Most employees have found a job didn’t match expectations

Six in ten employees have found aspects of a new job differed from the expectations that they acquired during the interview process, according to new research.

BY Rose Sneyd 05 Jun 2013

Six in ten employees have found aspects of a new job differed from the expectations that they acquired during the interview process. This is the finding of a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of US careers site Glassdoor earlier this year.

Interestingly, more men than women said that they found aspects of a new job differed from their expectations (65% versus 56%). The five factors of the job that they were most likely to find didn’t accord with what they believed beforehand include:

Employee morale: 40%
Job responsibilities: 39%
Hours expected to work: 37%
Boss’ personality: 36%
Career advancement: 27%

The business of ensuring that expectations set during interview match the realities of a new job should be shared between the employer and the candidate, according to Glassdoor HR director Amanda Lachapelle. With that in mind, here are her top tips for managing job candidates’ expectations:

“Ensure every person interviewing a candidate has a clear role”: Everyone who meets with a job candidate should know which topics to discuss with the candidates during the interview. A clear plan of action can help ensure that candidates get a full understanding of how their role would fit into the company and what its responsibilities are.
“Engage in social technology”: Job seekers are turning to social media to research companies, and those companies should, too. “Make sure your voice is heard. If you don’t engage, you’ll be left out.”
“Engage with candidates before and after the interview”: Email candidates before and after an interview to see if they have any questions about the job or the company. You could even schedule a follow-up call.
“Leverage your own employees”: Encourage employees to increase a candidate’s understanding by having them share what it’s like to work for said company via social media – both the good and the bad.
“Be honest”: Candidates will appreciate it if you let them know about the things that the company knows need improvement and are working on.