Career Values Scale
Identify the Work Values That Drive Career Satisfaction
Help Clients Understand What They Need From Work so They Can Make Clear, Satisfying Career Decisions.
Clients can be successful in their role but deeply dissatisfied. Often, the “wrong career” isn’t about ability, it’s doing work that doesn’t align with an individual’s values.
The Career Values Scale helps career counsellors, educators, HR professionals, and employment specialists uncover the work values shaping satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and career decision-making. In about 15 minutes, this assessment reveals what clients need from work to feel fulfilled, whether that is creativity, security, influence, independence, or other key drivers.
Bring More Clarity to Career Conversations
Career dissatisfaction is not always easy to explain. Someone may be capable, experienced, and performing well, but still feel restless, stuck, or unsure of what comes next. That is where work values can change the conversation.
The Career Values Scale helps professionals uncover the priorities that shape career satisfaction so they can move from vague frustration to clearer, more grounded next steps.
A client is doing well, but still feels unhappy at work…
Strong performance does not always mean strong fit. When important values are missing from a role, dissatisfaction can build even when everything looks fine from the outside.
…uncover what is missing beneath the surface.
The Career Values Scale helps identify the work values that are most important to the individual, making it easier to understand where dissatisfaction is coming from.
A client is torn between several career options…
Some decisions feel difficult because each option meets a different need. Without a clear understanding of priorities, it is easy to stay stuck.
…bring structure to values-based career planning.
The Career Values Scale helps professionals compare options through the lens of what matters most, not just what looks good on paper.
A client feels conflicted, but cannot explain why…
Competing priorities such as security versus excitement or financial rewards versus independence can create internal tension that slows decision-making.
…surface competing values and make trade-offs easier to discuss.
The Career Values Scale helps identify and prioritize values, resolve internal conflicts, and support more confident career decisions.
Applying Career Values Insights
The Career Values Scale helps professionals guide richer, more focused conversations about work, motivation, and long-term fit.
Identify Sources of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction
Help clients understand why a role feels energizing, draining, or somewhere in between. Discover sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Prioritize What Matters Most
Use the results to identify and rank the values a client most wants fulfilled through work. Help identify and prioritize the values a client wishes to see satisfied in their career.
Guide Values-Based Career Planning
Move beyond interests and skills alone. Use work values to guide career development toward opportunities that reflect the client’s most important priorities.
What Drives Career Satisfaction?
What makes a person happy at work is not universal. Some people need more freedom. Others need more stability, more growth, or more meaning in the work they do.
The Career Values Scale measures 10 work-related values across three core areas, giving professionals a clearer picture of what a client wants from work and what may be missing right now. These three core areas are Working with Others, Self-Expression, and Extrinsic Rewards.
Ready to Help Your Clients Find Joy at Work? Talk to a Career Values Scale Expert!
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Turn Results Into More Useful Career Conversations
The Career Values Report is designed to make results easy to interpret and apply, so you can move quickly from insight to conversation and exploration.
See a Clear Overview of Client Values
Review results in a format that makes priorities easier to spot and discuss.
Explore Sources of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction
Use the report to better understand which work conditions are likely to support or undermine career fit.
Guide Value Clarification with Exercises
Help clients reflect on their priorities, sort through competing needs, and discuss trade-offs more productively.
Support More Focused Next Steps
Use the results to guide career exploration, planning, and decision-making with more clarity and less guesswork.
How Organizations Use the Career Values Scale
Helping Older Workers Explore Values-Aligned Careers
Fleming College used the Career Interest Profiler in its Targeted Initiative for Older Workers program to help Baby Boomers identify viable second careers aligned with their values.
Improving Retention and Development with Career Assessments
Read about how SGI used the Career Interest Profiler and Career Values Scale to retain employees and improve job satisfaction.
Common Questions About the Career Values Scale
Do I need certification to use the Career Values Scale?
No. It is a Level A instrument, which means it can be accessed and administered without specialized certification.
How long does it take to complete?
The assessment contains 88 items and takes about 15 minutes to complete.
What does the report include?
The report provides a graphic overview of values, highlights likely sources of satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and includes value clarification exercises. View a sample report.
Is the Careers Value Scale available in French?
Yes. Psychometrics Canada provides the Career Values Scale in both English and French.
Additional Career Values Scale Resources
Explore the resources below for a closer look at the assessment and how it can be used.
Help Clients Make Career Decisions Aligned With Their Values
Reach out to one of our Career Values Scale experts to get started.
Prefer to call? You can reach us at: