What Is a Realistic Job Preview?

One of the most common reasons why companies lose out on high-quality talent is that the job duties and scope of work did not properly match the job description. Particularly for top talent, early turnover is exceedingly likely if new hires feel the job doesn’t match with what they were told before they were hired. Companies can help mitigate this issue by giving job candidates a realistic job preview before they’re hired.

With a realistic job preview, job candidates receive a more accurate view into what their role will look like if they are hired. Not only does this provide more transparency and boost interest on the part of candidates, it can also help ensure that candidates who are hired for the role are capable of more quickly onboarding.

What Is a Realistic Job Preview?

A realistic job preview, or RJP, is one in which a job candidate gets to see what their job will look like with more clarity, instead of having to rely on a job description. For many office-centric jobs, or those that are fully remote or with hybrid work schedules, potential new hires may not get a chance to see what their day-to-day role will look like. Quite often, they have to rely on the job description and promises made to them during the interview process.

That requires a significant amount of trust on the part of job applicants. How applicants are introduced to the role prior to being hired will make a large impact on their desire to stay in the short and long term.

While the ideal situation for any company is to have new hires pleasantly surprised that their role, and the company, are better than expected, the opposite frequently happens, instead. Many workers find a mismatch between their expectations and many aspects of the job, including role responsibilities, team or company culture, and benefits. Offering applicants a realistic job preview can significantly help mitigate what TheMuse calls “Shift Shock.”

How to Create a Realistic Job Preview

There are many realistic job preview examples that companies can use to create a better hiring experience for job candidates. Different strategies may include:

• Group RJPs, where multiple candidates are given a more detailed job walkthrough or preview at the same time.
• Pre-application RJPs, where applicants are presented with a job preview in the job posting resources.
• Structured observations, where candidates can observe current employees engaging in daily activities in real time. 

There are also multiple ways to provide realistic job previews within each of these contexts, including in-person, remotely, or through generated content such as slideshows or videos.

There is, of course, some risk involved for the employer. With an RJP, top-choice candidates may see the negative sides of the role or company before being hired and choose not to proceed. Nevertheless, that’s a far better and less costly outcome than early turnover.

Group RJPs

A group-based realistic job preview is an efficient way to help potential job applicants or multiple individuals who have already applied decide whether the role is right for them. Using this process, companies can present detailed information to a group of applicants at the same time. Following that session, or even using multiple stopping points, participants will have the opportunity to decide whether they’ve “seen enough” and want to drop out of the application process, or proceed with applying for the role.

This is a great way for employers to help applicants self-select without incurring a lot of time and expense on the part of the business. Ultimately, that’s a better outcome for both the applicants and the employer, as it results in a much closer match between the wants and needs of both parties involved.

• Formats: Hiring teams can host group RJPs in-person, remotely, or using a hybrid model. A hybrid model, in particular, may be useful to individuals who want to proceed with the application, allowing them to preview the role virtually first, and then in person after they’ve agreed to proceed.
• Content: The group RJP may include a presentation with a Q+A session, a live walk-through of an office, or allowing applicants to sit in on a meeting with the team they’d be working with. It may include employee testimonies and team-building activities with potential colleagues.

Example: A marketing company may have a group RJP where applicants participate in a brainstorming session with the existing marketing team.

Pre-Application RJPs

Pre-application RJPs focus solely on individuals who have not applied for the role. These individuals will usually be sourced by recruiters, who invite each individual to either a personal or group-based RJP. When applicants are sourced via recruiters, a pre-application RJP can lead to much higher quality candidates who are more likely to apply and accept the role.

• Formats: Pre-application RJPs are most efficiently presented through existing information channels, such as in the job posting or on the company website. Software company Apple offers a great example of this with a preview video on its careers page that offers an overview of what life is like working at the company. However, pre-application realistic job previews may also give employers a chance to offer special attention to high-quality potential candidates through more hands-on and even in-person previews of the job.
• Content: An effective pre-application RJP focuses on a transparent “day in the life” approach that is highly informative, engaging, and visually appealing. Ideally, the company presents both the good and the bad with the role. That can include more details about the in-office benefits, for example, or the fact that the role may have significant impacts on work-life balance due to long hours or weekend work requirements.

Example: A manufacturing company could post a video on its career page that provides a view into workers engaging in their daily activities within one of its facilities. The video could include interviews with current employees talking about what they do, how they do it, and why they continue to work for the company.

Structured Observations

Structured observations allow potential new hires to see what their role would be like in real-time. This has the distinct benefit of being more immersive than a video or presentation, and gives job candidates a better sense of what it feels like to engage in the work.

• Format: This can be done in-person or remotely. Depending on scheduling constraints, scheduled observations may need to be done using pre-recorded videos, although that is not the ideal format.
• Content: Schedule candidates to observe current employees engaging in their daily tasks and activities. Companies should avoid trying to orchestrate the work so that it only presents the positives. Ideally, candidates should be shown an unfiltered view of the work.

Example: A customer service role at a retail store may include applicants observing how current associates interact with customers during the busiest time of the day.

Realistic Job Preview: Best Practices

There are multiple different ways to create effective RJPs. The type of RJP a company decides to use will depend on the company’s industry, role it’s hiring for, number of potential and current applicants, and the desired outcome of the RJP.

That said, there are some best practices that apply to almost every RJP, regardless of those factors:

• Be as transparent and honest as possible
• Be considerate of applicants’ time
• Differentiate the RJP for different roles where possible
• Consider using the RJP earlier in the application process

Implementation Checklist for RJPs

The goal of a realistic job preview is to give potential and current applicants an effective introduction to the company and their role. Successful RJPs are not ad-libbed. Instead, they’re structured and planned, even when it’s a walkthrough or live preview of the work.

Consider creating an implementation checklist that follows a structure similar to this one:

The goal of job previews is to produce better hiring outcomes. If the structure is well-planned, it will likely bear good results.

Benefits and Drawbacks of RJPs

Realistic job previews add an extra step to the hiring process for both applicants and employers. While it adds some additional work on the side of the employer, it can result in several important benefits for companies that effectively utilize this strategy.

1. Reduce time-to-fill. An RJP may help you reduce the time it takes to fill open positions. Depending on your industry and the roles for which you are hiring, many applicants want to see what the role looks like sooner rather than later. Offering that information at the outset can help attract more candidates and reduce how long it takes to find candidates who can fill the role.
2. Efficiently filter candidates. Having an RJP earlier in the process can allow you to more quickly get to the candidates who are more interested and better suited for the role. An RJP allows applicants to determine if the job is right for them more quickly. Particularly when using a pre-applicant RJP or group RJP approach, companies can better streamline the number of interested applicants as individuals remove themselves from the process.
3. Boost your company’s reputation. A well-designed RJP will be a positive experience for every applicant or potential applicant, whether they ultimately work for your company or not. That kind of transparency creates a positive impression that applicants and hired employees will talk or write about in different locations. Positive reviews about your hiring process will attract more applicants to other positions.
4. Increase employee job satisfaction. Employees who feel they understand the role, scope of work, and culture of the company are far more likely to be happy in their role after they’re hired. Transparency prevents negative surprises about the role and the company since individuals who are hired know what to expect.
5. Reduce early turnover. New hires often quit when they feel the role they were hired for, or the company they agreed to work for, doesn’t match the job description or what they were told during the hiring process. Providing applicants with an RJP gives them the full picture in a way that makes them happier in their role once they start.

These benefits aside, a realistic job preview may not be for every company. An RJP may reduce the number of people who apply for a role if the more clarified details of the job turn people away. There may be times when it’s necessary for your company to have more applicants and have the opportunity to clarify the details of the role more personally and in a way that an RJP could detract from.

Nevertheless, the best strategy may be to choose your RJPs wisely. Pay attention to the exit interviews from your employees who quit, especially those who quit early after their initial hire. These will help inform you whether certain roles are better served with an RJP, and what type or job preview would work best for that role.