Part I – Job Fit and Talent Assessment from the Employer’s Perspective

If I asked a room full of people to explain job fit, I’d likely have as many definitions as people in the room. Job fit is one of those intangibles that hiring professionals know is important, yet due to past work experiences, there are unique perspectives on what it entails.

Most industry sources tend to approach job fit from the employer’s perspective – focusing on whether or not an employee assimilates well into the company and becomes a productive employee.

For the greatest value, however, it’s important to broaden our understanding of job fit, approaching it from both the employer’s and the employee’s perspective. This can be done with the help of talent assessment.

In this week’s post, we’ll explore job fit from the employer’s view, followed next week with the employee’s perspective.

What Does Job Fit Mean from an Employer’s Point of View?

Job fit is typically defined as the compatibility between the employees and the jobs (or tasks) they are asked to perform. It’s not a bad definition in theory, but not especially helpful in practice. I’m suggesting that we reframe our understanding of job fit around three essential components:

Style – How a person prefers to work and interact?

Culture – What a person values?

Ability – What a person is capable of doing?

If our overall goal is to hire and retain the right person, then job fit must encompass all three. Correct employee talent assessment is the best way to determine the job fit of an employee, adding value to the team and the organization.

Why Is Job Fit Important?

Job fit is directly related to turnover. Each employee turnover costs approximately one-third of the person’s salary, not including the impact on employee morale, customer perceptions, and your organization’s image and reputation. So, the costs of poor job fit, direct and indirect, are great.

On the other hand, if you get it right, the payoff is immediate. Employees enjoy higher engagement and job satisfaction. You achieve higher performance, retention, and productivity.

Nothing boosts bottom-line results better than a team of dedicated employees who embrace your company culture and vision and have the right skills and ability to excel in the job.

What Can I Do To Ensure Job Fit With Optimal Results?

Employee talent assessment is the key. The primary reason organizations miss the mark on job fit is that one or more of the three essential components – style, culture, and ability – are missing from their assessment process.

For a fresh approach, a good place to start is to review and evaluate your organization’s pre-hire assessment process. How well does your current process match applicants to each of the three components of job fit?

Style – Is the style of work highly collaborative or autonomous? Is work structured or unstructured?

Culture – Is your business environment casual or more formal? What values are important, such as quality, creativity, and recognition?

Ability – What are the key tasks and job functions? Does the applicant have the right skills and ability to perform the work? 

There are employee talent assessment tools available for each of these components and steps that can be included in the process to ensure the right fit. Our preference at Employment Technologies is immersive talent assessment tools that enable applicants to experience key aspects of the job.

By placing an applicant on the job through a simulated experience, you can quickly and accurately discern if the person is the right fit for the position and your organization. Plus, immersive tools, such as company previews and job simulations, give applicants the opportunity to see if the job is right for them. More about this here!