Are you satisfied when your job fits? The perspective of career management

PurposeThe 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/approachIn this paper, 947 employees were surveyed using questionnaires, and hypothesis testing was conducted using structural equation modeling in Mplus.FindingsPerson–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/implicationsThe 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 implicationsManagers 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/valueThis 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.