Does Glassdoor Really Matter?

It’s amazing to me how many times I’ve been asked, “Does Glassdoor really matter?”  It’s amazing because those same people asking are the ones who use Consumer Reports to make purchasing decisions, look at movie reviews before buying tickets and many of them when asked will admit to having Yelp profiles to look at restaurant reviews when making dining choices.

So how is it that small, transient decisions are worth the time investment and consideration of review; but a big, life-altering decisions like which employer to work for isn’t? Of course it is.  Enter the relevance of Glassdoor.

Of course, the next question is often, “Does Glassdoor really matter from an employer perspective?  Should we really invest time into it?”  Only you can really answer that; but if you’re asking the question then it’s likely in response to an event that probably does matter to you… so, the answer’s probably “yes, it does.”

On the off-chance that’s not the case, then how much do your secondary social presences matter?  How much does your blog matter in the overall scheme of your recruitment marketing efforts?  It’s likely not in your top 3 sources of hire, but even passively utilized, there’s brand awareness and impact that does make a difference.

What sets Glassdoor apart from other career-related properties is not the profile page, but rather the employee-generated content.  Just as yelp does for businesses/consumers, employees have the ability to “rate” and “align” information about working at the company.  They can leave reviews on their work experience, their leadership and insights other employees and potential candidates can see.   If we believe that shared employee insights are considered to be more authentic and easier for candidates to believe than corporate-generated marketing collateral, then why would it be less so here?

Yes, Glassdoor “matters.”  That said, it’s one property in a rather noisy social landscape, so it’s certainly not something to panic over if the information on there isn’t all you think it could or should be.  If you’ve not already, the first thing to do with Glassdoor as part of a HR/Marketing/Talent Attraction team is to claim your employer profile.   The employer profile offers some interesting information and insights for your team to be able to use:

• Get unlimited access to the reviews posted by your employees

• See who’s viewing your profile (job titles, locations, and other demographics)

• Monitor your company’s brand awareness and reputation

• Manage basic company information to ensure accuracy

It’s relatively painless to set up as well.  In the employer center, you’ll fill out some basic information.  Enhanced profiles offer the ability to display a cover photo, along with a “why work for us” section, social media sites, YouTube channel and up to 4 additional videos.  Once completed, you’ll have the opportunity to update it anytime.  One note about company details; it asks for you to enter your top competitors.

While you don’t have to do it, it’s worth noting that if you don’t – they will through auto-populate information (your competitors get the opportunity to enter you, too).  Really, unless your company lives in obscurity, though; chances are those working for you -or wanting to- already know who your competitors are, anyway. Be sure to enter in your mission info.  The question has come up on whether or not the overall organizational mission or the Organization’s mission as it relates to employees should be shared here.  Really, either work; though chances are the candidate would appreciate knowing your mindset and commitment to your employees.

Whichever you choose, make sure your mission is reflective of your actual actions – because your employees will see it and can speak to it in their reviews.

Which leads to the “scary” part of Glassdoor for employers:  you can’t control what your employees write.  In fact, unless they ‘self-identify’ through details shared in their review you won’t even know which review belongs to whom – it’s anonymous.  That sounds scary, but in reality, it’s a huge advantage over what employers would have otherwise:  not knowing at all.

Employees were already having these conversations, sharing their opinions with others – employers just weren’t involved.  Glassdoor offers the opportunity to take action on what your employees – happy or otherwise – think of your company.  And that is something that matters a lot.

About the Author:  Crystal Miller is a strategist with AT&T and has nearly a decade of recruitment marketing and digital strategy experience. In addition, she has led both the internal HR function for a regional $350MM business and the largest real estate recruiting practice for the leading single-site search firm in the United States.  Miller has worked with start-ups to Fortune 5 companies to create and execute compelling recruitment marketing & employer branding campaigns.

She has been a reliable expert source on the topics of talent attraction, talent acquisition, talent management, and digital strategy for multiple media outlets including CBS, Hanley-Wood, Mashable, and ABC. As an industry leader, she is recognized for expertise in recruitment, recruitment marketing, social media, social communities, talent pipelining, and digital strategic solutions and speaks globally on the same.

Follow Crystal on Twitter @TheOneCrystal or connect with her on LinkedIn.

By Crystal Miller