Compare and contrast self-selection, vaccination and commitment to choice as functions of realistic job previews

What will be an ideal response?

Realistic job previews (RJPs) involve the presentation of both positive and potentially negative information to job candidates. Rather than trying to sell them on the job and company by presenting the job opportunity in the most positive light, realistic job previews strive to present an honest and accurate picture.

John Wanous, a professor of management and human resources, has identified three functions that are served by an RJP:

Self-selection: Giving applicants a more balanced picture of the job and organization allows them to opt out of the application process if the opportunity is not a good match for them. RJPs do not necessarily make large numbers of applicants more likely to drop out of the application process, and the applicants likely to be lost after communicating realistic information about the job and company are not likely to have been successful hires anyway.

Vaccination: RJPs may work by "vaccinating" employees' expectations and allowing them to develop coping mechanisms to deal with unpleasant or unexpected aspects of the position. When encountering these aspects on the job, the employee is prepared for them and is less negatively affected by them.

A commitment to the choice: If employees are informed about the negative aspects of a job before they accept employment, they cannot claim that they did not know about them. Thus, they may be more committed to the choice they have made, that is, they may be more inclined to stay in their positions because they realize they willingly accepted the job despite knowing its realities.