Page 233 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

232 Part 3 • Organizing
realistic job preview (RJP) Closing the Deal!
A preview of a job that provides both positive and
negative information about the job and the company

During the hiring process, every job applicant develops a set of expectations about the
company and about the job for which he or she is interviewing. When the information an
applicant receives is excessively inflated, a number of things happen that have potentially
negative effects on the company: (1) Mismatched applicants are less likely to withdraw from
the search process. (2) Inflated information builds unrealistic expectations so new employees
are likely to become quickly dissatisfied and to resign prematurely. (3) New hires are prone to
become disillusioned and less committed to the organization when they face the unexpected
harsh realities of the job. (4) In many cases, these individuals feel that they were misled dur-
ing the hiring process and may become problem employees.
To increase job satisfaction among employees and reduce turnover, managers should
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consider a realistic job preview (RJP). An RJP includes both positive and negative infor-
mation about the job and the company. For example, in addition to the positive comments
typically expressed in the interview, the applicant is told of the less attractive aspects of
the job. For instance, he or she might be told that there are limited opportunities to talk to
coworkers during work hours, that chances of being promoted are slim, or that work hours
fluctuate so erratically that employees may be required to work during what are usually
off hours (nights and weekends). Research indicates that applicants who have been given
a realistic job preview hold lower and more realistic job expectations for the jobs they will
be performing and are better able to cope with the frustrating elements of the job than are
applicants who have been given only inflated information. The result is fewer unexpected
resignations by new employees. For managers, realistic job previews offer a major insight
into the HRM process.
Presenting only positive job aspects to an applicant may initially entice him or her to join
the organization, but it may be a decision that both parties quickly regret.

It’s just as important to retain good people as it is to hire
them in the first place.

How Are Employees Provided with Needed Skills

and Knowledge?

If we’ve done our recruiting and selecting properly, we’ve hired competent individuals who
7-3 Explain how can perform successfully on the job. But successful performance requires more than pos-

employees are sessing certain skills! New hires must be acclimated to the organization’s culture and be
provided with trained and given the knowledge to do the job in a manner consistent with the organization’s
goals. To achieve this, HRM uses orientation and training.
needed skills
and knowledge.
How Are New Hires Introduced to the Organization?
Once a job candidate has been selected, he or she needs to be introduced to the job and orga-
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nization. This introduction is called orientation. The major goals of orientation are to
• reduce the initial anxiety all new employees feel as they begin a new job;
• familiarize new employees with the job, the work unit, and the organization as a whole; and
• facilitate the outsider–insider transition.
orientation
Introducing a new employee to the job and the Job orientation: (1) expands on the information the employee obtained during the
organization
recruitment and selection stages; (2) clarifies the new employee’s specific duties and