HighMatch Guides

What is a Realistic Job preview?

Realistic Job Previews provide candidates with a view of what they can expect on the job through video, audio, or descriptive text. Job previews help align candidate expectations with the reality of the job; job previews are also used to reduce turnover in challenging roles.

The following guide will explore how realistic job previews work, their benefits, and their common use cases.

How realistic job previews work

Job previews work by bringing candidate expectations of a job in line with the reality of that position. This can happen in various ways:

• Description based job preview: the candidate is provided with a video, audio, or descriptive text that demonstrates what the position is like
• Job shadowing: the candidate spends time, typically one work shift, with an employee in the position. The candidate can then observe the daily tasks and responsibilities of the role
• Simulation exercises: the candidate participates in role-playing exercises or simulations of on the job scenarios
• Virtual Reality (VR) experiences: the candidate engages in virtual simulations that replicate real-world work scenarios.

Benefits of realistic job previews

• Efficient screening: Job previews allow candidates to opt-out of positions they aren’t suited for, saving your organization time and money
• Decreased turnover: Candidates that have an accurate understanding of a job and agree to accept it are less likely to quit, decreasing turnover significantly
• Lower training and replacement costs: Lower turnover means your organization saves time and money on finding and training new replacements

Use cases for realistic job previews

Job previews are ideal for challenging positions, especially in entry-level roles. Positions with difficult work conditions often suffer high turnover when candidate expectations aren’t accurate.

Job previews are also beneficial when screening for positions with poor work/life balance, high stress, and rapid pace. By providing candidates with an accurate view of the workplace, many candidates who would be a poor-fit will screen themselves out of the selection process.

Summary

The goal of a job preview is to help candidates understand whether a position is right for them. By previewing the job, they can see whether it aligns with their interests, skills, and expectations. Job previews benefit organizations by attracting candidates understand the role and accept it, which reduces turnover rates and improves job satisfaction.