Tell me more ×
The Workplace Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for members of the workforce navigating the professional setting. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -1 down vote favorite

I am at my third job now.

During my career I faced various types of problems in my jobs. Some were manageable but most of them were painful.

This lead to me to wonder what it actually means by a "good" job.

How can I figure out if a job is a good or bad job? What factors can I look at to determine this?

share|improve this question
1  
This question is unanswerable as per the FAQ guide as determining what is a good job for you cannot be answered by anyone other than yourself! – Dibstar Feb 8 at 9:43
@Dibstar technically not true, he is likely to be the last one to know, as 'good job' is relative and decided solely by his managers – RhysW Feb 8 at 9:51
1  
@RhysW - when he says "Are most of the jobs in the world... how can I tell if I am doing good job". I read this to mean "Do I have a good job" rather than "Are my standards of work up to scratch". – Dibstar Feb 8 at 9:53
@dibstar re-read the very last line "How can i judge that i am doing a good job" , that is totally different from "Do i have a good job" – RhysW Feb 8 at 9:56
1  
Hi @BROY, I've updated your question a bit in an attempt to get it reopened, as I think the answer by pap demonstrates that this question can be a valuable one for the site. I've voted to reopen it, but it still needs 4 other votes to get reopened. If I've changed your question too much, feel free to edit it further, or roll back the changes. Good luck with it :) – Rachel Feb 8 at 14:28
show 4 more comments

closed as not a real question by Dibstar, mhoran_psprep, jcmeloni, gnat, pdr Feb 8 at 12:29

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

1 Answer

up vote 7 down vote

There are a few different angles from which to approach this. While I cannot give you an answer, these are some general things you can keep in mind and questions that might help you clarify things for youself.

Expectation

  • Do you have a clear picture of what is expected of you?
  • Do you get recognition when you exceed expectations?
  • When failing to live up to expectations, do you get feedback, coaching and help to improve yourself and avoid future failures?

Goals

  • Can you picture where you want to be in 1, 3 and 5 years from now?
  • Do you have any personal goals of what you want to achieve and where you want your career to go?
  • Is your current job advancing those goals?

Motivation

See Herzberg's two-factor theorm

  • Are your basic rewards (e.g. salary) enough to make you not dissatisfied (hygiene factor)?
  • What does the job offer to increase your satisfaction?

Security and worth

  • Do you feel that you are valued as an employee?
  • What loyalty do you feel towards your employer?
  • Do you take pride in what you do and the company you work for?
  • If things got tight, do you think the company would prefer to improve you or eliminate you?

Generally, my experience is that people who are satisfied and enjoy their work, who respect and take pride in themselves and the company they work for, they will also perform very well at their jobs.

share|improve this answer
1  
+1 Great answer even though this question got closed! – Jefferson Feb 8 at 12:44

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.