Understanding Career Anchors
Discover how your core values and motivations shape your career path and professional decisions.
What Are Career Anchors?
Career Anchors, developed by MIT professor Edgar Schein in the 1960s, are the core values and motivations that guide your professional decisions. They represent the one thing you won't give up, even in the face of difficult choices.
Internal Career
Your subjective idea about life and work, including your ambitions, hopes, and aspirations.
External Career
The realistic possibilities available to you in the professional world.
The Three Domains of Career Anchors
Skills and Competencies
The things you're good at. Through reflection and feedback, you can discover your strengths and areas of expertise.
Motives
The things you want. Each new experience brings you closer to understanding your true desires and aspirations.
Values
The things that are important to you. Your career choices should align with your core values and the organizational climate that best fits them.
The Eight Career Anchor Themes
Technical/Functional
General Management
Autonomy/Independence
Security/Stability
Entrepreneurial Creativity
Service/Dedication
Pure Challenge
Lifestyle
Why Career Anchors Matter
Understanding your career anchors helps you make more informed decisions about your professional path and ensures your work aligns with your core values and motivations.
Ready to Discover Your Career Anchors?
Take our comprehensive assessment to identify your dominant career anchors and gain valuable insights into your professional motivations.