Guide To Creating A Realistic Job Preview

If you are not sure what a realistic job preview is, you will know by the end of this blog.

In a nutshell, a Realistic Job Preview (RJP) is a recruiting approach used by an organization to communicate the important aspects of the job prior to the offer of a position.

Easier said than done, it requires a special approach to create a successful Job Preview.

Many companies need a realistic job preview to get the best candidates to work for them and create a healthy work environment.

A realistic job preview requires you to give an accurate overview of the good and even the bad areas of the role.

Why create a realistic job preview?

Recruiters spend an awful amount of time vetting the candidates. Most candidates are unsure of the role, ask too many questions and don’t turn up on the date of joining.

This ends up wasting the time for the candidates, recruiters and ultimately the company’s productivity.

A realistic job preview gives the candidate a vivid idea of the company, job role and what is expected out of them. It brings the hiring manager and the candidate under the same umbrella, making the hiring process easy.

LinkedIn research shows that losing an entry-level employee can cost a company up to 50% of the employee’s monthly salary on average.

It also acts as a candidate self-evaluation tool. Most job descriptions have work experience and domain knowledge as requisite. But there are several skills and nuances that might be required for the particular job role. The candidate will know exactly what skills are required for the job and whether he/she possesses them.

What do we include in a realistic job preview?

First, you would want to display all the appealing factors to the candidate applying for a particular role or within a particular field.

For example, employees usually look for work culture, professional growth and the technology stack used in the company to see if it fits in their criteria for ‘dream employer’.

There are several factors an employee might look for in the role they are applying. But when companies create a realistic job review, they need to keep in mind the most important factors about the job role that has to be stated.

1.  Company Culture

Every company will have a company culture based on the vision and values they hold on to. Human Resources of your company have worked over the years to develop a company culture. For an effective RJP, let them know about your company culture right from organizational structure to the working environment.

Organizational structure can be specified whether it has a flat structure, hierarchical structure, or any hybrid structure if your company has. Some companies have a focused work environment whereas others have a laidback or informal work environment. It is important to be mention these in a realistic job preview.

2.  Daily Duties

You might think ‘Oh these are in the job description. No need for this’. There are many things in daily duties of an employee which a job description doesn’t cover. Things might look different in reality when compared with a written text.

Try making a ‘day-in-the-life-of’ video of employees performing day-to-day functions of their respective roles. A candidate can determine if the job is right for them by imagining themselves doing the job shown in the video.

3. Expectation from Employee

Most job descriptions talk about roles and responsibilities. But nothing about the expectation from the managers, top management, etc.

Managers from different departments expect different things from their employees doing particular roles. Try to map out the expectations from different stakeholders in the organization.

4. Office Location

Location of the office and work environment plays significant role in the decision-making process of an employee. Many employees make the first impression from the office location and work environment once they visit the office location.

Some employees consider the proximity to home as a plausible factor of a new office. With location and looks while making decisions.

5. Perks and Plans

Your company’s HR team might have worked magnificently well in developing some fantastic perks and benefits and even laying out some personal development plans. Perks and benefits are often overlooked until onboarding.

Realistic Job Preview gives an opportunity to showcase them. In case of a hybrid working model, it is really important to showcase some perks and plans you think are important for your workforce.

6. Job Interview Process

Companies have several rounds of interviews to filter the candidates. Many candidates perform poorly even when they are really talented as they are unaware of what lies ahead. This incurs loss for the company as they miss out on the best candidate during the process.

When a candidate applies for a job, he/she has to know the steps followed by the company during the interview process. If the candidate is aware of what they are supposed to do, they have a brighter change to give their best in the interview.

7. Employee Recognition

HRs as well as applicants know that companies with employee engagement programs have low voluntary turnover. If your company has robust employee turnover programs, then your applicants need to know that. It gives them hope that the company cares about the training and development of its employees.

8. Employee Testimonials

We see this in corporate videos but in RJPs, it has to be straight from the heart of employees. This gives the applicant a chance to know about the ins and outs of the job straight from the employees.

When the applicant has insight about the job, they will be able to assess whether the job is for them or not. You will have a better chance to find the right and motivated candidate when a candidate screens themselves out.