medical coverage, or is partial coverage acceptable?
• Full institution/employee contribution to a retirement plan vs. little/no investment
• Is proximity to an airport a major consideration?
• Finding employment in town for a partner? (Or is it okay if your partner must travel/stay behind?)
• Nearby opportunities for outdoor recreation? (Or are you willing to travel for outdoor recreation?)
• Would you prefer a position with a large salary, but few soft benefits, or a smaller salary with many soft benefits?
• How close do you need to be to members of your personal support network?
• What access do you need to shopping? (How far are you willing to travel to shop for things you need?)
• Will you have opportunities in the community to meet a potential partner in town, or will you have to travel? (If travel is necessary, are you willing to travel?)
• If you identify as an underrepresented person, do you need a community within your town or is it okay for you to travel to the nearest city to find other members of your community? (You can replace ‘community’ with food needs, personal needs, worship needs, cultural needs, etc., as well.)

Doing an internal audit of yourself and your own values is essential. I encourage you to have conversations like these with your peers, your teammates, and supervisors.  And for those in relationships, have this conversation to see what values brought you and your partner together.  For me, knowing my values is like knowing how to read a compass…they help guide and steer me not only when conditions are rough, but also when the sun in shining!

Have a question about values, or want to chat more with me about it?  Please leave a comment!

Mickey Fitch is a higher education professional who has crafted her career around the residence life experience on the college campus.  Mickey loves to tell stories and help students make the most of their residential experience on campus.  A native to the upper Midwest, Mickey is currently undergoing a job search to find her opportunity to serve in residence life.  On the personal side, Mickey is an avid fisherman and outdoorswoman and is currently engaged in a life-changing health and fitness journey!  You can learn more about her at mickeyfitch.weebly.com.

*Caption is a quote from Star Wars (the first of the real ones.) Princess Leia says it to Han Solo, as he collects his reward to take back to Jabba the Hutt.