Beyond Selecting for Performance: Toward a Fit-for-Sustainability Model of Personnel Selection

Abstract

Personnel selection research demonstrates that structured methods reliably predict job performance. Yet this focus has narrowed the criterion space by equating performance at entry with long-term effectiveness. Drawing on Job Demands–Resources theory, I argue that sustainable performance unfolds within dynamic demand–resource systems that simultaneously shape employee well-being. Building on König et al. call to integrate well-being into selection, I propose a Fit-for-Sustainability model that shifts attention from static performance prediction to sustainable effectiveness. The model distinguishes demands–abilities fit at entry from needs—supplies fit, which must be secured through work design, and incorporates regulatory resources—such as proactive personality, self-control, and learning goal orientation—that enable employees to recalibrate fit as demands evolve. Organizational resources provide the regulatory latitude necessary for proactive adjustment. Together, these elements reposition selection as the starting point of continuous demand–resource optimization, advancing a theory of selection for sustainable performance and well-being over time.