Tool 3 – What makes a job satisfying for you?

Instructions

This tool will help you select factors that make a job satisfying for you. Read each listed factor and select your top 10 items. You can prioritise your selections by assigning a number from 1 to 10 for each. The most important should be rated number 1 and then working down to number 10.

Once you have identified the job satisfaction factors, you can also look in the third column to find some questions to ask at an information interview to evaluate if that job is right for you.

Factor for Career Satisfaction / Your Priority / Question/s for Information Interview /
ABILITY Use your skills, knowledge and experience. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent will this job allow me to use ‘x’ ability?
ACCESS Be located in an accessible workplace. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  How do you access the workplace?
-  Could I visit the workplace to take a look around?
ACHIEVEMENT Give you a sense of getting somewhere, or accomplishing something / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What sense of achievement do people get from the role?
ACTIVITY Be busy all the time in a fast paced environment / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  How busy is the work area? What is the pace of the work like?
-  Are there many deadlines to work to and what drives them?
ADVANCEMENT Provide opportunities for promotion and career growth. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  What type of career development does the position offer?
-  Where do people typically go after doing this role?
-  How long do people typically stay in the role before progressing?
ADVENTURE Provide feelings of excitement, opportunities for risk taking and exploration / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What do you find exciting about the role?
AUTHORITY Give directions and instructions to others. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent is the role involved in directing others?
AUTONOMY Allow freedom to develop your own approach / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How much autonomy is possible in the role?
CHALLENGE Push you to do things that are difficult / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What do you see as the main challenges in the role?
COMFORT Be low pressure, with minimal stress / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  What is the pace of the work area?
-  How pressured is the role?
COMPETITION Require you to outperform others and prove yourself / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How do people doing the role know whether they are doing a good job?
CONDITIONS Have good pay and leave conditions / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What do you see as the most attractive part of the pay and conditions package?
CONTRIBUTION Have a positive impact on the organisation or its clients. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  What impact or outcome is the role expected to achieve?
-  Who ultimately benefits from the work done in the job?
CREATIVITY Involve designing and developing things / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What scope is there to design and develop new things or ideas?
DETACHMENT Allow you to forget about the job when you go home / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent would I be expected to take work home, or deal with issues outside of normal working hours?
ENVIRONMENT Be in a clean and attractive workplace / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
Where is the work done? Could I have a tour or a look around?
EXPERTISE Develop your skills in a particular area to perfection / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What opportunities are there for me to develop my skills in …..?
HELPING Provide services and support to others / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What opportunities are there to provide services and support to others?
IMPROVE Involve finding better ways to do things / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What priority is placed on finding better ways to do things over following existing methods?
INDEPENDENCE Involve working on your own. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How much is the role required to work independently?
INTERACTION Involve working with people who are friendly and social. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How much interaction is involved within the team?
LEADERSHIP Have influence and authority over others. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How much formal or informal supervision is involved?
LEARNING Provide you with new knowledge and skills / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What learning opportunities are there within the role?
MOBILITY Offer travel and relocation options / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent does the role offer travel or relocation options?
QUALITY Focus on providing excellence in the product or service / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What priority is placed on providing quality or excellence over meeting deadlines?
PERSONAL TIME Leave sufficient time for pursuits outside of work and/or family life / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What options are available for flexible work hours?
PROXIMITY Is close to home or family / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
Where is the position located? How flexible is this?
PURPOSE Provide meaning to your life / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  What type of people do you find enjoy this work the most?
-  What do the people who work there now find satisfying about it?
RECOGNITION Give acknowledgement for the work you do. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How do people in the role get feedback?
RESPONSIBILITY Require independent decisions / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent will I need to make decisions independently in the role?
SECURITY Give stable, long term employment / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
Is the position ongoing or non-ongoing?
TRAINING Provide opportunities for training and career development. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
What training opportunities will be available in the role?
STABILITY Undertake similar tasks every day / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
How much of the work involves undertaking similar tasks every day?
SYSTEMATIC Apply procedures or rules in a structured way / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent is the role expected to apply a set of rules and procedures?
STATUS Be important in the organisation. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
To what extent is the role recognised by others as being important to the organisation?
SUPPORT Offer supportive supervision and management. / Assign your priority if applicable. / Question
-  What type of supervision will be available?
-  How much support and guidance will be available to me?
VARIETY Provide opportunity to do a lot of different things / Assign your priority if applicable. / Questions
-  How much variety is there in the role?
-  What types of things vary?

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