Have you ever been looking for a job, tried to learn more about the company, then ended up having a platform like Glassdoor show up on your search? Depending on what you see in terms of reviews, this may impact whether or not you pursue an opportunity. In fact, they can be as important as recruitment ads in the Bay Area, even more so depending on the candidate. As a result, what you want to do in terms of handling these is a massive part of your company’s online presence.
Perhaps the biggest initial benefit that you can see with employee reviews is the fact that you’re showing that you take feedback. After all, your current employees probably know your mission better than everyone, and are in the best position to say whether or not they feel that this is being met. In addition, the fact that there is an opening for these shows that there is enough of a comfort in the company culture where feedback is welcome. This doesn’t mean you can act on every response, but you at least have a pipeline open for consideration.
If you cultivate a lot of positive reviews from both current and former employees, this can be a huge asset to your brand, especially from former employees. In some cases, someone may leave your company for a larger opportunity, and if they can get across that your company was not only supportive, but played a large role in getting them ready for this new role, then it suddenly becomes clear that your company is invested in growing their talent.
By the same token, you also need to decide what happens when it comes to negative reviews. Unlike a review for a business, it’s often difficult for you to try and target the negative reviewer directly, but you can still spin a negative into a positive. This allows you to show off your transparency. Every company is going to make mistakes and have issues, but if you can make it clear that you’ve targeted the issue and have a plan of action, potential candidates know that they are working somewhere vested in improvement.
In many ways, a good set of employee interviews is a lot like an extension of your advertising campaign. You’ve been trying to prove to the rest of the world that your company has certain values, and how you handle the reviews is a chance to prove them in action. Cultivating good reviews and taking actions towards some negative ones can turn your company into a shining beacon for both current and future talent.
