The Effects of a Realistic Job Preview on an Applicant's Ability to Self-select into Organizations

An abstract of the thesis of Melissa Lynn Burton for the Master of Science in Psychology presented June, 7, 1995. Title: The Effects of a Realistic Job Preview on an Applicant's Ability to SelfSelect Into Organizations. In typical selection processes organizations gather information about an applicant. Rarely, however, do applicants collect equal information about the job or organization. This unequal exchange can inhibit an applicant's participation in the selection process. Studies have shown that realistic job previews (RJPs) positively influence applicants' job expectations, job satisfaction, turnover, selfselection, etc. Applicant self-selection can benefit both the organization and the applicant in terms of time, money, and energy required during the selection process and after organizational entry. The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between RJPs and self-selection. The study assessed the influence of a content valid RJP on applicants' job expectations. It also measured the degree of fit between applicants' ideal job ratings and the job in question. This measure of fit was then related to the applicant's propensity to self-select. Twenty six applicants for an emergency 911 position participated. Each participant completed a Job Profile Measure consisting of three scales. These scales included ratings of job tasks (based on a job analysis), job characteristics (the Job Diagnostic Survey by Hackman & Oldham, 1980), and organizational characteristics (the Organizational Culture Profile by O'Reilly, Chatman & Caldwell, 1991 ). Applicants completed the measure before and after viewing the RJP and as a measure of ideal job requirements. Dispatch job incumbents also completed the measure to provide actual job ratings. Results were limited by a small sample size, but several trends were found. 2 T-tests showed that the RJP did not significantly alter applicants' job expectations. However, chi-square analyses indicated that applicant job task ratings were more consistent with incumbent ratings post RJP than pre RJP. MANOVA analyses indicated that applicant Job Profile ratings and incumbent ratings did not significantly converge after viewing the RJP. Self-selection ratings were also not significantly correlated with fit scores, but they were in the predicted direction. Applicant's with lower fit scores were more likely to self-select out of the hiring process. The trends in the data are encouraging, but more research is needed to be conclusive. THE EFFECTS OF A REALISTIC JOB PREVIEW ON AN APPLICANT'S ABILITY TO SELF-SELECT INTO ORGANIZATIONS by MELISSA LYNN BURTON A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in PSYCHOLOGY Portland State University 1995 The Effects of a RJP 2 The Effects of a Realistic Job Preview on an Applicant's Ability to Self-Select Into Organizations Employee selection has been a topic of practical significance since the beginning of the century. Selection research has primarily focused on the "needs and goals of the user," where the user is defined as the organization (Landy, Shankster, & Kohler, 1994, p. 278). Recently, however, there has been a shift towards considering applicants' perceptions of, and reactions towards, the selection process. Considering employee selection as a social process or as an interaction between the organization and the individual is turning the focus towards "the needs and goals of the test-taker" (Landy et al., 1994, p. 278; Rynes 1993b; Schuler, Farr, & Smith, 1993). Considering the perspective of the applicant in the selection process should prove to be beneficial to the organization in several ways. For instance, organizations can benefit from happy applicants in terms of organizational image and ease of recruitment. Likewise, they can suffer from unhappy ones (Landy et al., 1994; Rynes, 1993a; Schuler, et al., 1993). Schuler (1989) has further suggested that the most optimal selection decisions are a product of "an equitable or even joint decision process" (p. 40). This seems to be a potentially invaluable idea because selection is no longer comprised of only skill assessment. Instead, The Effects of a RJP 3 personnel decisions involve "whole person measurement," or the assessment of potential, attitudes, and personal characteristics (Offerman & Gowing, 1993, p. 403 ). The complexity of these assessments makes the organization's job increasingly difficult. A selection process, therefore, which capitalizes on an applicant's own ability to select a job or organization would greatly supplement the traditional selection process. To do this requires a fundamental change in the way personnel selection is done. For instance, in the typical selection procedure the organization gathers information about the applicant directly, via testing and interviews. The applicant, in contrast, discovers information about the job and organization indirectly through perceptions of the recruiter and marketing information (Rynes, l 993a). This methodology impinges on an equitable and joint decision making process which would require, at a minimum, an equal exchange of information between the organization and the applicant. Realistic job previews, or RJPs, provide one way of directly providing applicants with information about the job or organization to which they are applying. Furthermore, the research indicates that RJPs can be a valuable tool in enabling the applicant to self-select in or out of the hiring process. The Effects of a RJP 4 The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between a realistic job preview and the process of self-selection. Specifically, it attempted to answer the following questions: Does the information provided by the RJP influence applicants' expectations about the job? If so, do applicants' expectations become more realistic after viewing an RJP? Lastly, do applicants use RJP information to self-select by assessing how similar the job is to their ideal job requirements? The pursuit of answers to these questions will lead to a better understanding of the role RJPs may play in creating a joint and equitable decision process. The Realistic Job Preview Wbat Does the RJP Do? Wanous (1980) has described the Realistic Job Preview (RJP) as a tool of selection or recruitment which helps an applicant assess an organization. Its purpose not being to "sell" an organization, but rather to "present outsiders with pertinent information" (Wanous, p. 37). Premack and Wanous (1985) summarized the RJP literature in a meta-analysis of 20 studies. They found that the RJP has been found to affect the following work outcomes: climate, commitment, coping, employment expectations, job satisfaction, job performance, self-selection, and job survival. The Effects of a RJP 5 Across studies presented in the meta-analysis, climate was a measure of applicants' perceptions of the organization. The RJP was predicted to increase positive affect towards the organization (e.g. the organization would be viewed as more honest, open, and supportive), but the mean effect size was not in the direction expected (-.02). The results were, however, limited by a small sample size. The variable commitment, in most studies, was measured as the degree of organizational commitment. As expected, the results of the meta-analysis showed that a RJP improved commitment. The mean effect size of this variable was . 19. Coping, or applicants' perceptions of being able to handle the potential stressors of the job, was predicted to be positively influenced by the RJP. Specifically, an RJP should increase a person's preparedness for potential problems. However, this variable had a negative -. 02 mean effect size which was not in the direction expected . However, the small sample size was again