Regulatory-focused job crafting, person-job fit and internal employability–examining interrelationship and underlying mechanism

Purpose This paper examines the relationships between regulatory-focused job crafting, i.e. promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting, person-job fit and internal employability and explores the direct and underlying mediation process using conservation of resources and job demands-resources theories. Design/methodology/approach Survey data collected from 425 executives of India based public sector enterprises were used to test hypotheses. Findings Promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting respectively had a contrasting relationship with needs-supplies fit. The relationship with demands-abilities fit was statistically significant only in the case of prevention-focused job crafting. These two job crafting forms respectively had a positive and a negative effect on internal employability, both directly as well as indirectly through person-job fit. Practical implications Employees can pursue promotion-focused job crafting and avoid prevention-focused job crafting to improve their person-job fit as well as internal employability which subsequently may have multiple favourable outcomes at an organizational and individual level. Originality/value The study, for the first time, empirically investigates the differential role of individuals' efforts in the form of promotion- and prevention-focused job crafting, in influencing internal employability and explains its underlying mechanism through person-job fit. These interrelationships may have important implications for employees' job demand management process and job choices.