Throughout my career, I’ve learned that my results are only as good as those of the team I have working with me. Having a great team comes down to two things:
- Great training
- Being able to attract people who bring natural talents as well as buildable skill sets into our fold
I’ve always agreed with Marc Benioff, Salesforce’s founder, chairman, and co-CEO, who has said, “Acquiring the right talent is the most important key to growth. Hiring was, and still is, the most important thing we do.”
Finding quality staff is harder than ever because the modern job-hunter has become web-empowered on choosing where to hang their hat. As someone who’s worked in the sphere of social commentary and online sentiment for years, I’m not surprised that job seekers have become so well-equipped in choosing where to work. However, I am surprised that some employers still fail to see that filling key positions is a two-way street of scrutiny.
Hiring: It Goes Both Ways
Employees know that accepting a job means committing about a quarter of their waking hours, if not more, to a company. With increasing awareness about mental health and quality of life, millennials and those coming up behind them are increasingly analyzing the companies that court them.
Reports say that 75% of job-hunters already know the company’s branding and reputation during the screening process, and a whopping 75% of job seekers are voluntarily looking for work, meaning they have the luxury of being choosy.
Enter sites like Glassdoor and Indeed.com, which have been around for a while, but are gaining traction in the “employer review” realm.
Approximately 15% of job seekers check out prospective employers on these sites to see reviews from people who’ve previously worked for those firms. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that more and more employees will start reading those reviews. Today, Glassdoor’s getting 64 million visitors monthly for their 47 million existing job reviews.
While Indeed has primarily been considered a job posting/applying site, they’ve turned their sights towards being a one-stop stop by adding peer reviews. They’re fast outpacing Glassdoor as where to go for reviews since they get over 250 million monthly visits.
Why Company Reviews Matter
The job market has changed and gone are the days when people would work only a couple jobs in their career. Today’s employee knows jobs are often just a phase. In fact, the average worker keeps their job now for just four years – with their exits usually being by choice.
We’re learning that today’s employee has a whole new worldview on work. One Glassdoor study reports: “64% of millennials would rather make $40K a year at a job they love than $100K a year at a job they think is boring. And nearly 80% of millennials look at the people and culture fit with prospective employers, followed by career potential.”
And a more telling statistic, “69% of job seekers would not take a job with a company that has a bad reputation, even if unemployed.” Another “84% would consider leaving their current job if offered a job by a company with an excellent reputation.”
That reputation, the workplace culture – unless job seekers are skilled at research – a lot of the perspective on those are coming from a quick web search, the social web, and from peer reviews at Indeed and Glassdoor.
But do you know what your employees, current, and past, say about working for you? Not all of it will be good, but that’s to be expected. If jobs were always fun, we’d pay to play, wouldn’t we? These reviews are about more than just fun, though; they’re about employees feeling valued and challenged, supported and trained, and they’re about work-life balance and opportunities for growth.
If negative reviews go unchallenged, then those reviewers get the final say. But these sites aren’t built that way – they’re trying to be fair, and that’s why employers can reply and engage with reviewers. While an employer’s online reply may not change an ex-employee’s mind, it can certainly influence those who read it in the future.
How We Can Help with Company Review Management
We’ve had our fingers on the pulse of public sentiment online for over 15 years. We can help you reclaim your brand and establish an image as an employer that cares about what’s expressed in these reviews with company review management services.
By hearing what’s said and engaging via replies, you’re not just mitigating an unhappy review or thanking someone for their positivity – you’re getting the opportunity to learn about how employees are experiencing your brand, what your perceived shortcomings are, what you’re doing well, and where you can grow. Some reviews are surprisingly insightful and prove valuable as a learning tool, regardless of whether it’s positive or negative feedback.
As Matthew Jeffrey, the global head of sourcing and employment branding at SAP, once said, “Recruitment IS marketing. If you’re a recruiter nowadays and you don’t see yourself as a marketer, you’re in the wrong profession.”
Being brand-conscious and selling your company as a great career-building experience is reliant upon what a Google search turns up these days. Don’t let an unattended review site tarnish your ability to draw top talent. Get in charge of your online reputation as an employer. Let us help.
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