Your Results

Strategic Insights

With clarity high in your results, you should prioritize positions that have clearly defined processes, outcomes, and expectations. Many of the most satisfied employees are so happy because they see that they have become very good, even expert, at something. The feeling of mastery, and making progress towards mastery, is one of the greatest gifts work can offer.

This doesn’t mean that you need your hand held to succeed—far from it. It simply means that success is clearly defined. Through hard work, ingenuity, and brilliance you can become more successful in your role every day. Look for jobs where there is little mystery to how success is measured or achieved, then you can spend your time becoming great instead of guessing what you’re supposed to do.

One great way to add some clarity to your role is to seek careers that are marked with formal credentials and certifications. This helps you and others keep track of what you are capable of doing. It is easier to measure your skills in a credentialled field. (This is why credentialing is very difficult for painters and waiters, but much easier for doctors and accountants). Clarity in what you need to know lends itself to clarity in what you need to do, which is something you appreciate, and for good reason.

Remember that, as with predictability, you can help your manager provide you more clarity. Just do it in a humble and non-accusatory way. Say something like, “I have a few questions for you so that I can make sure I give you exactly what you're looking for,” are almost always going to lead to more clarity.

Interview Questions

• What would a typical workday look like?
• What would your dream employee for this position become excellent at?
• How clearly is success is measured in this role?

Job Search Tip

• The interview is a great place to gain insight. Some clarity comes with the type of position you are applying for, but far more often comes from how clearly management lays out their expectations. Ask lots of questions about what is expected and pay attention to how precise or “squishy” the answers are. “Squishy” expectations often lead to high levels of uncertainty, making it harder to know what things to spend time on and undercutting mastery.

Strategic Insights

Specialization means that you value becoming very good at something. Virtually every superhero story (Avengers), crime procedural (Bones), or heist movie (Oceans 11) features a team of highly specialized individuals. These teams work because the group is made up of people who are incredibly good at their individual specialties. That is their calling card. It’s exciting, satisfying, and meaningful to be the resident ‘expert’ on something. The fact that specialization is in your top three means that this is something that will be particularly enjoyable to you.

Scholars often delineate between generalists and specialists. You want to be a specialist. To be a specialist, focus on hard skills that are easy to quantify. That doesn’t mean you have to be a coder (though that’s a great job), but you’ll want to find a position in which you can measure and show your progress.

Perhaps surprising to some, specialization often dovetails nicely with low-variety jobs. This does NOT mean boring jobs. It means jobs that you have a chance to become very good at because you are allowed the time and opportunity to become excellent. Professional video gamers have extremely low-variety jobs that are almost impossible to attain because so many other people would love to be paid to play the same thing over and over for so long that they get extraordinarily good at it. Most areas of specialization have far less competition than video-game streaming, so even a little expertise can make you the best in the room, the best in the company, or even beyond.

Becoming a specialist is very fulfilling because you can see that you are getting better at something. It’s also clear how important your work is because often you’re the only one around who can perform a particular task. This also comes with some social status. Expertise can be achieved in any job or at any education level. Master’s degrees and trade certifications are, by definition, paths to mastery in a specific area, and a great way to show your expertise.

Interview Questions

• What hard skills are vital for this job?
• Are there any company-sponsored trainings/certifications that are part of this job?
• Does the company offer any education programs to help employees gain more skills?

Job Search Tips

• When considering a specialization, ask yourself, ‘how many people could put this on their resume?’ If the answer is very few, you’re on the right track.
• Imagine a current or future supervisor introducing you as “This is (your name). They’re our _______ expert!” Are you working on something that could fill that blank? Does this job provide you the opportunity to learn skills that would lead a future employer to say this about you?

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

• What does a typical work day look like? Start to end.
• Are there any employees who have taken non-traditional approaches to this position?

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.

Strategic Insights

With location high in your report, it is important that you consider not only who your employer is but also where you are working. The physical environment we work in can have a tremendous impact on our creativity, productivity, and even our mental health. Some people work best in big cities, other small towns. Maybe living near family, or having some physical distance, is critical to your professional success. A commute to work may help you focus, or it may be a burden. And all of this can change over time. As you evaluate opportunities, consider how the geographic and physical environment of your workplace affects your chances for success.

Another key, but often overlooked, aspect of our work lives is the aesthetic of our work environment. For individuals with location high in their results, how their workspace is decorated, the temperature of the office, or even the "vibe" might have a profound impact on their ability to thrive at work. Having some leeway to decorate your own space can also be a big boon.

Covid-19 is changing the calculus of work and location. A 2021 Harvard study found that of those working remotely, only 12% wanted to go back to working in the office every day as they did before. The rest (88%) want to either stay fully remote or end up in a hybrid situation where they work remotely a few days a week and in the office a few days a week.

Even before Covid-19, there was research showing that “homeworking” is associated with increases in employee well-being and more balanced work-home relationships. Another major study in the fall of 2020 found that 94% of employees reported that remote work was as good as or better than working in the office. While companies are currently grappling with what to do, this will have a profound impact in some sectors. The reason for this is simple. The companies that will allow remote work will increasingly get the best talent, while the ones demanding a return to the status quo will only be able to hire employees who live nearby and WANT to commute every day.

Scoring high on location does not mean that you have a strong preference for either remote or in-office work. You might enjoy either one and, because of the last few years, you are likely to have more options than you did pre-Covid. So now it’s not just whether you like your work location, it may be whether you like a work location at all. If you’re staying home, think about arranging your workspace to allow some bumpers between work and other aspects of your life. Spend some thoughtful time and effort on building a physical location that helps you achieve your work and personal goals.

For many in the youngest generation of workers, those in their teens and early 20s, there may be benefits to working in person instead of remotely, at least initially. A recent Microsoft study found that many (but not all) Gen Z employees are not as well served by remote work as those in the older generations. Networking, mentorship, and training are easier in person. Often, workers at this age don’t have enough money yet to build a good work-from-home location, and because of their age, many are still single. Remote work, therefore, can rob them of built-in social connections and be incredibly isolating. Everyone’s situation is different, but location is worth more thought than many give it.

Some may love the fast pace of a hectic and creative open office. Some may love the peace of their own office, with a door between them and the world. Others might rather live in a cabin with their family and get their work done over satellite internet. Even post-Covid, all in-person work offices aren’t going to die, you will just have more choices. You will increasingly have more opportunities to craft not just the career you want, but the location and nature of the life you want to lead. Taking a proactive approach to your location can be central to that.

Interview Questions

• Would it be possible to get a tour of the office?
• Where do most of the team live?
• What is the commute like (train, walking, biking)?

Job Search Tips

• Visit the actual location you will be working from. You need to see how you like the space.
• Spend some time thinking about the places you have felt the most inspired and productive. Then try to find employment opportunities that match these places in pace, aesthetics, and geography.

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 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.

Strategic Insights

Scoring low on autonomy doesn’t mean you aren’t self-motivated or independent. The opposite of autonomy is coordination. This indicates that you like being part of a team. You enjoy the interactions and the feeling of being an important part of a multi-faceted team or process. Many high-profile careers are relatively low autonomy (acting, professional sports, politics, etc.) because their outcome and processes are deeply intertwined with the work of others, and that’s great! Don’t look at low autonomy as a negative.

That said, nobody likes to be micromanaged. Even in the most interdependent positions, find out how managers oversee and correct the work of people in positions you are considering. Micro-managing drives everyone crazy and makes it harder to do great work, so ask a current employee if management is respectful of individuals and their work. Also, when you become the manager, remember that giving people as much discretion as you can within the needs of the project has vastly better outcomes than micromanaging. Unnecessarily reducing autonomy can obliterate intrinsic motivation.

Strategic Insights

We give a little more detail in this section than usual because sometimes people are concerned about getting a low score on leadership. Having leadership at the bottom of your results does not mean that you would be a poor leader. What it suggests is that you are someone who can succeed even if your supervisor is not the best. You are capable of being your own inspiration and are self-motivated. With your ability to work even without strong leadership, you don't need to edit your job search much based on the quality of the leadership team.

The most important roles management/leadership can fill for people are motivation, culture, training, and coordination. So, look for a situation where you are excited to work with those on your team, where the culture is already pretty good, where you can train yourself, and where you’re intrinsically motivated to do a good job. 80% of employees say they could do their work without a manager. You just know this upfront! If you’re signing up for a position with a leadership deficit, just make sure you can supply those four things for yourself.

A note of caution, you will probably have a manager so don’t resent them because you feel you don’t need them. They didn’t create their position and most managers have never had any formal training in management. Be dependable and they will appreciate not having to worry about you. Once you have proven yourself, if you feel there is more red tape, oversight, or reporting than necessary, feel free to have a conversation with them and see if some of that can be lessened if you maintain the quality of your work.

Finally, you may be capable of self-management but others around you may need more support. Someday you will likely find yourself in a supervisory role. When you do, make sure that you are offering support and direction to your team, even if you feel they should be able to manage tasks without direction.

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.

Strategic Insights

Having purpose at the bottom of your list doesn't mean that your life is without meaning, nor does it mean that you aren't passionate. It means that you don’t cound on your job to satisfy your passions or give your life purpose. Very often it means that you use the resources provided by your job to facilitate the things that do bring you purpose. Despite all the “follow your passion” rhetoric you were taught about your future career growing up, you are using your work to allow you to find purpose elsewhere and facilitate your other passions. This is very healthy, and more likely to lead to a happy and fulfilled life than trying to find your purpose from your job.

As you search for opportunities, consider that people often make compromises to work somewhere purposeful. The good news is that you don't need to do this. You can look for a job that maximizes your other career goals, even if it means you aren't working for an organization with a mission about which you have deeply held feelings. Flexibility and free time are great tradeoffs to bargain for, and studies show they can help you find more meaning in your life than others who seek purpose primarily from their work.

Strategic Insights

Having predictability toward the bottom of your test results means that structure and clarity are less necessary for you to succeed. You should consider a wide range of options, even those with no formal structure. People with low predictability demands thrive in startups or relatively new and fast-growing companies. In these situations, everyone comes into work every day prepared to help pitch in on just about anything. Done right, this can be very exciting.

Although predictability is low in your values, it does not mean that you can thrive in a situation with terrible communication and vague expectations. For instance, being an author comes with very low levels of predictability. There is no set work schedule, and it is very difficult to know if your book will be successful. Unpredictability is built into the job. Imagine you have an editor that gives you the feedback to “make this better.” This is unhelpful and can even be counterproductive. Even if your job is unpredictable, work with your managers to make sure you have a good sense of what they’re looking for.

While having predictability toward the bottom of results will allow you to trade formal expectations for qualities that are higher on your list, understand that you will still need to demonstrate how you bring value to your employer. Without clear expectations, it can be challenging to prove your value. Think about ways you might demonstrate how you are contributing.