Example

One the most common approaches to attracting high resilience workers is the use of realistic job previews. A realistic job preview is an organization's effort to accurately convey the job requirements to prospective applicants. For example, an emergency communication specialist advertisement requires applicants to complete a job task checklist that demonstrates the need for a high resilience worker (see City of Lakeland, 2015). Job candidates are required to indicate that they are willing to work in a stressful environment, attempt to calm suicidal callers, make decisions that affect lives, and resolve conflicts that involve the deaths of children. It is made very clear that applicants will only be considered for employment if they are willing to complete all tasks listed. Realistic job previews are also in the form of short video clips that feature interviews with current workers and that provide a visual of the daily work tasks. For occupations that have a risk of trauma to the worker, a video is highly effective in conveying the gravity of the job tasks. For example, a realistic job preview for a welfare worker demonstrates that the worker will encounter children in poverty, in abusive families, and in poor physical health (see Indiana Department of Child Services, 2015; Rocky Mountain Audio/Video Production, 2015).

Effectiveness

The increase in implementation of realistic job previews is due to the vast amount of research linking realistic job previews to retention of workers and job performance (Phillips, Reference Phillips1998) because a realistic job preview establishes expectations and promotes fit. In addition, realistic job previews are associated with greater levels of organizational attraction (Phillips, Reference Phillips1998; Thorsteinson, Palmer, Wulff, & Anderson, Reference Thorsteinson, Palmer, Wulff and Anderson2004), but the effect is likely dependent on the valence of the realistic job preview and the applicants’ trait resilience. Realistic job preview content with a negative valence is rated lower in organizational attraction than content with a positive or neutral valence (Kanar, Collins, & Bell, Reference Kanar, Collins and Bell2010). Similarly, Bretz and Judge (Reference Bretz and Judge1998) cautioned that realistic job previews with negative content might deter some highly capable applicants because negative job information is weighted more heavily compared with other job information, and the information threatens career success.

Overall, realistic job previews with negative valence are likely to deter applicants in general, but we propose that the deterrence effect is less likely to occur for high resilience workers. Resilience is often characterized by the tendency to see demands as a challenge and an opportunity to succeed (Britt et al.). High resilience workers will proceed into demanding environments because they do not perceive a threat. Conversely, low resilience workers are likely to see demanding conditions as overbearing and engage in avoidance. In sum, realistic job previews for high-risk occupations are likely to deter low to moderate resilience workers from pursuing an organization because of the negative valence content, but the organizational attraction levels for high resilience workers will remain unchanged or less affected.

Implications for best practices

Realistic job previews are best for occupations with a high risk of trauma in which high resilience is necessary for job performance. Realistic job previews will decrease the overall applicant pool size because fewer low to moderate level resilience workers will apply for a position. In turn, the proportion of high resilience workers in the applicant pool will increase. Caution should be taken for occupations in which resilience is not consistently linked to job performance (low to moderate risk of trauma) because realistic job previews with negative valence content are likely to deter moderate resilience workers who are qualified for the position. In all circumstances, it is necessary for realistic job previews to be an accurate portrayal of job demands to avoid deterring qualified applicants and reduce voluntary turnover (Earnest, Allen, & Landis, Reference Earnest, Allen and Landis2011).

Example

Recently, organizations have also begun to promote organizational culture and shared company values to attract job applicants. The promotion of company culture and shared values is even a recommended strategy by recruitment website companies, such as Monster.com (Hunt, Reference Hunt2015). In some cases, organizations are describing their culture and workforce using characteristics that align with definitions of resilience (e.g., control, commitment, challenge, optimism) in an effort to attract high resilience workers. For example, a utilization management nurse job posting highlights the organization as an opportunity to work in an environment with talented others who seek to have a positive change in the world, are committed to a common goal, and enjoy overcoming challenges.

Effectiveness

The promotion of organizational culture has become increasingly common among organizations because of popular press publications from business leaders who describe organizational success being achieved through the dissemination of organizational values into all human resources functions. Empirical research also supports the notion that recruitment using organizational values is associated with greater retention and job performance of workers (e.g., Hoffman & Woehr, Reference Hoffman and Woehr2006) because it enables workers to self-select into groups that share their personal characteristics. These effects are rooted in the long-standing psychological and sociological theories of people being attracted to similar others.

The attraction–selection–attrition model (Schneider, Reference Schneider1987) and the similarity attraction effect (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, & Cook, Reference McPherson, Smith-Lovin and Cook2001) both describe how people are more attracted to others who share their values and personal characteristics. It is important to note that a workforce representing resilience characteristics is likely to be attractive to all workers, including low resilience workers, because of the positive valence content. However, the attraction effect may be stronger for high resilience workers because of the added opportunity to be with similar others. Indeed, workers provide favorable attraction ratings for organizational cultures that represent their ideal selves, but attraction ratings are higher for organizational cultures that are similar to the workers’ actual personality characteristics (Nolan & Harold, Reference Nolan and Harold2010). We propose that the promotion of an organizational culture with resilience characteristics is likely to evoke a similarity attraction effect for high resilience workers. In other words, high resilience workers will be attracted to work with other high resilience workers.

Implications for best practices

The promotion of a culture with resilience characteristics is best for occupations with a moderate risk of trauma, in which only a moderate level of resilience is necessary for job performance. Promotion of culture with resilience characteristics will lead to a larger applicant pool accompanied by an increased proportion of high resilience workers. For occupations with a high risk of trauma, organizations should consider packaging the promotion of culture with realistic job previews. The combination of approaches is likely complementary and will help overcome the small applicant pools for high-risk occupations. We caution against promoting a culture with resilience characteristics if the workforce does not already possess these values. Promoting a false culture will backfire over time because the new workers will feel misled and experience poor fit within the organization. Under these circumstances, the organization will benefit more by promoting other positive characteristics about the organization (e.g., geographic location, high compensation).

Example

Although less common than the prior two examples, organizations also promote available resources to attract job applicants. The promotion of available resources extends beyond the resources of compensation and equal employment opportunities, which are present in all job advertisements. In regard to attracting high resilience workers, the promotion of resources pertains to coping resources made available by the organization. Organizations concerned with resilience will commonly offer stress management training, access to mental health counselors, access to spiritual counselors, or a forum for peer-to-peer social support groups. The rapid application of positive psychology theories has also led to a variety of training programs, such as interventions for gratitude and mindfulness, being incorporated into the workplace. Similar to data recorded on organizational stress interventions (Richardson & Rothstein, Reference Richardson and Rothstein2008), most available resources emphasize changes to the worker rather than changes to the physical work environment. Organizations seeking to attract high resilience workers have resorted to advertising these coping resources to prospective job applicants.

Effectiveness

The promotion of coping resources has become increasingly common among organizations because of the rapid growth in coping programs being developed for the workplace. Organizations promoting coping resources in recruitment efforts are likely trying to express points of pride and a commitment to helping their workers. There is considerable evidence that available coping resources are associated with improved worker health and performance (e.g., Richardson & Rothstein, Reference Richardson and Rothstein2008); however, no studies have examined the effects of promotion of coping resources on attracting high resilience workers. To evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy, we infer from organizational attraction and resilience research broadly.

Organizational attraction is most often rooted in theories of person–organization fit, which explains organizational attraction as a product of need fulfillment. That is, prospective job applicants evaluate whether organizational characteristics meet their needs (e.g., Cable & Judge, Reference Cable and Judge1996), which in turn influences organizational attraction. Although coping resources are important for worker success in high-risk occupations, the promotion of coping resources may have a backlash effect on attracting a resilient workforce because it promotes resources that high resilience workers do not need (or think they need). High resilience workers have internal resources ingrained into their perceptions, behaviors, and emotional reactions. When internal resources are low, high resilience workers also have an innate ability to locate resources. Conversely, low resilience workers perceive more stressors, experience greater strain, and have poor health habits. As a result, high resilience workers have less of a need for external resources compared with low resilience workers. We propose that the promotion of coping resources will evoke a need fulfillment among low resilience workers, which in turn will increase organizational attraction for low resilience workers rather than high resilience workers.

Implications for best practices

The promotion of coping resources is not recommended for any organizations with a risk of trauma. Coping resources should be discussed with job applicants later in the job recruitment process after the applicant's organizational attraction is more established. Promotion of coping resources will lead to a smaller proportion of high resilience workers in an applicant pool and an increase in low resilience workers. As an alternative to promoting coping resources, we recommend organizations promote resources that express the value of a worker's contribution, such as compensation and retirement benefits.