Painting a [Realistic] Picture

Have you ever watched an amazing movie trailer only to be disappointed because the movie itself was completely different than what you expected?

Now imagine you were hired for what was made to sound like your dream job. You quit your old job, passed up on other opportunities, and moved to a new location only to find out it’s not at all what you expected. Do you stay in the job despite your dissatisfaction? Or, do you leave and pursue other opportunities?

Unfortunately, this experience is not uncommon. Researchers in the field of I/O psychology have found that when an organization is not transparent about a job during the recruiting and hiring process, a new employee will have lower satisfaction and a higher chance of turnover. On the contrary, when realistic job previews (RJPs) are used to provide an honest assessment of the job, people have more positive perceptions of their employers and are less likely to leave.

While recruiting top prospects in college athletics, coaches often seek to find an edge in order to get a commitment. This can include guaranteeing playing time or failing to manage a prospect’s expectations. Consider an official visit where the red carpet is rolled out for a recruit. While every aspect of his/her visit is tightly managed, the athlete is not getting an accurate picture of what it would be like to attend the school.

Along these lines, the NCAA recently released a commercial showing “a day in the life” of a college athlete. The commercial was immediately met with pushback and criticism from current athletes who called it “extremely inaccurate.” Reading the tweets from athletes it was clear how disappointed they were that the organization who represents college sports is seemingly out of touch.

Thinking about recruiting and how it relates to the research on RJPs, I share this because it’s important to be authentic and transparent with recruits. Allow them to see how your team works together, how you talk with your players, and how you run your practices. Set them up with current team members to talk about the challenges they face AND how to overcome them. Being intentional about this will allow you to communicate the important information and control the messaging surrounding any anticipated obstacles.

The point is not to overwhelm prospects with every detail of your program, but to provide a realistic assessment of what to expect. The prospect will be more prepared to join your team and have a better experience once they arrive on campus.