Misfit matters: A re-examination of interest fit and job satisfaction

Vocational interest researchers have long held that individuals will be satisfied when their interests match the characteristics of their work environments. Yet, meta-analyses have found little relationship between interest fit and overall job satisfaction. Notably, studies underlying past meta-analyses shared common limitations. They rarely accounted for unique forms of misfit (environmental excess and deficiency) or differences between fit at low and high levels of the person and environment variables. Accounting for these limitations, we extend fit theory to suggest the interest fit – job satisfaction relationship is sometimes asymmetric, is dependent on the nature of the fit comparison (subjective fit or “accuracy of self-assessment”), may change across RIASEC interests, and that job satisfaction increases for fit from low to high levels of the person and environment variables. We used polynomial regression and response surface methodology to evaluate fit effects across two large samples. Results suggest misfit asymmetry often exists for interests and job satisfaction and the form of asymmetry may change across fit comparisons and interests. Moreover, job satisfaction sometimes increased for fit from low to high levels of the person and environment variables. These findings largely differ from the constraints imposed by single-index fit measures characterizing much of past interest fit research. Instead of following a supplementary fit model, interests better follow a complementary fit theory—needs-supplies fit.