Career Development


Climber.com has sought to provide great value to both passive job seekers (“Climbers”) and client organizations in its offering of linking people with open positions. In light of this goal, Climber.com has sought a match between people and organizations by employing a work values inventory as part of a broader Career Fingerprint™ concept. This proprietary Work Values Assessment and the feedback that results from it will help Climbers more selectively apply for positions that match their personal feelings about the most appropriate/important aspects of their work environment and help organizations better select individuals who fit their culture.


A long-term program of research has demonstrated that the fit between an employee’s skills and needs and what the organization offers (“person-organization fit” or “organizational fit”) is, in fact, an important determinant of turnover, absenteeism, job satisfaction, job performance, and training proficiency (Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman, and Johnson, 2005.) Whereas many factors in the life of the employee have correlates with these outcomes, “fit” is only recently becoming known as an important factor to consider in employee acquisition and development. In terms of work outcomes, a person’s fit or match between their work values and those exhibited by an organization tends to impact retention and job satisfaction most heavily.


In the research literature, significant and important aspects of organizational fit include:


  • Interests in specific aspects of benefits the organization offers (flex time, etc)
  • value of skills the employee has or perceives he/she has
  • lifestyle, hours, time commitment, travel
  • Rewards, salary, benefits
  • Opportunities for advancement and growth, including potential for mgt/promotion

In addition to the above, research has demonstrated the importance of specific cultural factors – aspects that define the atmosphere of the workplace, assumptions used in decision making, and the flow of work. These may include one’s values as summarized by the following dimensions:


  • Energetic vs. relaxed
  • Planned and stable
  • Well organized authority structure
  • Innovative and creative
  • Growth oriented
  • Team oriented
  • Perceived as fair and equitable by employees
  • Concerned with and supportive of others

Perhaps more importantly, both applicants and recruiters are not particularly adept at analyzing the fit between a potential worker and the organization (Kristof-Brown, 2000), making assessment of the above factors even more useful for both applicant and employee (Cable & DeRue, 2002.) For example, a recent survey by Office Team (2007) revealed that more than half of recruiters and hiring managers admit to making incorrect decisions about a job applicant’s fit with the culture of the organization.


The aspects of organizational fit assessed in the Climber.com work values-based matching system include the following seven domains:


  • Type of compensation and growth opportunities
  • Work environment and “feel” of how business is done
  • Innovation and progressiveness of firm
  • Market and local reputation
  • Leadership structure
  • Social Factors
  • Social values and humanitarian goals of the organization