Editorial
Yes, the headline is a clumsy parody of that infamous legal mantra, but it's also an apt description of the critical connection between job fit and employee engagement — that cause-effect phenomenon that explains why those who do work they find interesting, affirming and rewarding tend to perform it with a sense of excitement, passion and energy that doesn’t originate with a Red Bull or a double espresso.
As Timothy Butler and James Waldroop wrote in "Job Sculpting: The Art of Retaining Your Best People," "it's our long-held, emotionally driven passions that shape our life interest and drive our best career decisions.” And it is those passions that play a critical role in determining what is a job fit and what is not — a distinction that has taken on greater meaning over the last three years.
A Question of Values and Value
Since 2020, employees across industries have had time to re-think both their values and their value. As a result, whether interviewing for a new job or returning to an old one, they are demonstrating a new-found determination to get more of what they want out of work. And many of the most valuable and talented among them have gained the confidence and power to demand it. Practices like “quiet quitting,” and affirmations like, “I’m quitting this job to pursue my dream of not working here” testify to their desire for exciting, challenging, values-affirming work.
But what if employees weren’t inclined to quit quietly — or loudly? What if they came to work with energy, racing hearts and a sense of well-being? What would it take for managers to inspire such behavior? Of course, managers alone are not responsible for ensuring a person/job fit. Much like love, that effort is a two-way street that demands initiative and effort from both parties. Managers and employees alike have an obligation to find the skills, values and interest fit that makes for a fulfilling and productive work life. And the best managers will require it before they hire it. So, what would that look like?
Related Article: Recruit for Fit by Aligning Expectations and Reality
A Legit Fit
“Legit” historically referred to something that is legal or conforms to the rules, but the Urban Dictionary defines it today as true, real, genuine, authentic or “the real deal.” If so, managers would do well to broaden their talent search criteria to include a “legit fit.”
For too long, managers have been satisfied with achieving a “JIT fit” — a just-in-time, skills-based solution that matches a critical project or task with a candidate who is good at it. The good news is that this fit often gets the job done and has the added advantage of fitting in with the latest “skills-first” attitude so popular today. The bad news is it does not evoke the sense of excitement, passion and energy that feeds employee engagement and commitment. We’ve all seen employees whose tasks are well-matched to their skill sets, but who display no discernible enthusiasm for them. Of course, employees get frustrated doing jobs for which they don’t have the necessary skills but being locked in to only doing what they’re good at can be worse. To paraphrase Peter Drucker, “Suitability eats capability for breakfast.” But what constitutes suitability?
A Skills Fit Isn’t All of It
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of optimal experience revealed that, “what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.” After studying thousands of subjects, Csikszentmihalyi concluded that people are most satisfied when they challenge themselves with tasks demanding a high degree of both skill and commitment — and undertake because they enjoy it. Could this be the renowned psychologist’s way of saying that a skills fit isn’t all of it? That Skills + Interests + Values = Commitment?
This simple equation summarizes an uncomplicated but seldom grasped truth about humans and their relationship with work: If there is a skills and interests and values fit, they will commit. But the operative word here is “and” because all three are necessary. In their 1981 book, "Must Success Cost So Much?" Paul Evans and Fernando Bartolome make this point by identifying three types of employee/job misfits.
- “Competence misfits,” who enjoy their work and are proud of it but may not have the skills to perform it well
- “Enjoyment misfits,” who are skilled at their work and proud of it, but don’t derive any particular satisfaction from it and
- “Moral misfits,” who like their job and are skilled at it, but feel that it compromises their values.
It's fairly easy to spot competence misfits. The other two, however, are more difficult to uncover, yet are equally and perhaps more dangerous to an organization’s productivity.
Related Podcast: Why Everybody Loses When a Job's the Wrong Fit
How Do You Know It Fits if You Can’t Try It On?
Obviously, managers can’t afford to hire or keep employees in order to find out if they are legit fits, but there is a way to assess fit before hiring — or firing. Ask questions about:
Skills
To better understand a candidate’s/employee’s talents and skills managers can ask them:
- What of your skills are you most confident about? Least confident?
- What skills do you have that you have not been able to use?
- What skills would you like to use more?
- In this job, what skill do you find most challenging?
- Tell me about a project or task that required you to demonstrate a hidden or unused skill.
- What are the key skills and behaviors necessary in this role?
To better understand candidate or employee talents and skills, managers can ask themselves:
- Is there an opportunity to use this candidate’s/employee’s hidden or unused skill in the organization?
- Which skills would you like to improve or add to your skillset?
Interests
To identify candidate or employee interests, managers can ask them:
- When was the last time you jumped out of bed in the morning, anxious to get to work?
- What tasks or projects make you hit the snooze button?
- What is most attractive / stimulating / exciting about this job?
- If you could change one thing about your current job, what would it be?
To identify candidate or employee interests, managers can ask themselves:
- Using what I know about this candidate’s/employee’s interests, how can I make this job more attractive / stimulating / exciting?
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Values
To identify candidate or employee values, managers can ask them:
- What would you say are your top three to five values — those things that are most important to you at work?
- How well does your current work satisfy your values?
- In what ways does your current job detract from your values?
- What is currently getting in the way of you addressing the top two or three values?
To identify candidate or employee values, managers can ask themselves:
- How can I enrich this candidate’s/employee’s work to match more of their values?
With so many employees re-evaluating their values and their value, the critical connection between employee/job fit and employee commitment cannot be overstated or underestimated. And as important as identifying a legit fit before hiring, is the ability to recognize signs of a current misfit in the organization. Both situations require a manager who is skilled at asking these questions, is interested in doing so and values the effort.
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