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CareerFramework-based· Schwartz values (derived)

Find Your Top Values in 3 Minutes, Free 10-Question Compass

A 3-minute compass for the 10 core values that drive your life and career decisions. Original JobCannon test inspired by Schwartz's universal-values framework, instant top-value read with career and life trade-off cues. No signup. Want depth? Upgrade to the full Values Compass.

10 questions3 min
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The basics

What is the Values Compass Mini?

The Values Compass Mini is a 10-item agreement quiz that maps you across the 10 universal value categories from Shalom Schwartz's cross-cultural research. The ten are Self-Direction, Stimulation, Hedonism, Achievement, Power, Security, Conformity, Tradition, Benevolence and Universalism, each rated first-person on a 5-point agreement scale. JobCannon wrote every item from scratch in plain language so the read takes 3 minutes instead of 10.

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Mini is the entry tier of the Values Compass family. It surfaces your top 1-2 values fast, gives concrete career and life trade-off cues, then opens the door to the deeper 21-item Values Compass Standard for a full radar profile and the 40-item Deep tier for cross-test integration with Big Five, RIASEC, and Career Match.

Closely related on JobCannon: Values Compass Standard (21 questions), Values Compass Deep (40-item integrated profile), and Big Five personality test.

What you get

What You'll Discover

Your top 1-2 of 10 universal values, what really drives your decisions
Career environments that fit your value profile, plus the ones to walk away from
Trade-off cues, where your goals naturally pull against each other
A clear next step to the full 21-item Values Compass for the complete radar

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

4 questions

  • No. The Values Compass Mini is a JobCannon-original instrument. We use Schwartz's theoretical framework, the 10 universal value categories he identified across 80+ countries, but every question is written from scratch in plain first-person language. We don't reproduce any PVQ items. If you want the academic Schwartz PVQ-21 with portrait-format items, take the Values Compass Standard tier.

  • Mini is designed for fast triage, one item per value, 3 minutes, instant top-value read. With one item per dimension, the result is directional rather than precise. If your top two values come out tied or you want a full 10-value radar profile, take the 21-item Values Compass Standard.

  • Self-Direction (autonomy and own path), Stimulation (novelty and risk), Hedonism (pleasure and enjoyment), Achievement (recognition and competence), Power (influence and status), Security (stability and predictability), Conformity (rules and shared expectations), Tradition (heritage and continuity), Benevolence (loyalty to close circle), and Universalism (fairness, nature, strangers). These are the value categories Schwartz identified as recurring across cultures, age groups, and eras.

  • Yes. Schwartz's longitudinal research shows values shift gradually with major life transitions, parenthood, career change, loss, retirement. Security and Conformity tend to rise with age; Stimulation and Hedonism tend to decline. Retaking the Mini every year or two gives you a useful read on your motivational evolution.

Take the Values Compass Mini, 10-Item Quick Read Now

Discover your Values Compass Mini profile. 10 questions, 3 min.

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For hiring teams

Use this after the hire, not to make it

A quick read on what someone optimises for, sized for a one-to-one rather than for an application form.

JobCannon for teams

Explore all results in depth

Already taken the test, or just curious? Read the in-depth guide for any result — strengths, challenges, career matches, famous people, and FAQs.

Self-Direction
You make your own calls and follow your own thread
Stimulation
Novelty fuels you, and predictability quietly drains you
Hedonism
A life unenjoyed is a life wasted
Achievement
You want your competence visible and your wins counted
Power
Influence shapes you, and you are comfortable steering
Security
Predictability is not dullness — it is the room everything else happens in
Conformity
Shared expectations are what hold groups together when nobody is watching
Tradition
What you inherited is not baggage — it is signal
Benevolence
The people closest to you come first, and your loyalty is not for sale
Universalism
Your sense of obligation reaches past your own circle

© 2026 JobCannon. All assessments are based on validated psychological frameworks.

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