My Job Satisfaction Inventory

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it – Steve Jobs

Maybe just read that again.

When you love what you do, when it is not a struggle to get going in the morning and instead you can jump out of bed eager to see what the day’s challenges will bring, then you are doing great work. Your love for what you do will sustain you, and make you feel more fulfilled than money or a cool office. Don’t get me wrong, money is a good thing. But when you love what you do, your rewards will be much greater, and the monetary rewards will be available to you as well. Take the following quiz and see if you might want to explore other career options.

Please circle the appropriate response after each item. 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = no opinion; 3 = strongly agree.

• I like my current job. 1 2 3
• I am clear about my career direction. 1 2 3
• It is easy for me to set goals for myself. 1 2 3
• I usually attain the goals I set. 1 2 3
• I have no fears about changing jobs. 1 2 3
• I think of myself as a successful person. 1 2 3
• I have high self-esteem. 1 2 3
• Once I decide to make a change in my life, I usually move ahead and do so without making excuses or procrastinating. 1 2 3
• I view change as a healthy occurrence. 1 2 3
• The work environment in my current job meets all of my needs. 1 2 3
• I know exactly which career field I want to enter (or in which I want to stay). 1 2 3
• I understand what motivates me to work, and I make job choices based on those factors. 1 2 3
• I understand the inner needs that I feel a job should fulfill. 1 2 3
• My inner needs are fulfilled through my work. 1 2 3
• I know the signs that tell me when it is time for me to change jobs or careers. 1 2 3
• I enjoy nearly all of the tasks performed in my job. 1 2 3
• My job allows me to satisfy my personal values and fulfill my personal goals as I do the work. 1 2 3

To determine your score, add the total of all numbers you have circled. The highest possible score is 51; lowest is 17. If your score is 40 or higher, you have a high level of satisfaction and may simply want to enhance that positive experience. If your score is 27-39, you have some work to do to achieve satisfaction. Those with scores less than 27 might want to think about closely evaluating your worklife and doing some career development exercises that could lead to a change—your satisfaction level is extremely low.