Name: Date:

Ideal Job Inventory

ID:
Development Dimensions International, Inc., MCMXCV. All rights reserved.
2
Instructions
This questionnaire gives you an opportunity to describe aspects of work that you find rewarding.
With your ideal job in mind, indicate how much you would enjoy each job characteristic described
on the following pages. Please respond to the items using the 5-point scale provided at the top of
each page.
It is important to realize that everyone values different things in their work. There are no right or
wrong answers.
It is critical that you respond honestly to each item; otherwise, we will be unable to interpret your
results.
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Ideal Job Inventory
1 2 3 4 5
How desirable would each of the following job characteristics be in your ideal job?
Very
undesirable
Neither desirable nor
undesirable
Very desirable
1. Having opportunities for high levels of accomplishment.
2. Getting feedback only when things go wrong.
3. Interacting with others.
4. Working with people who have a variety of perspectives.
5. Checking outputs for subtle defects.
6. Working at a moderate tempo/pace.
7. Performing tasks independently of your supervisor/leader.
8. Doing different activities day to day.
9. Being seen by many people inside and outside the organization.
10. Having opportunities to improve work-related skills and knowledge.
11. Mentoring or coaching others.
12. Working under changing priorities and shifting deadlines.
13. Having part of salary based on commission.
14. Having opportunities to reach higher levels of responsibility.
15. Performing complicated tasks.
16. Sacrificing personal time to meet job demands.
17. Applying new ideas to work processes.
18. Being formally recognized for achievements.
19. Influencing others.
20. Giving team members responsibility for scheduling their own working hours,
vacation time, etc.
21. Continuously measuring effectiveness of yourself or your team.
22. Having challenging work goals.
23. Being appreciated by co-workers or customers.
24. Communicating with other people about work.
25. Listening to input from a variety of people.
26. Reviewing reports for mistakes.
27. Having enough time to complete tasks without having to rush.
28. Relying almost entirely on your own abilities and resources to perform tasks.
29. Doing many different things.
30. Being the center of attention.
31. Getting opportunities to attend formal training programs.
32. Helping others develop professionally.
33. Working within established methods and procedures to accomplish tasks.
34. Having part of salary at risk.
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Ideal Job Inventory
1 2 3 4 5
How desirable would each of the following job characteristics be in your ideal job?
Very
undesirable
Neither desirable nor
undesirable
Very desirable
35. Having opportunities to advance your career.
36. Having tasks requiring attention to several sources of information at once.
37. Taking work home.
38. Devising unique solutions to work-related problems.
39. Having opportunity to receive formal awards (e.g., plaques, employee-of-the-month
honors, trips, etc.).
40. Being accountable for the performance of others.
41. Seeking ideas or input from team members.
42. Having narrowly defined areas of responsibility.
43. Getting reassurance for mistakes.
44. Having opportunities to achieve difficult objectives.
45. Being compensated from straight salary.
46. Being innovative.
47. Solving problems with many components.
48. Having infrequent face-to-face contact with supervisor.
49. Working with people from different levels or functions.
50. On-the-job learning that never stops.
51. Having a fixed and steady income.
52. Making significant work-related decisions.
53. Having goals that are easily achieved.
54. Working with people who have similar styles, attitudes, and motivations.
55. Having frequent promotions.
56. Having face-to-face contact with people at work.
57. Having an opportunity to perform many tasks over time.
58. Giving subordinates responsibility for deciding work methods, schedules, and
assignments.
59. Handling assignments familiar and important to many others.
60. Paying attention to small details.
61. Having a manager/supervisor who decides how work gets done.
62. Having no formal displays of appreciation or performance.
63. Working under urgent deadlines.
64. Having work patterns that are unchanging from day to day.
65. Working until the job gets done.
66. Working under close supervision.
67. New approaches to job are unnecessary.
5
Ideal Job Inventory
1 2 3 4 5
How desirable would each of the following job characteristics be in your ideal job?
Very
undesirable
Neither desirable nor
undesirable
Very desirable
68. Guiding others toward group/organizational goals.
69. Getting little or no attention from others.
70. Providing general input while other people handle the details.
71. Learning takes place only during initial job orientation.
72. Getting frequent compliments.
73. Giving subordinates responsibility for setting their own work goals and evaluating
results.
74. Doing simple tasks.
75. Helping others improve performance.
76. Having tasks assigned to you, not by you.
77. Completing tasks rapidly and within time constraints.
78. Working only the number of hours scheduled.
79. Having limited opportunities for promotion.
80. Being concerned solely for your own professional development.
81. Working alone.
82. Having performance appreciated but not celebrated.
83. Having opportunities to develop your own methods and procedures to accomplish
tasks.
84. Working on the same types of tasks/projects.
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Ideal Job Inventory
Instructions
The following statements require a "True" or "False" answer. Read each one, then decide whether
the statement is True (T) or False (F) as it pertains to you.
85. I never hesitate to go out of my way to help someone in trouble.
86. I have never intensely disliked someone.
87. I sometimes feel resentful when I don't get my way.
88. There have been times when I felt like rebelling against people in authority even
when I knew they were right.
89. I can remember calling in sick to get out of something.
90. I am always courteous, even to people who are disagreeable.
91. I would never think of letting someone else be punished for my wrongdoing.
92. There have been times when I was quite jealous of the good fortune of others.
93. I am sometimes irritated by people who ask favors of me.
Ideal Job Inventory Demographics
Optional
This section is optional and will be used for research purposes to evaluate the inventory, not you.
The information you provide here can never be used in making employment decisions. These
statistics will be stored in a data file separate from your name and are linked only to your responses.
Thank you for your participation.
Age Race or Ethnic Group Gender
29 or less
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 or over
African-American
Asian
Caucasian
Hispanic
Native American
Other
Female
Male