Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


The Changing Values Landscape of the U.S. and How It Impacts Midlife Job Searchers, Part Two


The values landscape of our nation is changing, and with it your personal values landscape is changing as well.  What does this mean and what does it have to do with midlife?

Researcher Dr. Paul Ray says that the predominant values set held by Americans has been one he terms Modernist, with roots in the Renaissance.  Modernists presently represent 88 million U.S. adults, or 47% of the population, but the numbers of Modernists are shrinking as those who hold these values are increasingly leaving this subculture and choosing instead the values of one of the other two subcultures ray has found, the Heartlanders (representing traditionalist values) and the Culture Creatives (representing  newly emerging integral values, never before seen in human history).  Heartlanders represent 29% of the population, or 56 million adults, while Culture Creatives represent 24% of the population, or 44 million adults.

Those with a Modernist perspective tend to value religious and lifestyle pluralism, career achievement stepping stones, consumerism, a "winning" lifestyle, capitalism; tolerate societal fragmentism; and welcome the technologization of life.   Many Heartlander values are the polar opposites of Modernist values:  simplified and unified lifestyle options; an emphasis on putting families, not careers, first; buying in accordance with budget and values; a family-oriented lifestyle; a deemphasis on individualization and capitalism; a great desire to heal the fragmentations of American society; and a dramatically lessened interest in and dependence on technology.
 
Now, what about the Culture Creatives?  Who are they and what do they believe?  Ray names this subculture this way because this is the group that is coming up with the new ideas that are transforming society as we know it.  Culture Creative values tend to be person-focused and environment friendly and include:  psychology; spiritual life; self-actualization; self-expression; mastering new ideas; social concerns; and women's issues.

Dr. Ray sees American society as approaching what he terms a "Great Divide" in which the mainstream Modernist subculture is shrinking as members move instead into Heartlander or Culture Creative camps.  Midlife acts as your own personal "Great Divide" and challenges you to choose your own values.  Are you a Modernist?  Will you remain one?  Or are you really more of a Heartlander and just beginning to recognize yourself?  Or are you a Culture Creative who never before could name what you knew you were becoming?  What about your present family and friends?  Or your family of origin?  Or the people in your faith community?  Are you surrounded by likeminded others or those with contrasting values?

Review the informal lists above and see which subculture feels most like you.  Consider reflecting on the questions raised in the last paragraph to help you explore your own personal values landscape.  If you are surrounded by supporters, then no matter which category you live in, the changes ahead will be easier for you.  If, on the other hand, you are surrounded by those of other subcultures, then not only the societal changes ahead but your own midlife changes will be more chaotic as well.

Most critical of all, though, make sure you incorporate your Modernist, Heartlander, or Culture Creative values into your resume summary, cover/follow-up/thank you letters, and interview responses.  By doing so, you dramatically increase the odds that you'll end up working next to likeminded others, which, in turn, should assure you some measure of career satisfaction over the long-term.

Cheryl Lynch Simpson is a Spiritual Director and Solutions Coach who helps women discover and create the life they've always wanted to live.  Cheryl is the author of over 30 print/Internet articles and the founder of Coaching Solutions For Women, a coaching website that produces and showcases career, business, and life solutions that improve the life balance of today's busy women.  For a complimentary copy of her latest e-book, Ten-Minute Stress Zappers for Women Service Business Owners, visit http://www.coachingsolutionsforwomen.com.


MORE RESOURCES:
Employment opportunities  Department of Taxation and Finance

Search & Apply  Lowe's

Careers and Jobs at CRS  Catholic Relief Services





Careers  UNCO News Central

Jobs- Legacy  Energy.gov




Careers | Career Opportunities  West Virginia University


Working for ICE  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom

Careers at TWU  Texas Woman's University

Jobs  City of Rochester (.gov)




Careers | Home  USDA.gov








Careers at Willamette  Willamette University






Careers  Washington State University


Nursing jobs  VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs

Work At Chess.com  Chess.com

Work at DHS: Career Opportunities  Wisconsin Department of Health Services


Careers at Prairie View A&M University  Prairie View A&M University



UF Health Careers  UF Health - University of Florida Health




Job Opportunities  Bellevue School District

Careers  Medline


Careers  S&P Global


Internship Opportunities | BCG  Boston Consulting Group



Student Resources  American Physical Society




Careers at Air Liquide  Air Liquide



Job vacancies at the EUDA  European Union

Students and graduates  JPMorgan Chase


Careers  Freedom of the Press Foundation



Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024  University of North Dakota




Mental health at work  World Health Organization


Careers  Gwinnett County Public Schools



JobFeed  NSW Department of Education


Careers  City of Norfolk (.gov)

Careers at King County  King County



Apply for a Job -  The City of Vancouver, WA

Careers  City of Somerville

Careers  Penn State University


Careers  UTSA Today

Careers  City of Fort Worth

Employment  University of South Carolina

Careers @ UO  University of Oregon

ADM Job Openings  Unlocking Nature. Enriching Life. | ADM

Career Opportunities  University of Houston

Careers at the ICR  The Institute of Cancer Research


UH Careers  University of Houston

Jobs | DCU People  Dublin City University

Career Services  Wake Tech Newsroom

Current Job Postings  City of Windsor


Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter