CAREERS NOW 03-21-07

Quiz: Are You Bored With Your Job - Or Something Else?

DEAR JOYCE: You recently mentioned that sometimes when people want to quit a job because they're tired of it, the real cause may be something else in their life. How can one tell if my dissatisfaction is with the job or not? - C.H.

Here's a brief quiz, inspired by authors John Keefe and Stanley Stein in their excellent but out-of-print book,"The Joy of Work." Answer these classic questions yes or no.

1. Do you skip talking about your job because you fear boring others?

2. Is your job less interesting now than before?

3. Do you feel your job is so repetitive you could do it in your sleep?

4. Do you find yourself zoning out before you finish a task?

5. Do you ever have to force yourself to finish tasks?

6. Do you often feel that you're merely going through the motions?

7. Do you have too few opportunities to make decisions affecting your work?

8. Do you hate going to work each day, thinking up excuses to call in sick?

9. Is it increasingly tough to get to work on time without blaming traffic?

10. Do you find yourself taking more days off just because you want to?

11. Would you like to escape because you dislike the work itself?

12. Have you bumped up against the learning ceiling in your job?

13. Do you feel that you're merely a disposable cog in the wheel?

14. Do you block the job from your mind when you're away from it?

15. Has it become difficult to rate yourself on your performance?

16. Do you think a robot could handle your work?

17. Do you sometimes feel you're working harder at looking busy than being busy?

18. Are you mentally wiped out at the end of the day?

19. Could a beginner handle your job as well as you?

20. Is your first response to look for what's wrong in a suggestion to improve your job?

SCORING. If you answered yes to fewer than five questions, you're probably not really bored with your job. Over that number, consider rethinking how you're spending your life, or at least what you could do to make your job more interesting.

DEAR JOYCE: I hope to make a change later this year to start my own home-based business. I know about the popular source of do-your-own-thing start-ups but I'd like to find out more information on how to use Internet sites to promote my services. Where should I start? - C.K.

Thanks to Susan Joyce, proprietor of job-hunt.org, for this tip: SEOmoz (seomoz.org) is a Seattle-based search engine optimization company. It is a hub for search marketers worldwide, providing education, tools, resources and paid services.

Visit the site's home page and scroll down to Recent Articles, then click on Social Media Marketing Tactics, a 32-page evaluation of 30 contemporary Web 2.0 sites that will help you understand the differences between such well-known social media as LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace.

You'll also find judgments on less familiar sites that could be helpful to you including YourElevatorPitch and Ning.

If you're unsure about the buzzword, "Web 2.0," this article is a quick catch-up on the term that refers to an interactive type of Web site that small business owners and professionals marketing their services are using.

DEAR JOYCE: I really need a job soon but the executive I would report to in a company that's kept me dangling is beginning to come across as one who is disorganized and without power. But I see great opportunity in the company itself. You've mentioned that, for various reasons, it's not good to be stuck behind a boss who has virtually no power. What would be your advice in my case? Please hurry. - P.R.

Your dilemma is situational. If no other attractive opportunity is in sight, I would gamble and take the job if the offer ever shows up. Negotiate the best deal you can, work overtime at becoming invaluable and getting noticed by management. If your disorganized boss doesn't soon measure up, you don't want to go down with his ship.

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