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Profile summary

Vocationalists tend to have strong values and beliefs, and they use these to guide their career decisions. Consequently, the nature of work sought by Vocationalists varies according to what their beliefs and values are. The most important thing to a Vocationalist is that their work is consistent with their values- so they may seek organisations that place importance on these values, or they may seek jobs where their day to day work is directly related to their values.

Vocationalists sometimes aspire towards positions of influence because they want to make changes in the way things are done. They may seek management positions, or pursue careers in politics.

Level of pay is not a major priority for Vocationalists. They want to be paid fairly, but it is more important that they feel their work is contributing to something that they value and it is this that determines their job satisfaction. They also want to feel that their supervisors and managers share their values and support their work.

Needs within a role

Organisation

Vocationalists look for organisations that are consistent with their values, so the nature of the organisation sought will depend on what the Vocationalists’ values are. However, they may be drawn to some of the following:

• Charities and not-for-profit organisations.
• Businesses that have been built around an ethical principle e.g. companies selling environmentally friendly products.
• Organisations that provide a helping or caring service.

Content of work

The Vocationalist looks for work that directly or indirectly allows them to benefit others, or that allows them to support a cause about which they feel strongly. Some Vocationalists may seek positions of influence such as management.

Considering job opportunity - a Checklist

As a Vocationalist, you may find the following ‘checklist’ helpful. It contains questions to think about either when making career decisions, or perhaps just to see how well your current job ‘fits’ – you don’t necessarily have to make major, life-changing decisions to make your job more consistent with your career focus.

• What type of organisation will you be working for? Is there a clear link to your personal values and beliefs?
• Will you be working with other people who share your values and beliefs?
• Will you be working for a supervisor or manager who will recognise and appreciate your dedication and passion for your work?
• Will the actual content of your work be consistent with your values? For example, will you be directly helping people? Will your work be supporting a cause about which you feel strongly?
• If you are looking for positions of influence, think about the role carefully: Will you actually have the power to do what you want to do? Will you be supported by other people? Will you be able to cope with the responsibility and pressure of the role?
• Perhaps most importantly, does the opportunity bring you closer to working consistently with your values?

About Career Focus

The eight career focuses (as graphed above) are based on the eight ‘career anchors’ identified in research by Edgar H. Schein. Each focus consists of a unique pattern of competencies, motives and values which combine to capture “the one element in a person’s self-concept that he or she will not give up, even in the face of difficult choices”¹.

Every individual possesses a career focus type. The Zookel career focus questionnaire helps people uncover their career focus and use this to make better career choices. This is critically important, as research shows that people have higher job satisfaction when their job is consistent with their career focus².

Career Focus vs. Standard personality measures
Career focus differs from standard personality measures such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as it is designed to give you specific insights into your career, as opposed to provide general information about your personality. For example, knowing your MBTI type would not necessarily help you decide whether to take a promotion, or whether you should apply for a new opportunity. Career focus provides you with specific, straightforward and practical information that is much easier to apply and understand in a career context than general personality scores.

Usability
The eight career anchors have been found repeatedly across cultures and types of work. For example, they were found in Israelis of both genders from varied work backgrounds²; research, development & engineering professionals in New Mexico³; Information Systems personnel in the United States⁴ and an unnamed service organisation in the UK⁵.

¹ Schein, 1990, p. 18 ¦ ² Danziger & Valency, 2006 ¦ ³ Igbaria, Kassicieh, & Silver, 1999 ¦ ⁴Jiang, Klein, & Balloun, 2001 ¦ ⁵Yarnall, 1998