What are you looking for in your next step?

It’s a question posed to job-seekers by everyone from recruiters to friends to interviewers. And in most cases, people have an answer ready to go. They list off the job title they want, the projects they’d be excited to take part in, the type of colleagues they hope to work alongside, their ideal office location, and how much money they’d like to make. We believe that if we can get out of our current role and into one that ticks all the boxes, we’ll be happier and more excited about work. 

There’s a problem, though.

Research shows that we’re not good at predicting how we will feel in the future - even if we’re getting what we want. We tend to focus on a few small, specific features of the life we’re imagining and forget all of the other aspects that come with it. For example, we might overestimate how happy a move to Hawaii would make us if we think only about the sunshine and fail to consider the realities of island life, including the higher cost of living and distance from loved ones. Similarly, we may expect that changes to our business card will make us feel better about work than they actually will.

Get a deeper understanding

Attuned is a powerful tool for helping us visualize and give names to our values. Since our values and motivations lie deeper beneath the surface, they can be harder to recognize than other aspects of who we are, like our personality traits or behavior. Attuned focuses on these underlying drivers - our intrinsic motivation. This is important because things that don’t match our values don’t usually stick or feel like a good fit for our lives. Essentially, Attuned measures why we work and this knowledge can be a powerful addition to your job search.

If you haven’t taken the Attuned Motivator Assessment yet (or if you took it more than a year ago), click here to take it for free. The assessment will take about 10-15 minutes to complete and asks you to choose between two statements, identifying which one you prefer and how strongly.

From there, it will generate a report that looks like this:

The 11 Motivators are ranked in order of importance to you, with the ones marked “need to have” or highest on the list being most relevant to whether you feel fulfilled at work. Remember, it is looking at your drivers, not measuring your skill or abilities.

For example, my top Motivator is Progress, so I would struggle to feel connected and excited about a role if there was no opportunity for professional development or expanding my knowledge.

Quick tip: Bookmark the URL for your Motivator Report and also click the Share Report button to print or save your report as a pdf.

Convert knowledge into action

Once you’ve read through your report, follow these 4 steps to maximize the impact of Attuned in your job search:

1. Take a few minutes to reflect

Read the descriptions of your top 3 Motivators and circle the details and definitions that describe you best. Then do the same for the Preferred Work Environment section of the report.

Next, write down, in your own words, what your top 3 Motivators mean to you. For example, try filling in the following sentences.

For me, [this Motivator] means _______, not _______.  

I feel most fulfilled at work when _______. 

It’s demotivating for me if _______.

Finally, consider how your top Motivators work together. Write a sentence or two explaining what you value at work based on your intrinsic motivation. Another powerful question to consider: how can you honor those motivations in your job search?

2. Share your Attuned Motivator Report with your recruiter

Wahl+Case consultants are also using Attuned and can help you leverage the information in your report to enhance your recruitment experience. Attuned also gives you a shared vocabulary for discussing your motivations and what is important to you in your next role. Tell them what your top Motivators mean to you and how this impacts the way you're approaching new opportunities. 

3. Ask questions based on your top Motivators during interviews

Most interviewers will ask whether you have any questions for them. It's critical that you make the most of this invitation! It's a great time to be curious about (and show sincere interest in) the role you are considering, including information about what it’s like to work in that environment.  

Let’s use Progress again as an example. Knowing that personal development is critical to whether I feel fulfilled at work, I might ask questions like:

• How does the company approach continuous learning and development?

• What opportunities would I have to discuss my career goals with my manager?

• What type of professional development opportunities have been offered to you over the past year?

Write down a few questions based on your top motivators and, if you’d like some additional inspiration, download a copy of the Attuned Interview Questions guidebook for some ideas from our team. 

4. Evaluate any potential offers through the lens of your top Motivators

When you reach the end of the interview process, take some time to consider your options. Use Attuned to help you focus on work that connects to your core values rather than worrying about what you “should” do, or what other people are doing. Which opportunities are in alignment with your need-to-have Motivators?

We may not be good at predicting whether our choices will make us happy, but Attuned removes some of the guesswork about whether we will feel fulfilled and motivated by the work we do. And with a life decision as significant as the next steps in your career, it’s worth utilizing every bit of self-knowledge you can to make an informed choice.

More about ‘Job Search & Career Progression’

Kristine Ayuzawa

Director of People Operations