Re-evaluating your career leads to job satisfaction

If you are like most people, your company has been through some changes: reorganization, downsizing, new owner, acquisition, merger, new boss... Any time one of these changes occurs, the culture will be affected and you will feel the change. The unspoken contract you had with the organization shifts and you need to decide if you want to continue renting your performance to that company.

But perhaps your company hasn't had much change in the last few years. If your job has been chugging along the same path, year after year, you, too, must decide if it's time to re-evaluate your job contract with your employer.

Take a few moments right now to re-examine your job satisfaction. In fact, it's a good idea to ask yourself these questions each and every year on the anniversary date of your employment. This will give you an opportunity to sort through the changes, prevent you from becoming too complacent and keep you in the driver's seat of your career.

Each year, ask yourself:

1. What four things did I really enjoy last year?

2. What percentage of the total job do they represent? __________%

3. Are they the kind of things that really motivate me? yes/ no

4. Will I have a chance to do more things like this in the future? yes/no/some _______________what %?
   Is it worth staying in this job for these kinds of experiences? yes/no

5. What four things did I really dislike?

6. What did I dislike about them?

7. Who or what did they negatively affect? Why?

8. Did they violate my beliefs, values or principles? yes/no

9. What percentage of the total job do they represent? ____________%

10. Do I want to be a part of a company that does this? yes/no If yes, why?

11. Did I have fun and enjoy going to work? Or did I hear myself saying things such as, "Well at least it's a paycheck..." yes/no

12. Did I come home with stories that usually begin with, "You wouldn't believe what happened at that crummy place today..." yes/no How often? __________________(per week)

13. Have other people suggested that I leave? yes/no Who suggested it?

14. How many new things did I learn this year?

15. Will the things I learned make me more marketable because I am learning things in a new area? yes/no

16. Will they build my credibility and make me more skilled in my technical specialty? yes/no

17. How often did I disagree with the decisions my manager made? Less than 50% of the time? More than 50% of the time?

18. Have I looked around the room during a meeting, or in my work area, and said, "I don't want to be a part of this group." yes/no

19. Do I feel a huge sense of relief when Friday comes? yes/no

If your answers tell you that you aren't satisfied with the direction your company or your job is heading, maybe it's time to exit this job and get back on track to more satisfaction and enjoyment in your work.