Assessing a Feeling

Do you have the mind-numbing sensation that you’re stuck in the wrong job? Mean boss or boring routine got you down? Do you feel Velcroed to your organization by a negative magnetism? Take this quiz to learn whether you’re just having a bad day or you’re trapped in something that’s crushing your spirit.

1. Assuming you work a Monday-through-Friday week, what is your mood on Sunday evenings?

a) Elation.

b) Acceptance.

c) Despair.

2. How much do you agree with the following statement? “No one else would pay me this much to do this.”

a) Not at all. I have cutting-edge skills that would transfer easily to many other jobs.

b) A little bit.

c) Quite a lot, because it’s true.

3. How much training are you getting outside your own narrow specialty?

a) I go to nearly every workshop I hear about.

b) I brush up on my computer skills now and then.

c) I don’t bother because I’ll never get a chance to move anyway.

4. Do you ever think about your job when you’re away from it?

a) Yes. I’m continually dreaming up ways to work smarter and improve the company’s performance.

b) I think about it occasionally, but I’m not obsessed with it.

c) Never. It’s too dull.

5. Why do you stay in your job?

a) It’s intellectually stimulating.

b) I like what I do and enjoy my co-workers.

c) I need the money and the health benefits. Besides, I’m only a few years away from retirement.

6. Do you ever question your boss’ decisions or speak up in meetings when you disagree?

a) Often.

b) Sometimes.

c) Never. Are you kidding? My boss would fire me.

7. Do you feel that you make a difference by doing your job?

a) Sure. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it.

b) Sometimes.

c) No.

8. Who is in control of your career track?

a) Me.

b) My boss.

c) The CEO of the company that is about to acquire my firm.

9. You have a good performance record, but you’ve been passed over twice for promotion. What do you do?

a) Start looking outside the company for a new job.

b) Chat with my supervisor to see whether I should start looking elsewhere for a new job.

c) Hunker down. I probably won’t be able to do better anywhere else.

10. How long has it been since you updated your resume?

a) One month.

b) Two years.

c) Let’s see. Ronald Reagan was in office, as I recall.

11. When was the last time you heard from a headhunter?

a) Yesterday.

b) Last month.

c) What’s a headhunter?

12. Your boss considers you a one-man SWAT team, so indispensable that you get all the eleventh-hour assignments in places like Podunk and Peoria. She says you’re too valuable to promote. How do you respond?

a) Run screaming for the exit.

b) Quietly look elsewhere.

c) Pack your bags and buy a Zagat guide to the diners of Small Town, U.S.A.

13. When was the last time you sought out a new assignment or task?

a) I regularly seek new challenges.

b) I sometimes volunteer for new jobs.

c) Last time was 13 years ago, when I started this rotten job.

14. Do you find your work meaningful and interesting?

a) All the time.

b) Usually.

c) Who ever said jobs had to be meaningful?

15. Does your job match up with what’s important to you on a personal level?

a) Absolutely.

b) Usually.

c) No. I try to keep my personal life separate.

16. Do you feel that your job allows you to use your natural talents?

a) Yes.

b) Usually.

c) I don’t think I have any.

17. Do you feel energetic at the end of the workday?

a) Sure.

b) Usually.

c) No. I’m fried to a crisp by the time I’ve put in my eight hours, minus half an hour for lunch.

18. Is your employer hiring people significantly younger than you and paying them less to do your kind of work?

a) No, my company values experience.

b) There’s some of that going on.

c) Yes, all the recent hires have been youngsters with attitudes.

19. Do you ever hear of any openings at your company that sound appealing?

a) I keep my eyes open for opportunities, but so far I’m happy doing what I’m doing.

b) I’m not looking right now.

c) Nothing sounds even remotely appealing.

20. Can you imagine the sort of workplace you’d really like to be in?

a) Yes, and I work at improving this place to make it more like my ideal.

b) Things are about right here.

c) No, I can’t imagine any work environment that would appeal to me.

Scoring: If the answer “a” predominates, consider yourself one of the fortunate souls who is truly happy and engaged at work. A “b” pattern means you’re probably where most workers find themselves. If “c” is your typical response, you’re trapped like a woolly mammoth in a tar pit.