jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • Advertise a Job
  • Recruiters
  • Your Account

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Secondary Sidebar

jobs.ac.uk Career Advice

  • CV and Cover Letter Advice
    • CV Tips
    • Free CV Templates
    • Cover Letters with Examples
    • Personal Profiles
    • CV Resources
  • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
    • Jobseeking Tips
    • Academic Interviews
    • Professional Interviews
    • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Interview Question Tool
  • Career Development
    • Academic Careers
    • Research Careers
    • Career Progression Stories
    • Professional Careers
    • Working in Industry
    • Career Development Resources
    • Global Careers
    • Working From Home
    • PhD Supervisor Guides
  • Women in Higher Education
  • FE Career Advice
    • FE CV & Interview Tips
    • Working in FE
    • Managing your Career in FE
    • FE Jobs Profiles
  • Resources
    • Academic Case Studies
    • Professional Case Studies
    • Job Profiles
      • Biological Science Jobs
      • Health and Medical Jobs
      • Engineering and Technology Jobs
      • Computer Science Jobs
      • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
      • Professional Service Jobs
        • Business Development Manager Jobs Profile
        • Chef Jobs Profile
        • Civil Service Jobs Profile
        • Compliance Officer
        • Email Marketing Jobs Profile
        • Event Jobs
        • Office Admin Jobs
        • Programming Manager Jobs
        • SEO Jobs Profile
    • Vlogs
  • Webinars
  • Country Profiles
    • Africa
      • Egypt
      • Ghana
      • Kenya
      • Nigeria
      • South Africa
    • Americas
      • Canada
      • United States of America
    • Asia
      • Bahrain
      • Brunei
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Malaysia
      • Qatar
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Dubai
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • Turkey
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Work in Vietnam – Country Profile
      • Work in Uzbekistan – Country Profile
    • Europe
      • Belgium
      • Denmark
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Russia
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
  • PhD and Studentship Advice
    • PhD Guides
    • PhD advice
    • Studentship Resources
    • PhD Vlogs
  • Need help advertising a job?
  • About jobs.ac.uk
  • Ask A Professional
  • Academic Spotlight Interviews
  • Menu
    • CV and Cover Letter Advice
      • CV Tips
      • Free CV Templates
      • Cover Letters with Examples
      • Personal Profiles
      • CV Resources
    • Jobseeking and Interview Tips
      • Jobseeking Tips
      • Academic Interviews
      • Professional Interviews
      • Jobseeking and Interview Resources
    • Career Development
      • Academic Careers
      • Career Progression Stories
      • Research Careers
      • Professional Careers
      • Working in Industry
      • Career Development Resources
      • Global Careers
      • Working From Home
    • Women in Higher Education
    • FE Career Advice
      • FE CV & Interview Tips
      • Working in FE
      • Managing your Career in FE
      • FE Jobs Profiles
    • Resources
      • Academic Case Studies
      • Professional Case Studies
      • Interview questions tool
      • Vlogs
      • Job Profiles
        • Biological Science Jobs
        • Health and Medical Jobs
        • Engineering and Technology Jobs
        • Computer Science Jobs
        • Physical and Environmental Science Jobs
        • Professional Service Jobs
        • Civil Service jobs
    • Webinars
    • Country Profiles
      • Africa
        • Work in Egypt – Country Profile
        • Work in Ghana – Country Profile
        • Work in Kenya – Country Profile
        • Work in Nigeria – Country Profile
        • Work in South Africa – Country Profile
      • Americas
        • Work in Canada – Country Profile
        • Work in the United States of America – Country Profile
      • Asia
        • Work in Bahrain – Country Profile
        • Work in Brunei – Country Profile
        • Work in China – Country Profile
        • Work in Hong Kong – Country Profile
        • Work in India – Country Profile
        • Work in Japan – Country Profile
        • Work in Kazakhstan – Country Profile
        • Work in Malaysia – Country Profile
        • Work in Qatar – Country Profile
        • Work in Saudi Arabia – Country Profile
        • Work in Singapore – Country Profile
        • Work in South Korea – Country Profile
        • Work in Turkey – Country Profile
        • Work in United Arab Emirates – Country Profile
      • Dubai
      • Europe
        • Belgium Country Profile
        • Work in Denmark – Country Profile
        • Work in Finland – Country Profile
        • France Country Profile
        • Work in Germany – Country Profile
        • Work in Ireland – Country Profile
        • Work in Italy – Country Profile
        • Work in the Netherlands – Country Profile
        • Work in Norway – Country Profile
        • Work in Russia – Country Profile
        • Work in Spain – Country Profile
        • Work in Sweden – Country Profile
        • Work in Switzerland – Country Profile
        • Work in the United Kingdom – Country Profile
      • Oceania
        • Work in Australia – Country profile
        • Work in New Zealand – Country Profile
    • Academic Spotlight Interviews
    • Ask a Professional
    • PhD Guides
    • Studentship Advice
      • PhD
      • Studentship Resources
      • Vlogs
    • Need help advertising a job?
    • About jobs.ac.uk

Monday Motivation: Determining Your Values

values

What motivates you?

There are many reasons you might enjoy (or not enjoy) your current job, but if you are dragging yourself out of bed on a Monday morning it could be that you are not working in an environment that is in tune with your values. When you are in an environment that supports and mirrors your values you are likely to feel more positive, motivated and satisfied in your working life.

What are values and why are they important?

Your values are how you feel about things and what is important to you. They are not focused on abilities or strengths but are about where you feel comfortable and what you find rewarding. There are no rights or wrongs here and your set of values is unique to you. The financial gain could be the number one priority for one individual and the least important for another.

While there is no finite list of values, stop and consider what some of the following might mean to you: helping society and others, authority, power, prestige and respect, security, variety and routine, challenge, working with others and independence, knowledge, adventure, structure, creativity, integrity, personal balance, working environment, recognition, financial gain, community and belonging. Which of these values particularly resonates with you, and why and how would you prioritise them? You could also gain real insight by asking other people for their thoughts on what they consider your values to be.

Developing a clear picture of your own set of values makes it easier to decide on a whole range of personal and career decisions, such as which occupational areas you should pursue, if you should take on a promotion, or if it is time to leave you current role for something new. For example, if work/life balance and family are key values to you, and you are asked to take on more hours or to work away from home, how would that impact on your motivation for the role?

It can also be useful to think about your current, and also your past, workplaces to help pinpoint the settings and experiences that have been motivating and, equally, those that have not. If you haven’t felt comfortable in some of those situations, or have struggled to be enthusiastic or engaged, it may be because your set of values is at odds with the environment and the organisation you have found yourself in. When looking at new possibilities make sure you are not repeating the same mistakes, and actively look for opportunities that play to your values.

There may be a variety of career options that would be a good match for your set of values and you will also need to consider the part your skills, abilities, personality and interests play, but if you can establish real certainty around your values you will be in a better position to make informed decisions about your personal and career goals and find work that motivates you even on that Monday morning.

What did you think of our article? - please rate

5 / 5. 1


Share this article

Reader Interactions

Written by Lesley Grayburn

Lesley is an experienced manager within the Higher Education sector with a focus on creating and implementing strategy, in particular around employability, employer engagement and all forms of careers education. Extensive knowledge and experience of stakeholder management, project management, staff management, development and training, research, and successfully navigating change. I have successfully planned and delivered bids, projects and effective partnership working. Lesley is currently Joint Head of the Careers and Employability Service at the University of Stirling.

You may also like:

  • How to avoid a fear of rejection in your career

    How to avoid a fear of rejection in your career

  • What's the difference between FE and HE Lecturers?

    What's the difference between FE and HE Lecturers?

  • How to deal with burnout at work

    How to deal with burnout at work

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

14 + twelve =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Follow us

Learn how to manage a lack of feedback when job searching

Latest Jobs

  • Chief Executive

    Foundation for Science & Technology

    Location: London

    Salary: Up to £100,000 Expected 0.8 FTE


  • Mass Spectrometry Technologist

    Biological Mass Spectrometry facility, The University of Manchester

    Location: Manchester

    Salary: £23,342 - £36,263


  • Student Support Co-ordinator

    DT - Administration and Support Services, Oxford Brookes University

    Location: Oxford

    Salary: £36,636 - £39,906 pro rata


  • Postdoctoral Research Associate in Catalytic Co2 Conversion - Grade 7

    Faculty of Science and Engineering - School of Engineering - Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, University of Liverpool

    Location: Liverpool

    Salary: £39,906 - £42,254 per annum (pro-rata)


  • Senior Lecturer in Law (Professional Legal Education)

    The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London

    Location: London

    Salary: £65,091 - £74,613 per annum, including London Weighting Allowance


  • Online Student Recruitment & Sales Manager

    University Of The Arts London

    Location: High Holborn, London, Hybrid

    Salary: £52,977 - £63,815 per annum


Footer

jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people
  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Career Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility Statement

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025

  • Find a Job
  • Find PhDs
  • Careers Advice
  • Jobs by Email
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
jobs.ac.uk - Great jobs for bright people

Copyright © jobs.ac.uk 1998 - 2025