Like most people, before you contract a service or purchase a product, you’ll probably read online reviews to decide if it’s worth it. Customer reviews help you narrow down your choices and find what is best for your needs. You should do the same when searching for a job. By reading company reviews before applying, you’ll get a better idea of the working conditions, culture, leadership, salary, paid time off and other information needed to evaluate the overall company experience.
Some online sites allow users to leave reviews about their current or past employers, allowing job seekers to review them before applying for a position. These types of sites should be an important part of your job search.
Why research?
Whether you are just beginning your job search or preparing for a meeting with one of the organization’s recruiters, it is in your best interest to be armed with as much knowledge as possible about the potential employer. Not only will this help you formulate relevant questions, but it will also build your confidence (or distrust) in the organization. Just as companies can review your social media accounts to make sure you’re a good fit for what they’re looking for, you should do the same and check out company review sites.
From reading reviews, you may also get the impression that the company’s culture is not what you are looking for in your next job, which will save you and the recruiter time. While every employee’s experience is different, you should be able to get a clear picture of the organization’s values and culture. On the sites, you will find information related to :
- the work environment;
- Compensation;
- Career advancement possibilities;
- Employee recognition;
- The social benefits offered
How to search for company reviews
Since there are several platforms for companies to receive employee testimonials and reviews, you need to know how to narrow down your search.
Focus on the general reviews (1-5 stars) offered on these websites, while keeping an eye out for comments about work-life balance, stress, workload, etc. This will tell you a lot about the experience of these employees. This will tell you a lot about the experience of these employees.
Remember that different people can have very different views of the same situation, of the same responsibilities, and even of the company as a whole. So it becomes advantageous for you to focus on the opinions that really interest you and whether you think their viewpoint is similar to yours. Read more than one or two reviews to make sure you have a representative idea of what people are talking about. While it may be tempting to just read the most recent reviews, take the time to go further back in the comment history. This will give you an idea of how the company culture has evolved. Here are a few websites we recommend while looking at employee reviews:
Glassdoor
Glassdoor publishes reviews on its platform based on comments submitted by users – current and former employees of the organization. Users submit comments anonymously. You can also find information about benefits and company culture.
Companies even post job openings on Glassdoor, so if you come across a company that seems like a good fit, you can instantly see what their openings are.
Indeed
Indeed has thousands of company reviews submitted by current and former employees. Indeed is first and foremost a job board, but users can also leave reviews of employers. Indeed is a useful resource if you are looking for a job and want to know what you are getting into before applying.
LinkedIn is the largest professional networking site. LinkedIn doesn’t provide user-based company reviews like Glassdoor or Indeed, but it’s a great way to see if you have any current connections working at the company that could give you insight into what it’s like to work there, or to make a new connection.
Social Media
The vast majority of businesses are on social media. You can learn a lot about a company by checking their social media pages to see what the organization or its employees are posting and sharing. Go to popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see what content the organization is posting and sharing.
Putting things into perspective
While one might be tempted to rely solely on the reviews available on these websites, it is important to take these comments with a grain of salt. Some of these testimonials may have been written out of emotion following the loss of a job.
With this in mind, these sites are a way to help you get a feel for your future employer, but you should not limit yourself to what they report.