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What Your Scores Mean

These scores are calculated as a percentage of the possible points you could have scored for each attribute. This can help you understand how strong your leanings are towards a specific trait. As you might guess, a higher score means you identify with an attribute more. This isn't a right-or-wrong type of score- just an extra indicator of your preferences!

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What is the Domain Breakdown?

This is a snapshot of what form of compensation matters most to you and the balance between them. The report is intentionally broad and should be used only as a guide as assess your fit with an opportunity. The three domains (Approach, Environment, and Outcomes) are presented as a diagram proportionally divided to correlate with your responses. We find it helps to see the forest before we focus on the trees.

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Your Results

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Your results have been compiled below! With WorkFit DX, you will see your High-low Report, which includes breakdowns of your top 3 and bottom 3 key indicators, as well as your Mid Report, which shows which attributes fall in the center of your workplace preferences.

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Feeling overwhelmed by your results or just not sure where to start?
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Domain Breakdown

What's this?

The strength of our Domain scores indicates what domain and category of attribution we value most. While not as specific as the individual results that follow, these results help us better understand our priorities and enable more productive conversations with our employers. Consider focusing negotiations and team-building discussions around the Domains that are strongest, even if you need to give a little on the side of the circle that is smallest. (For more tips on developing Domain-based strategies, contact a Career Placement Specialist.)

Satisfaction in our careers depends on how we do a job, not just the nature of the work performed. Two people can fill a role equally effectively but approach their work entirely differently. Their success and happiness depend largely on their ability to work in the most effective way for them.
The average person will spend over 90,000 hours of their life at work. More waking hours will be spent at work than engaged in any other single task. It is important that you work in an environment where you are empowered to be your best self.
Employment at its root is a contract between employers and employees. Our employers receive the time and results of our efforts, and we are compensated. Compensation is why we work. There are several varieties of compensation. Assessing the merits of each of these outcomes leads to more strategic career choices.

Attribute Results

Low

The results of your assessment have resulted in a tie between one or more key indicator. When this happens in your High-Low Report, we provide you with the results for all results that tied. For this reason, you see more than three results in your Low Report.

High Report

The following results represent the Attributes that contribute most to your fit with employment opportunities. With the insights shared below, you should be able to develop a strategy that will effectively support career selection, contract negotiation, employee evaluation, and self-discovery.

#1

Autonomy Highest Attribute

Autonomy is an APPROACH

Satisfaction in our careers depends on how we do a job, not just the nature of the work performed.

Two people can fill a role effectively but approach their work very differently. Their success and happiness depend largely on their ability to work in the most effective way for them.

Strategic Insights

With autonomy high in your results, you value being trusted and appreciate having room to figure out your own way of doing things. The intrinsically motivated respond most positively to autonomy, and when given that autonomy they become more motivated.

Autonomy is the level of discretion you have over your work and how you do it and is deeply intertwined with ownership and trust. The higher the skill level needed for a job, the more autonomy you have. Being an expert at something has many perks, and one of them is higher levels of autonomy. Studies show that workers who have higher levels of autonomy in their job tend to have better job performance, satisfaction, organizational commitment, lower work-related stress, less fatigue, and more intrinsic motivation.

You can approach attaining high levels of autonomy from three different angles. Autonomy is largely decided by what position you’re in within the company, what type of work you do, and who your manager is. Some positions lend themselves to more autonomy, but a micromanaging manager can interfere with your independence.

One secret to finding jobs with high autonomy is to become a manager. Managers, however, are not always known for being particularly good at what they do, which is no wonder, because most of them have never had formal training in management (it’s been proven)! Professional management training is a great way to get a high-autonomy job in virtually any field you’re interested in. Consider an MBA or MPA, for example. People who complete these kinds of programs have very high starting salaries, learn skills that can be applied almost anywhere, and usually find jobs with very high levels of autonomy.

You will have success if you look for jobs where your performance is outcome-based and your work processes don’t rely on high levels of coordination. It’s also worth noting that autonomy doesn’t necessarily mean working alone (though it can). High functioning and close-knit teams can still have high levels of individual, and team, autonomy. You’re looking for a role where your tasks are relatively self-contained, and levels of trust are high.

Interview Questions

  • How is success measured in this role?
  • Who else do people in this role need to work with to be successful?
  • Who else in the company can do this role? (Often roles that cannot be done by others have higher levels of autonomy—whether that’s being the company data-wizard, tax accountant, or courier. If nobody else can/will do it, it’s harder to micromanage you.)

Job Search Tips

  • One of your greatest assets here is current employees; they are often far more willing to share how things actually happen than those in charge of the hiring. You can ask the hiring manager if you can talk to a current employee, or, if you’re a little braver, just reach out to them yourself. Tell them you're considering taking a job at their company and that you’d like to ask them a few questions about working there.
  • Jobs with high levels of autonomy often come with higher levels of reward (intrinsic or extrinsic), some can also come with higher levels of risk (for instance, pure commission sales). You now know that you care about autonomy, so think about applying that to your job search. Do an honest self-evaluation to determine how much you want social interaction with co-workers, and/or some level of oversight to keep you on task. That can help you narrow down the types of high-autonomy jobs you’re looking for.
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#2

Purpose

Strategic Insights

With purpose high in your results, you should look for opportunities to connect your efforts with the employer's mission, or even to a deeper purpose. You will likely find the greatest satisfaction in your work if you are part of a cause or have a clear sense of who you are serving and are not just collecting a paycheck or working up the corporate ladder. Focus on what matters most to you and look to connect with organizations that share your passions. Realize that you can find purpose in many different areas, including in your contribution to clients, your co-workers/team, or the overarching goal/mission of the organization.

The trend over the last decades has been for people to come into the workforce hoping to receive more purpose from their jobs than previous generations did. This is tricky because satisfaction is based on expectations, and high, but unmet, expectations can lead to disillusionment, which is devastating to intrinsic motivation. Your labor and your life are intrinsically valuable, so you want your hours of effort each day to contribute towards making a difference in something you care about. Of course, you can make a difference in your relationships and hobbies outside of work. But if you scored high in purpose, you want to feel that the work you are doing is making a difference in the world.

Making a difference comes down to our humanity. We are social creatures which is one of our greatest strengths. This means that making a difference comes from usefully serving other people, or even things (such as the environment, trees, or stray animals). The more you can draw a connection to how the work you do serves others the happier you will be. There’s not just one way to do this either. Find what works for you. Surprisingly, many accountants feel high levels of meaning in their work. An in-depth study discovered more than 10 different ways that they found that meaning. Some felt meaning in their role as the referee for the financial marketplace, others found great meaning in helping their companies organize their resources, while others loved contributing to their team and coworkers.

It is worth knowing that not everyone is like you. Many people won't feel deeply connected to the mission or will simply consider it just a nice side benefit to the job. Their approach is just fine. Try to avoid being frustrated by those whose passion for their work is not equal to yours.

In the end, there are more ways to find meaning in your work than most realize. However, almost no jobs will feel that way all the time. Doctors spend a lot of time doing paperwork, and firefighters spend a lot of time on false alarms and waiting in the station, so temper your expectations a little bit. In the end, purpose comes from relationships and service. Even in the best jobs you won’t feel it all the time but try to find a position that resonates with the contributions that you want to make.

Finding purpose in your job is more like feeling healthy. It takes work that is sometimes disruptive and unpleasant, and that doesn’t mean you’re spending every second basking in ecstasy and pleasure because of your health. Instead, it will infuse your entire life and upgrade everything a little bit. It will make the hard/sick/unhealthy times a little better. It will also give you moments from time to time that are rich and powerful, where all of the meaning of what you are doing comes rushing in on you. Savor these. But remember, even if you have a very fulfilling job, don’t forsake your life and relationships outside of work; research shows that longer-term purposes and life-satisfaction almost always relies more heavily on how we prioritize the “life” part of the work-life balance.

Interview Questions

  • Can you tell me more about the people your organization serves?
  • Why did you (the founders) start the company?
  • How do you (the interviewer) feel about the mission of the company?

Job Search Tips

  • Look at the company mission statement. It will tell you what the company values. Try to find a company that is aligned with your values.
  • See if you can find customer testimonials that speak to the impact the company has made.
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#3

Flexibility

Strategic Insights

With flexibility high in your results, you want to be able to blend your work life with the needs and desires you have for the rest of your life. Well, you're in luck! Research shows that those who value flexibility and free time tend to be the happiest and most satisfied with their lives. Why? Because they avoid the (un)happiness traps of spending too much time focusing on things that don't actually make them happy and might even make them miserable.

Consider looking for a job that is outcome-oriented, perhaps project-based, and where strict, in-person time is not highly prized. More and more employers are making it possible for people to be more flexible with their work. Flexibility can be found in hourly jobs, salaried positions, and production-based work. Management is the single most important factor in determining the flexibility of the company's operations—more significant even than the industry or company.

Covid-19 has led to some dramatic changes regarding flexibility and work. A 2021 Harvard study found that of those who switched to working remotely, only 12% wanted to go back to work every day in the office, the rest wanted to either stay fully remote or return to a hybrid situation with some days remote and some in-office every week. Why? The main reason: flexibility. It turns out that feeling like you are constantly under the watchful eyes of your employers and co-workers can dramatically curtail how much flexibility you feel your job has. Remote work has not impacted productivity. Rather, it has allowed people to prioritize other, often more important things, in their lives.

This is a fast-moving situation, but things will not go back to the way they were before because most workers who have tasted flexibility don’t want to give it up. Increasingly, the companies offering the most flexibility will be able to get the best talent. This is good for you. With a little legwork and flexibility on your part, you will have more choices to arrange work the way you want across the different stages of your life.

Interview Questions

  • Is there a set time that I am supposed to arrive and leave every day?
  • Are there any employees who have taken non-traditional approaches to this position?
  • What is the company's sick day/vacation policy?

Job Search Tips

  • Don't be sneaky about this. If you're hiding what you really care about now, there are two things you need to realize. First, you're going to keep hiding these things once you're hired, which will not lead to more flexibility. Second, if you're applying for a job where you FEEL you need to hide these things, it’s probably a sign that the company won’t give you the flexibility you're looking for.
  • Most jobs that are actually flexible are upfront about it during the interview process because it's attractive. So, speak openly about your priorities. To excel in flexible jobs, you need to earn trust. The better your work is, especially when it's done while utilizing flexible working arrangements, the more trust you will earn, the less your manager will worry about what you're doing, and the more freedom you will have.
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Low Report

These Attributes are the least relevant to your finding a professional fit. While not as important for you to recognize as the positively correlated Attributes, we have found that, because no job is perfect, it is helpful to know what you might be able to give in exchange for what you need from an employer.

The results of your assessment have resulted in a tie between one or more key indicator. When this happens in your High-Low Report, we provide you with the results for all results that tied. For this reason, you see more than three results in your Low Report.

#12

Remuneration

Strategic Insights

Having remuneration at the bottom of your results table does not mean that you don't care about money. We all need money. What is suggested by this result is that after meeting your basic needs and personal financial goals, how much money you make takes a backseat to other forms of compensation. You might prefer to be “paid” with more time with family, a friendly work environment, or a prestigious title.

A study from Princeton University found that having a higher income increases happiness only up to about $80,000 per year. Beyond that higher pay doesn’t influence our happiness very much, and other things start to matter more. Most people think that being rich will make them happy. Relatedly, most people making $80,000 a year don’t feel rich, but studies show they are just as likely to be happy as people who are making much more money. With remuneration low on your list, you are free to prioritize other values.

Also, with remuneration low on your list, you may struggle to relate to people who are constantly chasing after more money. You may even be tempted to judge their pursuit of wealth. Try to fight this urge. Like you, they are looking for respect and self-worth, and their paycheck might be their measuring stick.

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#13

Status

Strategic Insights

Having status-seeking relatively low in your motivations means that you can more easily find value and meaning in your work without being constantly recognized by others, (though it virtually always feels good to be admired). It can also mean that even in less meaningful/enjoyable job you are getting enough respect and esteem in your life outside of work that you don’t need as much affirmation from your job and co-workers.

Not needing as much external validation opens up good opportunities that others might not enjoy and has the side benefit of helping to keep you away from some of the potential pitfalls and temptations of self-aggrandizement. On the flip side, you might not do a good enough job of self-promotion and might even downplay your accomplishments. You might want to look a little deeper and see if the work you have done is better than you are giving it credit for. Because you don’t get as much satisfaction as others from external affirmation, it might not occur to you how important it is to recognize your own achievements.

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#14

Collaboration

Strategic Insights

Having collaboration at the bottom of your results means you enjoy jobs that many others might find too isolating. This might be because you just happen to like it that way, or perhaps because you feel that your social needs are being met outside of your job through your bowling team, chess club, seven kids, partner, or the hobby farm you come home to every day. Great! Organizations need people who can thrive in jobs where they are self-directed and largely independent. Working successfully with minimal oversight can often lead to opportunities for promotion.

Although you enjoy captaining your own boat, that doesn’t mean that you (or any human) will thrive in isolation. So, even if you can succeed as a lone wolf, make sure you find ways to connect with others in meaningful ways. Having lunch with friends or coworkers, getting a coffee, drinks, or some food outside of work, invite a coworker to join you or your family for a hike on the weekend, or even participating in a thriving meme-sharing culture on Slack can help you build worthwhile professional relationships.

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#15

Location Lowest Attribute

Strategic Insights

With location in your bottom results, you can confidently pursue the best opportunities regardless of their location. You are highly adaptable and can adjust to life in the big city, small town, near family, or far from it. This does not mean that you don't have preferences, just that those preferences don't strongly determine your level of satisfaction at work.

Agility can be a very powerful advantage when job hunting but if overindulged can prevent you from developing the deep roots that are often essential for advancement. Stay flexible on location but keep an eye out for aspects of your location that really resonate with you and try to maintain and maximize those going forward. (Note: Location preference is a domain that often changes over the course of a career. It may be in your top three at one stage of your career and in the bottom at another. Don't assume because it’s at the bottom now, which suggests that you can be happy working anywhere, that you will always be geographically versatile).

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Mid Report

These key-indicators, while not as relevant to your personal strategy, should be studied and understood because over the course of your career it is likely that one or more of these results will increase in importance to you. There also might be an insight or question that will be of value to you.

#4

Variety

Strategic Insights

With variety in your top attributes, you should consider jobs that don’t necessarily look the same from one month to the next, or even from day to day. One option could be project-based jobs. You may also enjoy working on a team where everyone needs to wear multiple hats from time to time (for instance, most startups). Variety comes with unpredictability, which for some is a perk. You get to solve problems, and you’ll often be thrown into situations in which you are not yet an expert. This is a fast track to gaining competency and experience across many different areas.

Variety doesn’t necessarily mean a chaotic or unpredictable workplace (though it can in some fields if that’s what you want). Some jobs, such as K-12 teaching, coaching, and construction, have variety built into them because of the different topics, lessons, projects, and people you interact with every day.

To find a job that’s high on variety, look for positions that have structural reasons for why your work would vary. Does the position entail working for diverse clients on their various needs? From consulting to accounting to home remodeling, working with clients is one way that variety can be built in. Another often overlooked source of variety is working on a small team or in a small company. As part of a smaller firm, relatively few people must address the day-to-day tasks and problems. Everyone has to pitch in for the venture to succeed. This is a good way to avoid boredom.

Interview Questions

  • How many clients do we work with at any given time, and how different might the jobs be for various clients?
  • What will my day-to-day work look like? (Often, in positions with high variety this will be a hard question for them to answer, which is a good thing in this case)
  • How big is the team I will be working on and how do job assignments get handed out?

Job Search Tips

  • Look for the words “client” and “project” or “project-based” or “many/multiple/different hats.” These are not the only ways to find jobs with high variety, but they’re a great start.
  • Want variety? Go work for a startup. There are job boards that post positions specifically for startups and you will likely end up doing work across all sorts of areas in a fast-paced environment.
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#5

Leadership

Strategic Insights

Valuing leadership does not mean that you need to be the boss (though it may indicate that you are well suited to taking a leadership role). Valuing leadership suggests that who is in charge matters to you, and there’s a good reason for that. Believing in the company's leadership and its vision will help you succeed and increase your satisfaction at work.

It is also useful to be aware that your manager and your company leadership are two distinct things. Surprisingly, evidence suggests that company leadership is generally more responsible for people quitting than their direct managers are. Even in situations with great managers but poor company leadership, only 38% of employees intend to stay with the company. However, in situations with poor managers but great company leaders, 60% intend to stay! In situations with great management AND leaders, a full 89% intend to stay. So, leadership matters a lot and people can, and do, overlook flaws in middle management when company leadership is great.

Studies show that in “good” companies managers make a big difference in whether or not people leave their jobs, but in “bad” companies, good or bad managers make little difference in a person’s decision to leave (they just leave). In the end, you don’t have a lot of say in who the company leaders are, but your manager will change fairly frequently. Ask current employees about their feelings about company leadership (not in front of other people). If they are effusive and practically glowing with positive feelings, this is probably a great place to work.

Also, keep an eye out for opportunities to take a management role. As someone who values good leadership, you likely have the instincts that would make you a good leader. Often when people who value leadership work in an environment where the management team is not effective or inspiring, they are able to fill the need for leadership and create value for the company and opportunities for themselves.

Interview Questions

  • Can you tell me about the CEO, VP, or Director)?
  • What do you find most inspiring about working here?
  • What opportunities are there for advancement?

Job Search Tips

  • Research the company founders and current leadership team. See if you can identify any similarities or red flags.
  • Apply for positions that have supervisory responsibilities. This will help you develop a leadership style or utilize your natural ability to lead.
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#6

Sociability

Strategic Insights

Sociability relates to the importance of your relationship with others, whether they are your coworkers, clients, vendors, or customers. The people that we work with are often those with whom we spend the most time. As someone with sociability high in your results, you are particularly attuned to these relationships, whether positive or negative. It is therefore important that you do your best to choose an environment that suits your personality and your social needs.

Everywhere you work will have a company culture. Even within the same industry, one firm might be very professional and another more laid back. Your ability to fit in and be a valuable part of the team may depend on your innate connection to the company’s culture and the team. There is nothing wrong with you if you don't fit in at a particular business. Like romantic relationships, sometimes it just doesn't work out.

You would like to avoid negative social situations and for good reason! Studies have estimated that between turnover, loss of productivity, loss of commitment to the company, and decreased creativity, having one major jerk on staff can cost a company over $100,000 annually.

There are situations, such as highly competitive jobs/cultures, where being intimidating or putting others down can appear to help people gain power. The effectiveness of the organization and team, however, will suffer as those individuals have built no goodwill or trust, yet they will carry on thinking that their cutthroat ways are the key to their success. Numerous studies show that this is false, but they still believe it, and so will others. You will often run into some amount of competitiveness in your workplace, and that’s ok, but look for red flags that the entire culture is competition-based.

Being high in sociability does NOT mean that you are emotionally dependent; it means that you desire and appreciate the relationships you have with people at work. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t handle having a jerk around. The world’s top researcher on dealing with workplace jerks suggests that his favorite way to cope with them is emotional detachment, or teaching yourself not to care about negativity from that person. It’s their problem, not yours, and you don’t have to play their game. This is also a useful life skill in general.

You aren’t necessarily doomed because of less ideal social situations at work, it’s just harder. It’s even possible to gain great satisfaction from being a force for goodwill, forgiveness, and service in a previously less-functional group. You’re never going to find a job with perfect people who are always kind to each other. So just do what you can to be a force for good, foster a healthy relationship with your coworkers, and then go from there.

Studies show that if you work for a jerk, you are more likely to become one. So, no matter who ends up around you, take control of your own choices and choose to be a decent human being first. As someone who prizes sociability, you’ll appreciate the friendships and goodwill that come from being kind at work.

And finally, take this mantra to heart: Be slow to label others as jerks, be quick to label yourself as one. Being quick to label yourself the jerk, or at least pausing to consider how you might be contributing to the problem is vital. All humans tend to deny and downplay their imperfections. Just because you highly value sociability doesn’t necessarily mean you’re good at it (sorry!). But knowing that you value your workplace relationships means that you have the advantage of knowing what to get good at. You may benefit more than anybody else by learning and practicing the skills of sociability, teamwork, peacemaking, and friendship-building.

Interview Questions

  • Can I meet a few other members of the team?
  • Could you describe the company culture to me?
  • Can you describe your ideal coworker?

Job Search Tips

  • When considering opportunities, pay special attention to how the employees interact with one another. Try to even sit in on a meeting. Can you see yourself contributing to their conversations?
  • Try to find someone who has worked with or for the company you are considering. Often the impressions others have of an employer and their team can help us determine how we might fit in.
  • It doesn’t take many jerks to affect a workplace. Feel free to ask employees if any such people are working there. A word of caution, don’t ask for WHO they are—that’s gossip, and it sets everyone up for trouble. Instead ask something like, “I don’t want any names, but are there some workers here that you feel generally make your life difficult/miserable?” If you get a couple of people who say yes, realize that there is a decent chance this will be more contagious than it might seem upfront.
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#7

Predictability

Strategic Insights

Valuing predictability means that you are likely a planner. You get more done when you know what is expected and probably often exceed those expectations. You are likely frustrated by a lack of structure or when there isn't clear guidance. Recognizing these qualities about yourself will help you make better career decisions.

Knowing in advance how you will be evaluated is crucial to your success at work. Unfortunately, most employers are rarely clear on what they need from their employees. This lack of clarity can lead otherwise talented employees to underperform. As someone who wants to go above and beyond, you may need to help your employer set expectations. Because you value predictability, you will likely see tasks that need to be done before others do. This ability to anticipate needs will make you very valuable to your company as an employee and a leader.

Regardless of the work you are doing, clear communication is the key to predictability and you recognize and value that. Some jobs lend themselves to this type of clarity more than others, which you can usually tell from the outset. Just ask yourself, “How easy would it be to know if I have done the job well, even if I never get any feedback?” If the answer is, “very easy,” that’s built-in clarity, which you value, and which allows you to plan for success instead of wading through chaos.

Predictability can also be a management decision, and you can help with this. If your manager has not given you a clear sense of what successful outcomes will look like and how to achieve them, you can and should ask clarifying questions. Just make sure you do it in a way that doesn’t come across as annoyed or accusatory. Say something like, “I have a few questions to help me make sure I give you exactly what you're looking for.”

A great way to ensure predictability is to take a job in the public sector. More than 15% of the entire workforce is working for the government in one way or another. Virtually every job in the private sector is also available in the public sector. Public sector jobs are known for their predictability. The workday ends at the same time each day, overtime is rarely allowed let alone demanded, there are great benefits, and you will know your schedule in advance. Many lawyers from even the best law schools take jobs in the government because the reliability of work hours, vacation days, and promotions makes having an excellent work/life balance and retirement plans essentially built in.

Interview Questions

  • Can you tell me what a typical day working here might look like?
  • How will I know if I am doing a good job?
  • I want to be a great employee. Can you tell me what makes an employee great in your organization?

Job Search Tips

  • Seek out job listings in your industry that are detailed, specifically those that describe job tasks, not just required qualifications.
  • Look online for employee feedback, particularly of the company's management team. Often, you can glean from past employees' comments if the leadership is good at providing structure.
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#8

Clarity

Strategic Insights

Having clarity in your bottom three means that you are ok with relatively high levels of uncertainty. High tolerance for uncertainty, and even a little chaos, can allow you to thrive where others falter. Still, beware of managers that have unnecessarily vague expectations.

High tolerance for uncertainty is inherently entrepreneurial and makes you well suited for being on the cutting edge of new initiatives. You are a good fit for spearheading the creation of new projects within companies or even creating new companies. Consider looking for jobs in startups. There are job boards exclusively for positions in startups. These jobs often come with high levels of uncertainty, creativity, team comradery, and even a little company ownership, which can sometimes pay off in big ways. You never know, and that’s kind of the point. People who score very high on clarity have a hard time in creative fields, and often burn out. Because you don’t (right now) you can potentially thrive in fields such as the arts and entertainment where outcomes tend to be subjective and success is very hard to define upfront but easier to recognize after the fact.

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#9

Training

Strategic Insights

With training at the bottom of your results, you are likely comfortable figuring it out as you go. Many companies, particularly startups, do not have formal training and mentorship programs. This lack of structure and process is frustrating for many people and can lead to turnover. But, for someone who can cope or maybe even thrive with a lack of direction, there is an opportunity to provide value and find success. Since you can compromise on training, you will have more options. If you’re happy with your job position, but don’t feel a great need for new training, there’s a good chance you are starting to turn more of your creative attention towards projects and relationships outside of your work. This is very healthy.

Opportunities for training become fewer and fewer as your responsibilities increase and when you work independently. A word of caution, don't run before you can walk. We all need training. Don't be too eager to reject the voice of experience. However, with training low on your list of professional needs, you could be ready to consider more of a senior role.

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#10

Specialization

Strategic Insights

Scholars often delineate between generalists and specialists. Because you care less about being a specialist, that means you can focus all of your efforts on being an excellent generalist. Great generalists are extremely valuable because they can “speak the language” of different areas of expertise and help them work together. The best generalists are excellent at making connections between different specialties because they have some familiarity with all of them. Specialists are generally less equipped to do this and must rely on generalists to work well with different groups. Generalists often become the best managers.

The generalists who thrive are often specialists in organization and social politics. What this means is that they are particularly good at helping teams work together, organizing their efforts, smoothing over social mismatches between various factions, and helping everyone get the most from their work.

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#11

Excitement

Strategic Insights

First things first, scoring low on excitement doesn't mean you like boring work or that you are boring. There are plenty of very boring wilderness firefighters. What this means is that you don't need your work to provide that excitement for you. This is a great asset because it gives you flexibility where others, who really want to find excitement AT WORK, don't have it.

Because excitement is often the result of some amount of chaos, jobs that focus on making things run smoothly, creating steady growth, and organizing or arranging things can be very fulfilling even if they are less exciting.

Excitement is a whole-body experience, and day-in-day-out, excitement can be rough on a person. People who desire excitement at work often pay for it in other areas, like salary. They may also be more susceptible to dropping the ball in the less adrenaline-filled aspects of their life, such as personal development or their relationships. You can maximize your need for adventure and excitement elsewhere, and let work be work.

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The Job-Hunt Guidebook

A collection of the most important myths and truths found in the last 20 years of academic studies on interviews, resumes, and applications.

The Truth Behind Job Postings

The great mismatch between how hiring managers view job postings and how applicants view job postings, and how that’s derailing applicants.

The Three Things Employers are Looking For in Applications

in Applications and Interviews and the central questions the interviewer is asking themselves about you.

The Four Lies Employers are Worried About in Your Application

  • These affect how they view all applicants, even the 100% honest
  • How this changes the way you need to present yourself
  • Detailed and specific steps you can take to use this knowledge in your application, resume, and interviews to rise to the very top of the stack