Are you satisfied when your job fits? The perspective of career management
ISSN: 1746-5265
Article publication date: 6 June 2023
Issue publication date: 15 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationships between person–job fit and job satisfaction, the mediating role of career self-management and the moderating role of job demands.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, 947 employees were surveyed using questionnaires, and hypothesis testing was conducted using structural equation modeling in Mplus.
Findings
Person–job fit was found to be positively related to career self-management, and career self-management plays a mediating role in the positive relationship between person–job fit and job satisfaction. Statistical analysis also confirmed that job demands moderate both the relationship between person–job fit and career self-management, as well as the relationship between person–job fit and job satisfaction via career self-management.
Research limitations/implications
The results of a single study offer limited generalizability and should thus be applied with caution. More cross-industry and cross-company studies should be conducted to verify the applicability of the findings to other industries, cultures and geographical contexts.
Practical implications
Managers should try to enhance employees' person–job fit and help or encourage them to engage in career self-management to increase job satisfaction. Additionally, managers should be aware of the negative influence of job demands and try to keep them at low levels.
Originality/value
This study extends and enriches the understanding of the positive influence of person–job fit on work outcomes, explores the mechanism of person–job fit on job satisfaction from a new perspective, namely career self-management, and explores the boundary condition (i.e. job demands) of the relationship between person–job fit and career self-management in the Chinese context.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71902176).
Citation
Du, Y., Li, J. and Xu, Q. (2023), "Are you satisfied when your job fits? The perspective of career management", Baltic Journal of Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 563-578. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-09-2022-0353
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited