What is Jobs to be done?

Jobs to be done is a way of understanding customers by the progress they are trying to make. People "hire" a product to get a job done in a specific situation, and they fire it when something does that job better.

Example

A founder does not hire a business advisor to "get advice". The job is to stop second-guessing every decision alone. That job has three sides: functional (decide what to do this week), emotional (feel in control) and social (look competent to a co-founder or investor).

Why it matters for early-stage founders

The job, not your product category, decides who you really compete with. It also shows the trigger that turns a passive sufferer into an active buyer, which tells you when and where to reach them.

The common mistake

Writing the job in product language ("needs a CRM") instead of the customer's words ("keeps losing track of who to follow up with"). The second version shows what you actually compete with, including spreadsheets and doing nothing.

Define the job your customer is hiring for

Section 01 of the free Market Research template covers the functional, emotional and social job, and the hiring trigger.

Get the Market Research template

Go deeper

Read the full guide Ideal customer profile Product-market fit

Reviewed October 1, 2026