Interest

Term Definition
Interest is to engage the attention of; to awaken interest in; to excite emotion or passion in, in behalf of a person or thing. Organizations identify and store an employee's interest as part of their resource planning.

Interest matching is helpful in resource allocation, succession planning and career development. An organization may use a combination of skill, interest matching and availability to assign resources to tasks or projects. The performance measurement tools are one way of gathering information on employees' interests specific to their work roles. Personality assessments are another tool that can be used to identify interests.

Some firms extend the definition of interest beyond simple career interests but seek to match work with "embedded life interests" . The theory behind this is that by the time people reach early adulthood, their interest patterns are set for life. Typically, people will have two to three interests, which apply to work. Matching life interests with work roles can benefit organizations because employees will have a more natural aptitude for the role and as such, will be enthusiastic about their work. This results in workers that have a higher degree of job satisfaction and productivity.

As the working population ages, organizations are faced with the mounting pressure to attract and retain talent. Employees that are engaged will not only be happier and more productive in their jobs but are less likely to leave the company. Matching roles with interest, and continuing to develop employees will keep them engaged. For example, Jane is a sales representative with a large company. She has a degree in Finance. She likes working in sales but has a passion for working with numbers and coaching and developing. During her 360-degree feedback, she and her manager discussed her career development plan and Jane expressed her desire to move into a Project Management role. When a project management team formed for a new product launch, Jane's manager arranged for her to be part of the team. Jane was able to work closely with the project manager and gain valuable skills through mentoring, as well as contributing to the successful completion of the project. When a project manager position became available Jane was hired. If the organization had failed to match Jane's role with her interest she would have sought a project management role with another company.

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