When Does it Hurt to Tell the Truth? The Effect of Realistic Job Reviews on Employee Recruiting

Abstract

Increasing competition for new employees may limit the use of realistic (i.e., negative as well as positive) job information by employers during recruiting because it might reduce job acceptances. We examined this issue in a study of job acceptances among state correctional officers and in a comprehensive review of earlier studies in public and private organizations. Since research indicated that previous job exposure could influence how one processes information about a job, we also considered the impact of prior job exposure. Our study showed that persons who had prior exposure to the job they were applying for overemphasized negative job information, resulting in reduced job acceptances. However, those with no prior job exposure showed increased job acceptances. When categorized according to prior job exposure, the findings of previous realistic job preview studies supported this conclusion.