Question 5 - (Source) M.K. Suszko and J.A. Breaugh, “The Effects of Realistic Job
Previews on Applicant Self-Selection and Employee Turnover, Satisfaction and
Coping Ability,” Journal of Management, Vol. 12, No. 4, 1986: 513-523.
5. What is a realistic job preview (RJP)?
It has long been recognized that quality people are a key ingredient for organizational
effectiveness. Given this recognition, considerable attention has been focused on the topics of
employee selection and employee motivation. Although selection and motivation are clearly
important issues, another important topic, employee recruitment, has received only modest
attention. And yet, if recruiting is done poorly, an organization can end up with a pool of
mediocre job candidates from which to select and/or job incumbents who do not value the
rewards the organization uses for motivation.
Research has shown that by utilizing Realistic Job Previews (RJP) - a process that focuses on
providing applicants with a realistic view of the job during the recruiting process (by handouts,
booklets, videotapes, or plant tours etc.), employers can improve overall satisfaction and reduce
voluntary turnover. In general, the research indicates that providing applicants with RJPs,
recipients would be more likely to: 1) self-select (i.e., turned down a job offer) out of a job, 2)
perceived that the organization was more open and honest with them, 3) greater ability to cope
with job demands, 4) report higher levels of job satisfaction, and 5) be less likely to voluntarily
leave the organization.
List and explain three “psychological mechanisms” offered as to why RJPs might be effective?
In reviewing the available literature the authors have identified four psychological mechanisms
which explain why RJPs work, they are self-selection, met expectations, honesty and
openness effect, and ability to cope.
The first mechanism is self-selection, which presumes that RJP recipients who do not see a
job opening as meeting their needs were generally not accept it. Therefore, RJP recipients who
do accept a job offer or more likely to be satisfied with the job and consequently less likely to
voluntarily leave it been applicants who did not receive an RJP.
The second mechanism is met expectations, explains that RJP's influence satisfaction by
lowering integrated job expectations. Individuals whose expectations are met will be more
satisfied with the job and therefore less likely to voluntarily leave it.
Fifth third mechanism is ability to cope, which states that RJP's also reduced his satisfaction
and turnover by improving a new employee's ability to cope with job demands. "If employees
are made aware of problems to be faced on the job, they cope with such problems better when
they arise, either because they are less disturbed by the problems about which they have been
forewarned or because they may pre-rehearse methods of handling these problems" (Dugoni &
Ilgen, 1981, p. 613)
The fourth mechanism is honesty and openness effect, which explanation for the
effectiveness of RJP's is that RJP's communicate an air of honesty and openness to job
applicants. Having received an RJP, the applicant believes that he/she was able to make a fully
informed of job choice. Thus, "RJP's cause applicants to fill greater commitment to the decision
to accept the job which leads to more positive attitudes and lower probability of turnover" (Reilly
et al., 1981, p. 828)
What benefits, if any, might an organization realize by utilizing realistic job previews through
recruitment and selection?
Some of the benefits an organization can realize by utilizing realistic job previews are a
reduction in the overall screening costs associated with recruitment, a refined pool of applicants
that are better suited for the position, expectations are met increasing job satisfaction, a
reduction in voluntary turnover, and the greater trust the overall organization.
Question 6 - (Source) Daniel C. Feldman and Brian S. Klass, “Internet Job Hunting:
A Field Study of Applicant Experiences with On-Line Recruiting, Human Resource
Management, (Summer 2002, Vol. 41, No. 2): 175-192.
6. Recent data provided by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests that
organizations obtain more employees via the Internet than by any other recruitment method.
What are the positive attributes of Internet recruitment?
The Internet allows individuals to gain quick and easy access to information on a wide range of
job possibilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week, thereby resolving potential conflicts
between employees’ current job responsibilities and the time demands associated with active
job hunting (Maher, 2000; Silverman, 2000). Internet job hunting also gives employees the
opportunity to look for jobs without taking any visible or public action, thereby enabling
individuals wanting to exit their current jobs to do so without incurring the wrath of supervisors
displeased with open or tangible acts of disloyalty. Also, for some job seekers, Internet job
hunting serves as a means of eliminating or lessening the amount of interpersonal
awkwardness associated with selling oneself or soliciting job offers in person (Leonard, 2000).
What are some of the common negative attributes?
Some of the negative attributes associated with Internet job searching include technological
problems with web searches or websites (difficulties finding companies’ Web pages, poor links
between general job boards like monster.com and the company website itself, navigation
issues, and poor resume building/submission tools, etc.), concerns over privacy issues, slow or
no feedback and follow-up from potential employers, and not enough usable job related content
(specific job descriptions, job specifications, salary ranges, geographic locations of the job, and
travel requirements) to make their search or access worthwhile.
Also, based upon Feldman and Klass’ study on Internet recruitment, what were the common
frustrations of Internet job seekers that organizations should address?
Feldman and Klass’ research indicates that companies could eliminate much of the Internet job
seekers frustrations by doing the following: post more realistic job specifications and
expectations that include salaries, benefits and travel expectations; improve procedures for
submitting and processing resumes; update Web sites and keep postings current; utilize
applicant screening software designed to refine a pool of qualified applicants; make Web site
navigation and more user-friendly.
In a recent survey of the Fortune 500’s best practices conducted by iLogos Research, 73% of
the Fortune 500 now link their Careers section directly to their homepage and 56% adhere to
the "one click to apply" practice (HR Focus, 2001). Negative first impressions of job sites
discourage further searching and websites that are difficult to navigate our particularly likely to
frustrate those with low Internet fluency. Job seekers moved rapidly from one website to
another; less than 10% of "surfers" scroll from information beyond that presented on the talk
page. Consequently, companies only have a narrow window of opportunity to influence a
potential applicant's decision to proceed further in an intranet the job hunt (Kober, Brown,
Blumenthal, and Doverspike, and Levy, 2000).