• Some employees simply accept a position until a better offer comes in
• Others don’t fit in well with the company culture
• Similarly, some employees don’t like the working conditions of the job
• Other employees discover they can’t or don’t want to do the work
• Unfortunately, some employees don’t always like their managers and co-workers
• Similarly, some employees discover the job duties or reporting relationships become unacceptable after a reorganization of the department

You can and should try to prevent turnover by incorporating realistic job previews into the selection process. A realistic job preview is a written or verbal summary that provides applicants with an insider’s or skeptic’s view of the more unsavory aspects of the job.

It previews what employees can expect to encounter in good times and bad. Everything from salary, benefits, vacation and work hours to reporting relationships, deadlines and volume of work should be discussed, as well as any problems unique to that job (e.g. travel unusual time commitments or perhaps heavy lifting and other physical requirements).

Employers should also discuss the work environment and company culture. Then applicants can decide whether this is the job for them.

Realistic job previews help to reduce turnover by up to 20% because applicants receive a frank preview of the actual job, early in the selection process. Unqualified or uncommitted applicants can then self-select out of the process before you waste more of their time or yours on evaluating them. You will learn how to produce a complete realistic job preview for every job which can be developed and administered in only minutes.

Key Benefits of a Realistic Job Preview:

• Reduces turnover – fewer surprises on the job for new employees
   
• Time savings – applicants can self-select out of the job early in the process
   
• Positive first impressions – honest communication and disclosure early in the process
  
  
   

Key Features of a Job Preview:

• Realistic job previews provide applicants with the positive and negative aspects of job (problems, challenges, working conditions, etc.) so they can determine if the job is suitable for them.
   
• Realistic job previews are written summaries of the actual job, about one page in length and include factual information about salary, benefits, vacation, hours (shift work, evenings or weekends) overtime, reporting relationships, deadlines, volume of work, work environment, travel and typical duties; they
   
• also let applicants know about the next step-in the selection process (e.g. micro assessment format, location and duration
   
• Realistic job previews can result in a 20% reduction in turnover because applicants are given the opportunity to make informed self-selection decisions (in or out) early in the selection process (immediately after resumes are screened)
   
• Realistic job previews only take minutes to develop and a few minutes to administer over the telephone.