The Career Anchors

Welcome to Mind Tools' video learning series.

Not so long ago, most people could depend on a job for life.

Things are a little different now. Few of us can rely on our employers to look after our careers. Instead, it's down to us to nurture our own career development.

But, to successfully manage your career, you need to figure out what kind of work you most enjoy, and why.

Schein's Career Anchors can help you to accomplish this. Edgar Schein outlines eight career "anchors," or themes, for identifying your preference for one type of work over another.

The first career anchor is defined as technical or functional work.

People with this anchor thrive in challenging environments where they can demonstrate and hone a particular expertise.

The second anchor is general managerial.

General managerial people don't want to be the experts; they want to have the experts working for them. They're analytical, with excellent interpersonal skills, and they enjoy delegating and problem-solving.

People with an autonomy or independence anchor like making their own rules. They enjoy working by themselves, and controlling the work they do from start to finish.

Security and stability seekers appreciate calmness, structure and predictability.

They're satisfied to do their work competently, and, if possible, they'd be happy to stay with the same company until retirement.

People with the entrepreneurial creativity anchor are inventive, creative and energetic.

They start new businesses and forge ahead with new projects. They like to work with others and they get restless if they're not constantly being creative.

Service and dedication to a cause is the sixth anchor.

This type reflects people whose priority is to serve others, putting the purpose of what they do above the work itself.

Pure challenge-oriented people thrive on problem-solving and meeting challenges head-on.

They're competitive, they love to test themselves, and they thrive in constant change.

Finally, lifestyle-oriented people find that the right work-life balance is their ultimate priority.

These people "work to live", rather than "live to work," and may turn down opportunities if they get in the way of other parts of their life.

Once you've identified your own dominant career anchor, you can start figuring out which types of job you'll find the most rewarding, and then plan your career accordingly.

To learn more about Schein's Career Anchors, and how to put the model into practice, see the article that accompanies this video.