Worksheet : Career Change Self-Assessment
In the last of the 5 part series, below is a worksheet to use to help you decide if it’s time to update your résumé.
Rate each of these internal and external factors on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being “doesn’t not apply to me or doesn’t affect me” to 5 being “affects me greatly.” Circle your answer for each line and then add up your score at the bottom.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| I dread going to work most days. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I fear for my physical safety in my current job. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My current job is a threat to my emotional wellbeing. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My skills are becoming increasingly irrelevant to my job. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Most days, I am overwhelmed at work. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My job is boring. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I can’t move up in my current job/current company. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I don’t feel appreciated by my co-workers. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I am not valued as an employee by my supervisor/boss. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My work environment is dysfunctional. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Part (or all) of my job requires me to do something I don’t enjoy. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I make less (on average) than other people who do my job. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I can’t make much more for the work I do if I keep working here. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I can’t stand the thought of working here much longer. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I’m not doing the kind of work I’m passionate about. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I didn’t see myself working here for this long. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| This job doesn’t fit into the long-range plans I had for myself. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My company was just bought out (or bought another company). | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I’ve recently gotten a new boss. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I was asked to take a voluntary pay cut OR my pay was cut. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Part of my job responsibilities were given to someone else. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| I’m in a dead-end job. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| My industry is going through significant changes and/or is dying. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| TOTALS |
23-46 points: You’re starting to see reasons to make a change, but there’s no urgency.
47-69 points: Look for opportunities to make little adjustments and see if that helps.
70-92 points: You probably need a change. Start thinking about what you want to do.
93-115 points: This ship is going down! It’s time to take action.
