If the Job Fits...

by Georgia C. Stelluto

It was all about job “fit” at IEEE-USA’s Professional Development Conference in Seattle, 27-28 March. Even keynote speaker Sam Johnson focused on the topic. Global and financial account manager of ExxonMobil’s GIS Chemical Information Services in Houston, Texas, Johnson said that “job fit is the key to technical excellence” in any organization.

Principles of Professional Development

Johnson told attendees that professional development is a critical part of an employee’s journey toward realizing full career potential. He said that while the organization and the individual are jointly responsible for career growth, ultimately it’s the employee who is accountable. With that viewpoint in mind, Johnson pointed to the following fundamental principles of professional development:

• Maintaining personal integrity

• Pursuing value-added endeavors

• Focusing on the long term

• Maintaining your flexibility

• Continuous learning

Assessing the Needs

According to Johnson, job fit assessment begins with determining an organization’s needs. Those needs should be matched closely with an individual’s interests. He noted the fit is almost never perfect, but that it’s important to always try to improve it. “The challenge is that an organization’s particular needs and future requirements may or may not be fully known,” he said. Johnson stressed that a good beginning for employees is to know their own natural skills, strengths and interests.

As far as individual needs, Johnson told conference participants that “constantly assessing your motivated abilities is essential to evaluating your job fit.” He added that developing a succinct list and validating your assessment with people who know you well are also important pieces of the strategy.

Communicate with Your Manager

“Talk to your manager about your professional development goals and motivated abilities,” Johnson emphasized. “Your manager should want you to realize your full potential.” He supported being candid about flexibility regarding work schedule and mobility, and said employees should let their managers know when circumstances change.

Most importantly, he said, employees who aren’t reaching their goals should ask themselves: “Is it a learning curve or a bad job fit?” If you determine the fit is not good, tell your manager. With good communication, employers can help their employees find ways to do their current jobs better; develop training plans based on organizational and professional needs; and shift people from one area of technical expertise to another that better suits their motivated abilities.

For the Best Fit

Job fit strategy becomes much more effective, if both managers and employees are trained in its philosophy. “But even if your manager doesn’t have the training, if you do, it will be easier for you to negotiate the best fit for yourself,” Johnson said.

Johnson encouraged attendees to build on their existing technical skills and develop new ones, reminding them to remain true to themselves in the process. “If you don’t enhance your technical skills to fit in with your interests, you’ll be left behind. Endeavoring in continuous learning can only help you leverage your motivated abilities for the best job fit — a ‘win-win’ situation for you and your organization.”

 

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Georgia C. Stelluto is IEEE-USA’s Publishing Manager and Managing Editor of IEEE-USA News & Views.