Realistic Job Preview Tips and Best Practices
Realistic Job Previews allow applicants to determine whether the job is the best fit for their skills and abilities. Applicants may self-select out of the hiring process if they perceive a misfit, saving the organization resources.
When creating your Realistic Job Preview, keep in mind some of these tips and best practices. Remember that how you present information is as important as what you are presenting.
Use Realistic Job Previews to tell the story of your organization
Research shows that storytelling can be more compelling to human brains than other ways that we might communicate information. Humans tend to have an easier time remembering stories and can identify with them at a deeper level than other information. Using stories in Realistic Job Previews can bring information you are sharing to life in a way that candidates can connect to.
Video: The power of storytelling to convey organizational culture (2:56)
Hirevue I/O Psychologist Jensen Mecca talks about the importance of storytelling in communicating organization culture to candidates and new hires.
Tips for creating a Realistic Job Preview
Employers can focus on five key aspects when designing a Realistic Job Preview to generate the best value.
When candidates are given a realistic preview of the demands of the job, they are less likely to leave the organization. For this reason, it is best to be completely transparent and honest about the demands of the job when creating the Realistic Job Preview. While you are encouraged to highlight the positive elements of the company and the role, it’s also important to be honest about the challenges new hires will face.
Accuracy
- Be honest, even about the less glamorous aspects
- Balance positives and negatives
- Leverage job experts, recent engagement surveys, and exit interviews
Specificity
- Feature sufficiently detailed descriptions so that an applicant can make an informed decision
Breadth
Cover a broad range of topics about the role, organization, and culture, including:
- Essential job tasks
- Recognition and promotion processes
- Amount of customer interaction
- Amount of standing, sitting, or heavy lifting
- Pace and volume of work
- Work schedule
Credibility
- Feature actual employee statements, images, and videos
- Use language that is accessible to applicants
Importance
- Include information that applicants are unlikely to know or may have unrealistic expectations about
- Focus on key factors that lead to disengagement and turnover