Interests & Values: Where Do I Start?

Not sure where to start? That’s okay. This section is about reflecting on what really matters to you: your interests, strengths, and values. The resources below will help you spot what’s missing from your current role and what to look for in your next big change.

Still figuring out what kind of change you’re making? You might want to take a moment to reflect on your current role first. Read our post on Looking Inward.

1. Identifying Your Values

Understanding what motivates you, whether it's creativity, financial stability, helping others, or independence, can narrow your search. But more importantly, a career that’s aligned with your values will provide long-term fulfillment and job satisfaction. 

Ask yourself: What aspects of your current role do you find unfulfilling — the people/environment, the pay, or the work itself? And what aspect of your current role do you enjoy the most?

Try this career values assessment from Job Bank. 

www.jobbank.gc.ca

Career QuizWork values - Job Bank

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2. Understanding Your Interests

How well do you know yourself? Understanding your interests and personality will help highlight the kinds of industries and work environments that you’re likely to thrive in. There are many resources online on career personality types — if you’re unsure where to start, I recommend taking assessments for Holland Codes and Myers-Briggs personality types. Here are a couple of free assessments offered by Truity:

Holland Code Career Test

The Holland Codes system, based on a theory developed by psychologist Dr John L. Holland, sorts people into six archetypes based on interests, personality, and aptitudes to find compatible career paths. The six archetypes are:

• Realistic (R) or doers

• Investigative (I) or thinkers

• Artistic (A) or creators

• Social (S) or helpers

• Enterprising (E) or persuaders

• Conventional (C) or organizers

The theory is that your dominant codes, or strongest traits, describe the type of career that will bring you the most satisfaction and success.

truity.com

Holland Code Career Quiz

Free Holland code career test measures your interest in 6 job areas to help you find the right career for you.

MBTI Personality Test

The Myers Briggs Type Indicator, an assessment based on the theory developed by psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung, measures personality using a four-letter code, resulting in 16 distinct personality types. Understanding your personality type can provide valuable insight into your career strengths and preferences — whether that's extraversion or introversion, or sensing or intuition.

www.truity.com

The TypeFinder® Personality Test

The bestselling TypeFinder assessment goes deeper than any personality test you've taken before. Based on original research into the nuances of personality type, the TypeFinder reveals not only your four-letter personality type code, but exactly how your one-of-a-kind personality profile fits within that type. Your results answer questions like: How can I decide, once and for all, what my type is? Why are there some parts of my personality that don't seem to fit my type? Why do I get different results when I take different personality tests? The TypeFinder shows how the 23 facets of your personality make up your unique personality fingerprint. You'll discover how well you match up with all sixteen of the personality type profiles, the parts of your personality that are typical (and atypical) for your type, and how you can deeply understand your individual traits, characteristics, and preferences.

3. Reflecting on Your Current Fit

Not every job will check every box, and that’s okay. It’s not about finding the perfect match. It’s about understanding what kind of work gets you excited and plays to your strengths.

Ask yourself: What matters most to you? Creative expression? Stability? Status? Collaboration? Once you identify what fulfills you (and what drains you), it gets easier to find the right fit.

When I started my own career change, I felt paralyzed by my options until I figured out what wasn’t working in my role. But once I was able to name the problems, it became clear what I needed to do next. Hopefully, these tools help you find the same clarity.

Just remember that personality tests are starting points, not labels. Use them to help guide, not limit, your search for compatible careers.

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