The Glassdoor Effect

Glassdoor (for those of you that don't know) is in reference to Glassdoor.co.uk the 'website where current and former employees anonymously review companies.'

First, let’s all admit, we have used Glassdoor at some point in our careers. Usually when considering a career change, gaining insight into your competition, or, as a recruiter (me personally) looking for additional insight into potential, or current clients for both positive, and constructive feedback.

• My first big point is that Glassdoor is incredibly useful.
• My second big point is that people often take Glassdoor a little too literally at times. BUT it’s not without something to take from it, hence the first point.

Glassdoor has two very big perspectives which need to be considered;

The First Perspective;

We have the viewpoint of the applicant e.g looking for a job or researcher, showcasing the ‘Pro’s’ and ‘Con’s’, rating system in stars, approval of CEO & whether to ‘recommend to a friend’, and even the ‘Advice to Management’ section too, which is an interesting spin.

Now if you’re applying to a job or researching a company, I think the first thing to say which we all know is true; People, more often than we would like to admit, go online to complain rather than congratulate. We certainly know from our own experience as humans that when we are in a shop or restaurant and the service is bad or product quality is poor, we are quick to write emails complaining (justifiably), but how often do we write to say how good our experience was?

This is a sad truth of Glassdoor. I wish it were different, but as is the way of the world. My advice to those looking to use Glassdoor as a tool; Please don’t take it too literally! If you find consistencies in reviews then always apply for a job you think fits you, however in the interview ask about what you’ve read, it shows both diligence, and that you’ve gone to the effort of researching the company. Wouldn’t you like the chance to defend yourself if something was said about you?

Equally, it could be very positive comments and I’d also ask about that as well in an interview… Why does everyone like the CEO? How do you think you’ve achieved your 4 star review? – This shows a buy in into the company culture and again shows you’ve done your research.

The Second Perspective;

We have the viewpoint of a business.

Many businesses know this already and I’m certainly not insulting anyone’s intelligence here, but it is literally free analytics and insight for you and your business! Again, not always to be taken literally, but if there are frequently emerging patterns, it means you can address these points (striking while the iron is hot) before sending your annual ‘survey’ and employees being given a multi-selection option, getting a vague response to important employee retention information. It can be useful and it's readily available.

From a recruitment perspective in the hiring process or reviewing past campaigns, which Glassdoor is quite involved in sometimes, the insights can be very useful in discussion. As a recruiter, if we openly speak about Glassdoor reviews with hiring managers or business owners, it’s seen there may be effective ways to enhance the interview process, review salaries (current vs market rate?), discussion around progression and training, and simply looking at company culture. The possibilities are vast.

Final Points;

To summarise, Glassdoor is a great tool and can offer great insight into a company when used properly. Sometimes it is with brutal honesty, but can also showcase the very best aspects of a company which we don't always get to see. However, like much of the social media we see, it can be warped and moulded. Some key thoughts to take away when utilising this insightful resource;

• There’s no way to check whether it’s an authentic person working there (unless they’re open about it).
• People more often will write either ok reviews or negative. Even then, perceptions are that if someone writes a glowing review, then it must be fake. People are quick to judge but not to congratulate?
• Reviews don’t showcase the change in a company. Some issues may be addressed? Other aspects may be completely different!
• Reviews are based on opinions and are rarely based on facts. Some employees get rewards for writing positive reviews & the reviews can be unreliable when comparing the ratio of employees vs reviews… for example Deloitte have around the region of 312,000 employees (the last I saw) but have 31,000 reviews thereabouts – that’s only 9.93% and that’s in the history of Glassdoor. How many of that 9.93% are there anymore? How many were fake?

So...

Do your due diligence. Discuss the reviews with your recruiter, formulate questions for an interview which professionally. Politely address negatives and delve in deeper to positives.

Glassdoor is great and definitely helpful but as mentioned at the beginning of this article; “Don’t take it too literally!”

If you have any comments or opinions on Glassdoor, I’d love to hear them!

Happy New Year and here’s to a fruitful 2020!

Please reach out to me on?[email protected]?or WhatsApp/Signal me on +44 (0) 7534 178 417 to have a chat.

Disclaimer:?This is all my own opinion & experience and isn't reflective of the views of my current or previous employers.

About Jamie:?10 years’ working in consumer focussed industries via both B2C & B2B environments. My current role is working with a large team and recruiting for some of the world’s largest consultancies, law firms, banks, vendors and SMB’s focusing on eDiscovery, Forensic Data Analytics, Digital Forensics, Big Data, Cyber Security, Tax & Global Trade and finally Competition Economics. Previous to this, I worked with one of England’s Royal Warranted luxury retail businesses.

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