Methodology
Work values methodology
Work values describe what someone wants working life to provide beyond the activities themselves.
Two different levels of reflection
The combined career assessment uses six brief practical signals—stability, autonomy, service, income growth, creative freedom, and mastery—to add context to an interest result. The dedicated work values test goes deeper with Achievement, Independence, Recognition, Relationships, Support, and Working Conditions: six value areas documented by O*NET and used by CareerOneStop.
How the dedicated test is balanced
KnowYourPull independently wrote three statements for each of the six areas. Each statement is rated from zero to four, giving every value the same 0–12 range. The result shows all six totals, retains close scores, and asks the user to examine a tradeoff between the two leading values.
Independent wording and current sources
This is not the official O*NET Work Importance Locator, which O*NET retired in 2024, and it does not reproduce that instrument's statements or scoring. CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, currently offers its own Work Values Matcher based on the O*NET framework. KnowYourPull links to it as an established alternative.
Why values can change a career decision
A person may enjoy analysis but reject a volatile research path because stability is essential. Another may enjoy helping but prefer program design to direct care because emotional boundaries or schedule control matter. Values help expose those tradeoffs before a career title is treated as a recommendation.
What it does not capture
The result is a short self-report, not a validated psychological inventory or prediction of satisfaction. Family duties, disability, geography, labor-market access, discrimination, finances, health, and specific workplace practices can matter more than a preference score.
How to use the value signals
For a promising career, ask what evidence would confirm the value fit: talk with practitioners in different settings, compare schedules and compensation structures, inspect training debt, and identify how much choice workers actually have. Retake the reflection when circumstances or priorities materially change.
Limitations
Values can change with life stage, finances, family needs, health, and available options. A high rating is not proof that a particular occupation supplies that value. Results should be treated as questions to investigate in actual workplaces.