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What Is the Difference Between a Personal Job

Fit & Organization Fit?
by Neil Kokemuller

Personal job fit means how well your interests and abilities line up with the responsibilities and
activities of a particular position in a company. Organization fit relates to your level of comfort with
an organizational culture. Both types of fit are important to your long-term satisfaction with a job.

Abilities
Having a job that allows you to optimize your talents and skills is important to developing a sense
of value in your work. A teacher with an education degree, for example, is working in a job that
enables her to utilize the skills acquired or enhanced while she was in college. From the employer's
perspective, having people with good abilities in the jobs they perform is critical to a high level of
production for the organization.

Interests
For a complete job fit, you not only want the ability to do your work, but a desire to do it as well.
Social workers who genuinely enjoy helping people find needed assistance and resources will feel
more satisfied and have less potential for burnout than someone with a social work degree but
limited interest in the work. When you have a job that aligns with your personal interests, you are
less likely to view it as work and more like a passion for which you get paid.

Culture
Organizational culture is the shared norms and values that give a company a distinct way of
operating relative to others. Even if you like your job, working in an organization that doesn't align
with your values is difficult for an extended period of time. If you have a family, for example, an
organization that thrives on personal ambition and aggressive risk-taking may not work well. If you
prefer a more team-oriented culture where collaboration is important, an environment that promotes
autonomy and self-interests presents a challenge. A January 2011 Forbes.com article noted that a
lack of organizational support was a common reason top employees leave.

Colleagues
Along with organizational culture, relationships with colleagues impact your organization fit. These
are the people you interact with and collaborate with on a daily basis. Personality conflicts or a lack
of shared goals can cause daily stress and tension. Relationships with managers are similarly
important to the organization fit. The Forbes.com article indicated that employees regularly leave
high-paying jobs because they don't get along with or respect their managers.
 

About the Author

Neil Kokemuller has been an active business, finance and education writer and content media
website developer since 2007. He has been a college marketing professor since 2004. Kokemuller
has additional professional experience in marketing, retail and small business. He holds a Master of
Business Administration from Iowa State University.