Have you ever worked at a job that you didn’t like but was too good to pass up because your boss or colleagues treated you well? Or maybe you’ve even landed your dream job but the organizational culture wasn’t favorable. This isn’t an uncommon experience, there will always be jobs that people don’t fit perfectly.
These experiences will sometimes make you feel like quitting— regardless of your grit. That said, you need to learn what a person-job fit is, and how it turns a good job great. If this sounds like an interesting read, you can visit our candidate services page for professional assistance in finding the right job!
What Does Person-Job Fit Mean?
Person-job fit is the measure of how compatible a candidate is with a job. The measure checks the personality, mental and physical well-being, and goals an employee has and how they align with the position.
Here are the subcategories of a person-job fit and how they affect compatibility.
Person-Role Fit: Often known as P-R fit, this measure checks how compatible a candidate is with a role. For example, a sales and marketing position may target applicants with an outgoing personality. Outgoing people are thought to relate well with almost everyone making it easy to close deals.
Person-Organization Fit: P-O fit looks at how an employee fits in the company regardless of their personality or capabilities. It is more about how well a worker blends in with the organizational culture.
Person-Group Fit: P-G fit determines how a new employee blends with the rest of the team members. Teamwork is crucial if a department wants to achieve high performance.
If you find yourself in a team where you don’t fit, you’ll likely end up unfulfilled and not achieve maximum productivity. Sometimes, team members may feel uncomfortable around you and even feel like you’re the reason the team cannot hit targets.
Person-Person Fit: P-P fit measures how well a worker fits in with individuals at the workplace. It could be the relationship between you and another employee, or with the boss. Those personal relationships are essential because you need the help of different people within the company to help you do your work.
Importance of a Job Fit
Here are reasons why a person-job fit matters.
Improves Engagement: When you feel that you perfectly fit in a job, you’ll feel motivated to perform your best. The increased engagement translates into better performance.
Better Job Satisfaction: You’ll feel more satisfied with your job if you fit well. Job satisfaction leads to increased morale to realize your full potential. You’ll be a happy employee who is fully dedicated to your job and organization.
Job Retention: Companies that have a high employee turnover incur high costs of hiring and training new employees. Employees that fit well with their jobs remain loyal to the company. Higher job retention leads to better company output because at no point will a company have fewer employees.
Better Teamwork: When employees fit well with their colleagues, it makes work fun and easy. Better teamwork means that the team will produce quality output faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the signs of a poor job fit?
The most common signs of a poor job fit include lack of motivation to report to work, failure to achieve set targets even if they are attainable, boredom at work, conflicts with colleagues, and disagreements with the supervisor.
What makes a good job great?
A good job should pay well, allow enough work-life balance, and have supportive management. The job should also have a favorable work environment and company culture so that employees feel motivated to work.
How do you fit well within a team?
A team consists of people from all walks of life. To fit in a team, it’s crucial to be open-minded and make a consensus on things you can’t always agree on. You also need to be mindful about people’s opinions. Most importantly, you’ll need to exercise patience as you get to know each member, their likes, and dislikes.
How to Achieve Person Job Fit
Here are tips to help you achieve a person-job fit.
Apply to jobs that align with your goals: Many job seekers make the mistake of applying to any job posting they find online. Often, it’s out of desperation to land a job. In order to fit into your role, only apply for jobs that align with your beliefs. Otherwise, you’ll end up leaving one job after another due to dissatisfaction.
The tone of the job post: It’s possible to determine the type of company you’re dealing with by checking the tone of their job posting.
Does the employer feel that you’re important or do they allude that they are doing you a favor? How does the post describe the company management? Does the relationship sound codependent?
You will need to assess these factors before applying.
Read company reviews: Before applying for any job, research that company. You want to make sure that the company has a good work culture, and treats employees well.
Research will also let you know if the company has a history of high turnover. There are good places to read company reviews such as Glassdoor or social media platforms.
Assess the interview: It’s possible to determine how well you’ll fit in a job by assessing the interview process. Some companies treat interviewees poorly but there are those that don’t. Once you attend an interview, assess the reception you get from those who interview you. This could be a big indicator of what awaits you if you join the company.
Always remember, a good person-job fit can make a job fun and satisfying. Not only does it ensure performance and job retention for the companies, it also guarantees personal and occupational fulfillment.
