Person‐Placement Congruence: A Framework for Vocational Counselors

Abstract

A common guideline for vocational counseling is the rule requiring congruence between a man and his job. The issue of person‐placement congruence was studied utilizing 159 patients referred for vocational rehabilitation to the Mental Health and Manpower Project from the Fort Logan Mental Health Center. A 13‐item scale devised by project research staff and completed by vocational counselors was shown to predict later job success. By separating the scale into two categories, those items dealing with abilities and those related to needs, it was possible to predict the nature of job termination, i.e., quit or was fired. There was demonstrated considerable validity for the man‐job fit approach to counseling, and this research served as an initial step toward detailing this rather simple rule.

Job matching: An interdisciplinary scoping study with implications for vocational rehabilitation counseling.

“…Contributions from IOP–VP research revealed similar findings to those from IOP and VP. VR counseling studies established positive associations of person–occupation and person–job fit with job satisfaction, higher wages, and job tenure of PwD post-VR (Beveridge & Fabian, 2007; Jagger, Neukrug, & McAuliffe, 1992; Miskimins, Wilson, Berry, Oetting, & Cole, 1969).…”

Predicting the vocational capacity of the chronically mentally ill: Research and policy implications.

“…The best clinical predictors of future work performance are ratings of a person's work adjustment skills made in a workshop setting or sheltered job site. In every study in which work adjustment skills were assessed, they were found to be significantly related to future work performance (Cheadle, Gushing, Drew, & Morgan, 1967;Cheadle & Morgan, 1972, Distefano & Pryer, 1970Miskimins, Wilson, Berry, Getting, & Cole, 1969;Watts, 1978;Wilson et al, 1969). In every instance in which an overall measure of work adjustment skills was calculated, the total score was predictive of future vocational performance (Cheadle et al, 1967;Cheadle & Morgan, 1972;Distefano & Pryer, 1970;Ethridge, 1968;Griffiths, 1973).…”

“…Data have already been presented that indicate a relationship between persons' abilities to get along in the workplace and their future vocational functioning. Similarly, ratings of more general social functioning have been found to predict vocational performance (Green et al, 1968;Griffiths, 1974;Gurel & Lorei, 1972;Miskimins et al, 1969;Strauss & Carpenter, 1974;Sturm & Lipton, 1967).…”

Characteristics of people with psychiatric disabilities that are predictive of entry into the rehabilitation process and successful employment.

“…In particular, neither particular patterns of psychiatric symptomatology, psychiatric diagnoses, nor successes in other life domains correlates strongly with vocational outcome. A variety of studies have reported the lack of a relationship between future work performance and a variety of assessments of psychiatric symptomatology (Ciardiello, Klein 8c Solkowski, 1988;Ellsworth, Foster, Childers, Arthur, 8c Kroeker, 1968;Green, Miskimins 8c Keil, 1968;Gurel 8c Lorei, 1972;Moller, von Zerssen, Werner-Eilert, 8c Wuschenr-Stockheim, 1982;Schwartz, Myers 8c Astrachan, 1975;Strauss 8c Carpenter 1972, 1974Wilson, Berry 8c Miskimins, 1969). There appear to be no symptoms or symptom patterns that are consistently related to individual work performance.…”

“…In contrast to the studies suggesting no relationship between symptomatology measures, other community adjustment measures and future vocational performance, are those studies which have reported positive correlations between measures of work adjustment skills and future vocational outcome. Anthony and Jansen’s (1984) review indicated that in every study in which work adjustment skills were assessed, they were found to be significantly related to future work performance (Cheadle, Cushing, Drew & Morgan, 1967; Cheadle & Morgan, 1972; Distefano & Pryer, 1970; Miskimins, Wilson, Berry, Oetting & Cole, 1969; Watts, 1978; Wilson, Berry & Miskimins, 1969). In every instance in which an overall measure of work adjustment skills was calculated, the total score was predictive of future vocational performance (Cheadle et al, 1967; Cheadle & Morgan, 1972; Distefano & Pryer, 1970; Ethridge, 1968; Griffiths, 1973).…”