Have you ever heard of the term "career orientation"? Although it might sound like something complex, it's actually very simple to understand. Think of the word 'orientation.' What does that mean? Orientation means direction or a way that guides your path. So in simple terms, career orientation is the guide/map that you use to direct you on your journey within your professional career (Hirschi & Koen, 2021). For example, wanting to climb up the corporate ladder in your organisation or doing mundane everyday tasks that give you fulfilment and inner joy. These examples are two stark examples that show how two different people might guide their preferred career choices.
So what is my career orientation? First you need to reflect and ask yourself a few questions, such as
1. What are my goals?
2. What does success mean for me, and how do I measure it?
3. What are the values that help me navigate my life?
Once you have answered these questions, you can easily know which career orientation fits you the most.
There are three types of career orientations: protean, boundaryless, and portfolio. Of all three, the career orientation that resonates with me the most would be the protean career orientation—hence the title for this post. According to Hall et al., a protean career orientation is about values and chasing internal fulfilment (2018) rather than just extrinsic rewards such as pay, recognition, or title (Arthur and Rousseau, 1996; Hall 2004). It is about bringing my experiences, values, and interests and using them to guide me in my career choices, and when these values and experiences change, so do my professional goals (Xin et al., 2020)
Fun fact about me—as you may have read in my previous posts or from watching my "Get to Know Me" intro video, I have a passion for helping people and making a difference in their lives. A solid example is the fact that straight after high school I decided to work in the nursing industry and have been for the last 7 years. I value service above all things, and I also value collaboration, and that is why I have chosen to work in that industry for such a long time. In the future, I hope to transition into the accounting and finance industry, but I desire to work for an organisation that values customer-centred service and teamwork and takes a collaborative practice to achieve its goals. Such an organisation is one that I believe I will definitely thrive in.
Although this post was a short read, I hope that you were able to reflect on what your goals are and what your values are, and in doing so, I hope this can lead you to more certainty and confidence in your future career decisions.
Comment below: what is your career orientation? Would you like me to do another post on the other two career orientations?
Until next time!
References
Hall, D.T.; Yip, J.; Doiron, K. Protean careers at work: Self-direction and values orientation in psychological success. Annu. Rev. Organ. Psychol. Organ. Behav. 2018, 5, 129–156. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104631
Xin, L., Tang, F., Li, M., & Zhou, W. (2020). From School to Work: Improving Graduates’ Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy. Sustainability, 12(3), 804. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030804