Work at Home Quiz - Are You Ready to Work at Home?
These self-assessment questions will help you determine if you have what it takes to work from home. It’s not a bad thing if you don’t—everyone is different, after all and not everyone is cut out for the work at home lifestyle. But it is a bad thing to try to work at home, for example, if your personality really isn’t suited to being your own boss, setting schedules, making milestones, and so forth.
This work at home quiz isn’t a scientific assessment. It hasn’t been validated for accuracy and precision and reproducability (workin’ on that, though). It will give you some things to think about. Answer the questions as honestly as you can. Remember this is for you, and there is no ‘right’ answer—you are who you are and you need to be honest with yourself if you want to know if you’re cut out to work at home. Also, try not to think too much about each question. Let it come from your gut. Some questions will force you to choose one of two extremes rather than offering a middle ground. Answer with the extreme that represents the closest fit.
If your current job does not accurately reflect your work experience, or if you’re out of a job at the moment, answer the questions based on a prior position. If you do not have work experience, use your personal life as the basis for your answers.
Remember, negative results in this work at home quiz don’t necessarily mean you’re destined to endure the daily commute. They simply point out things you may want to think about before you decide to work from home.
Home Office
1) Have you ever had a home-based job or operated a home-based business?
a) yes
b) no
2) Growing up, did anyone in your family work from home?
a) yes
b) no
3) Will you be responsible for young children or severely challenged adults while working at home?
a) no
b) yes, but I will have someone else providing daycare or eldercare while I’m working at home
c) yes
4) Do you have an area within your home that you can isolate for work?
a) yes
b) no
5) How do you think your family will feel about you working from home?
a) they’ll love it
b) they’ll like it
c) I haven’t talked to them about it
d) they won’t be happy about it
Scoring: Give yourself 1 point for every (a) or (b) answer and subtract 1 point for every (c) or (d) answer. If you scored less than 3 on this section, you’ll face some challenges on the homefront.
Attitude Toward Technology
1) When your computer hiccups do you:
a) sigh loudly hoping someone will take pity on you and fix the problem
b) shut down and restart hoping that will fix it
2) If that didn’t work would you:
a) threaten the blasted machine with power tools then twiddle with your operating system hoping you’ll stumble on a solution
b) do a web search for similar problems and try to fix it
3) How many times in the last year have consulted an online, telephone, or on-site expert about a computer problem only to have them offer an easy fix?
a) more than 10 times
b) 3 to 10 times
c) l to 3 times
d) never
4) If you ask someone for help with a computer problem would you prefer they:
a) fix the problem for you
b) show you where to find the solution
c) explain how to fix the problem
d) explain how to fix the problem and show you on how and why it happened.
5) Will anyone else use your computer when you are not working?
a) yes
b) no
6) Is your internet connection via:
a) don’t know
b) modem
c) public wifi (or the neighbor’s wifi)
d) t1 or equivalent
e) dsl
f) cable
g) digital cable
7) How many times has your internet connection been lost for more than 30 minutes in the last year?
a) 3 to 10 times
b) l to 3 times
c) never
8) If that happened while you were working at home would you?
a) go do something non-work-related
b) use a backup connection or go to a public wifi hotspot
c) call the provider and find out what you can
d) find work to keep you busy that doesn’t involve the internet
9) How often do you back up your important computer files?
a) I’ve been meaning to get to that
b) once a month, at least
c) weekly
d) daily
10) Does your backup reside:
a) on site
b) off site
11) How often do computer viruses infect your computer?
a) it’s been like the Black Plague
b) occasionally
c) seldom
d) never
Scoring: On questions 1, 2, 5, and 10, give yourself -1 for each (a) answer and +1 for every (b) answer). For questions 3, 9, and 11, give yourself -2 for each (a) answer, -1 for each (b) answer, +1 for each (c) answer, and +2 for each (d) answer. For questions 4, 7, and 8, you get -1 for an (a) answer, and =1 for anything else. On question 6, you get -1 for an (a)(b) or (c) answer, +1 for a (d) or (e) answer, and +2 for an (f) or (g) answer.
If you scored less than an 8 on this section, take heart, you’re not alone. The resource most missed by home-workers is the ability to call the IT department or groan loudly until the office computer guru offers to help figure out what your blasted machine is doing.
Motivation
1) If you didn’t need to work in order to life the lifestyle you wanted, would you:
a) never work another day in your life
b) kick back for a while and then maybe do something part time or pick up some volunteer work
c) finally pursue that long list of things you always wanted to do
d) go stir crazy until you found something productive to do
2) It’s a picture-perfect day and you’re the only one in the office, you don’t have any pressing work but you are expected to be at the office from 9 to 5 p.m. If you know for absolute certain that no one will ever know, would you most likely:
a) bug out and go do something other than work
b) stay at the office and read a book or surf the Web
c) reorganize files or do busy work
d) use the quiet time to take on a work-related project you’ve always been meaning to get to.
3) How much of your workday do you feel you spend on things other than work (not including breaks, lunch, etc)?
a) more than a third of the day
b) an hour of two
c) not much at all
4) Do you feel that you are more or less productive than other people?
a) less
b) about the same
c) more
d) much more
5) Do you think your co-workers or friends would agree with that assessment?
a) no
b) yes
6) Do you think working at home will allow you to work more hours or less hours (not including the commute time)?
a) Less
b) About the same
c) More
7) Do you think you will be more or less productive working from home?
a) less
b) about the same
c) more
8) If you could change one thing about your job would it be?
a) fewer hours
b) more money
c) more flexibility and control of my day
9) What do you like most about your job?
a) Fridays
b) the people I work with
c) the money I make
d) what I do
Scoring:
Question 1: a=-1, b,c or d=+1
Question 2: a or b=-2, c or d=+2
Question 3: a=-2, b=-1, c=+1
Question 4: a=-2, b=+1, c or d=+2
Question 5: If (a), take away your points from Question 4. If (b), add 1.
Question 6: a=-2, b=+1, c=+2
Question 7: a=-2, b=+1, c=+2
Question 8: a or b=-1, c=+1
Question 9: a, b, or c=-1, d=+1
If you scored less than 6 in this section, you’re likely to find yourself having trouble staying the course when you work at home. Research about home-based worker productivity shows that more than half of teleworkers feel more productive at home and only 5% feel less productive. Of course, it was existing teleworkers answering the questions. Of those who chose not to work from home, 35% cited the fear of lower productivity as one of their reasons.
Social Needs
1) Which word would best describe you?
a) social
b) loner
c) a bit of both
2) At an office party are you the one:
a) wearing the lampshade and doing the Macarena with the coat rack
b) pressing the flesh with all the important people
c) enjoying the opportunity to cut loose with co-workers/friends
d) looking at your watch
3) Given a choice would you spend more time:
a) with other people (except for family)
b) without other people (except for family)
c) without other people (including family)
4) How would you feel about asking a co-worker you hardly knew for a business favor?
a) Very uncomfortable
b) Somewhat uncomfortable
c) No sweat
Scoring: On Questions 1, 2, and 4, (a) or (b) =-1, (c) or (d) =+1. On Question 3, a=-1, b or c=+1. Successful teleworkers will score a 3 or above in this section.
Holic Tendencies
1) Are you or do you have any ‘aholic’ tendencies (alcoholic, foodaholic, bulemic, shopaholic, tv-a-holic, etc.)
a) yes
b) no
2) In your current or prior jobs, how many hours do/did you work a week, not including commuting time?
a) less than 40
b) 40 to 60
c) more than 60
3) Do you frequently work overtime?
a) no
b) yes
4)If you do work overtime, what is the primary reason?
a) to get caught up
b) for overtime pay
c) I enjoy what I do or my job is important to me
d) out of habit
e) I’m a work-a-holic
Scoring: Questions 1 a=-1, b=+1. Question 2: a=-1 b=+1 c=-2. Question 3: a =1 b=-1. Question 4: a=-2 b=-1 and b=+1, c=1, d=-2 e=-3. Less than a score of 3 in this section may suggest trouble in this area.
Administrative Skills
1) Do you have a safe or safe deposit box where you keep valuable personal papers?
a) no
b) yes
2) Do you balance your checkbook?
a) no
b) yes
3) How often do bounce a check?
a) often
b) sometimes
c) never
4) Is your credit history?
a) I don’t know
b) poor
c) average
d) good
Scoring: Questions 1 and 2: a=-1, b=+1. Question 3: a and b=-1. Question 4: a and b=-1, c and d==1. Less than a score of 3 in this section may suggest trouble in this area.
Communications Skills
1) Rate your written communication skills:
a) not my strong soot
b) as good as the next guys
c) very good
2) How often are you asked to clarify something you write, or find it’s been misunderstood?
a) frequently
b) occasionally
c) rarely
3) Rate your verbal communication skills:
a) I get in less trouble if I keep my mouth shut
b) I may not be eloquent, but I make myself understood
c) I’m an excellent communicator
4) When someone emails you a question, is your answer more likely to be:
a) short
b) long
5) If you had to explain something complicated to a co-worker, would you rather:
a) find someone else to do it
b) send them an email
c) call them on the phone
d) show them in person
6)If you just found out you lost a big customer, would you be more likely to notify you boss by:
a) email
b) phone
c) in person
7) Would you most likely contact your boss:
a) immediately
b) after procrastinating as long as possible
8) Do you find communicating with people by email?
a) easier
b) harder
Scoring: Questions 1 and 2: a=-1, b=0, c=+1. Question 2: a=-2, b=-1, c=1. Question 3: a=-1, b=+1, c=+2. Question 4: a=+1, b=-1. Question 5: a=-2, b=-2, c=+2, d=+1. Question 6: a=-2, b=-1, c=+1. Question 7: a=+1, b=-1. Question: 8: a=+1, b=-1.
Self-Sufficiency
1) Let’s say you recently landed a big customer. A few days have gone by and your boss hasn’t mentioned it. Would you?
a) be upset but not mention it
b) ask his/her assistant if the boss got the news
c) contact him or her and brag
d) not give it much thought
2) In general, if you’re feeling the need for endorsement, would you
a) keep quiet and hope someone notices
b) blow your own horn
3) Do you set personal goals?
a) no
b) yes
4) Do you set professional goals?
a) no
b) yes
5) Do you measure your progress toward those goals?
a) not really
b) usually
Scoring: Question 1: a or b=-1, c or d=+1. Questions 2 to 5: a=-1, b=+1. Four or better is a good score in this section.
Organizational Skills
1) If you were asked to plan next month’s company picnic, would you:
a) panic and try to find someone else to do it
b) pull something together at the last minute
c) put together a plan and ask others to help me make it happen
d) plan and execute it by yourself
2) How often are you late for a meeting or appointment (personal or business)?
a) often
b) occasionally
c) almost never
3) If you found yourself overwhelmed by your job would you?
a) look for a new job
b) tell your boss you’re overwhelmed
c) develop a list of what you think the priorities should be and go to it
d) do (d) and copy your boss on your plan of attack
4) When you’re suddenly faced with lots of conflicting priorities do you?
a) Have a hard time moving forward on any of them
b) Work on them one at a time
c) Take some time and set a priority schedule before you start working on any of them
5) When you first sit down at your desk do you tend to work on what’s:
a) on the top of the pile
b) most interesting
c) most urgent
d) most important
Scoring: On each of the questions in this section, you get a –1 for each a or b answer, and +1 for every c or d answer. A score of 4 or higher suggests you have the organization skills essential for a work at home position.
Focus
1) How often do you get distracted from what you’re doing and find yourself doing something else entirely?
a) what was the question
b) frequently
c) seldom
2) If you think of something you need to do but don’t want to get distracted by it right now, do you?
a) assume you’ll remember it later
b) stop and do it anyway because you’ll never remember it later
c) write yourself a note on whatever’s handy
d) add it to your to do list
3) Has anyone in your adult life ever suggested you suffer from attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder?
a) yes, but I’ve never done anything about it
b) yes, and I’m managing it
c) no
d) what?
Scoring: Questions 1 and 2: a or b=-1, c or d==1. Question 3: a=-1, b=0, c=0, d= -2. Anything less than a 3 in this section suggests you’ll need to come up with some mechanisms for staying on target when your work from home.
Career Needs
1) How important is it for you to move upward in your organizational hierarchy?
a) very important
b) somewhat important
c) I’m happy where I am
2) What is your primary job motivation?
a) money
b) admiration
c) flexibility
d) doing my job well
Scoring: Question 1: a and b=-1, c=+1. Question 2: a and b=-1, c and d=+1. Since there’s only two questions here there’s not much margin for error but it really is a pretty black and white category so an optimal score is a 2.
Ready to Work at Home? What Next?
Here are just a few of the many work at home pages available on our site. If you passed the work at home assessment, or even if you didn’t but still want to find out more about work at home, check them out!
- Find Telecommuting and Work from Home Jobs
- Work at Home Resources
- Best Employers for Work at Home
- Full Work at Home (eWork) Companies
- Finding Work at Home
- Work at Home Books
You’ll also want to check out our Finding Work at Home series:
