Does Something Seem Wrong? Misfit During the Job Search

Abstract

The development of misfit during the job search has been difficult and complex for people to assess. Prior research has typically examined misfit as low-levels of perceived person-organization fit, or as simple incongruence. This research challenges these assumptions and examines the underlying nature of misfit, specifically untangling the effects of misfit from experiences of fit. In addition to exploring the nature of misfit, this research also examines how experiences of misfit develop for job seekers through two specific processes: discordant processes (via organizational culture), and deficient processes (via recruitment deal-breakers). Through the development of a theoretical misfit framework based on control theory and Yu’s motivational model for fit, I explore the development and impact of misfit for job seekers across three studies of new labor market entrants. Study 1 examines the content and construct validity of new measures for anticipated misfit; while Study 2 and Study 3 examine the discordant and deficient processes. Study 3 also examines the malleability of anticipated misfit via the attenuating impact of affect (i.e., felt-liking and organization liking). The results form Study 1 strongly support misfit as a distinct and independent construct from experienced fit; while Studies 2 and 3 provide support for the discordant and deficient processes. In particular, late-stage job search results demonstrated stronger misfit effects as compared with early-stage job search results. Additionally, the discordant processes, as compared with deficient processes, were consistently supported across all studies. The results pertaining to the moderation of affect indicate that a job seeker’s liking of a firm can “mask” the experiences of misfit during late-stage job searching. The results, theoretical contributions, and practical implications of this research are further examined throughout this dissertation.