7 Steps to Make the Most of Your Employer Profile on Glassdoor

In an age where consumers vet everything from new car purchases to toothbrushes, Glassdoor is like Amazon for jobseekers. The site features thousands of reviews that add credibility, or concern, to a jobseeker’s evaluations of the companies they are considering. And with 48% of jobseekers consulting Glassdoor, you can be certain that your target candidates are typing your company’s name into Glassdoor and relying heavily on the results. Here are 7 action steps to create a killer Glassdoor employer profile to attract prospective candidates.

1

Demonstrate what it’s actually like to work for your company as much as possible

Appeal to employees and candidates as much as possible by speaking in employee friendly, personable, and engaging language when completing your profile and when responding to posts. Avoid jargon, and other language that an applicant coming from another industry would not be able to comprehend.

In the same vein, open positions on Glassdoor should be as descriptive as possible, so that prospects and new hires know what a position entails. When it comes to job expectations, new hires aren’t looking to be surprised.

Also, post company awards and updates to give users a feel for your company’s unique strengths, and emphasize your principles and core values. This will allow applicants to self-select themselves as a good fit for your firm, eliminating wasted time interviewing the wrong people.

2

Use willing and eager employees as brand ambassadors

Employee generated content receives 5-10x the amplification as brand-shared content, so whether your profile is brand new or has been available for a while, has negative, positive, or no reviews, encouraging current employees to write reviews of your company is a smart move. Employee-generated reviews of your company will likely generate an influx of positive, recent reviews, which is exactly what applicants will look for when vetting your company. Plus, adding new reviews is also a great way to move older negative reviews further down on your profile page.

Just as you’d be more comfortable purchasing a product that has many positive reviews than a “wildcard” with no reviews, candidates vetting your business will be more comfortable after hearing from authentic happy employees.

3

Pay close attention to reviews of compensation and benefits

Research has shown that compensation and benefits matter most to job seekers, so it’s vital to make sure that your compensation packages are on par with competitors. Additionally, when positive reviews mention salaries or benefits, it’s a good idea to bolster these reviews by replying and emphasizing these as company priorities.

Respond to the good, the bad and the ugly

Positive reviews can act as invitations to reiterate key benefits that you’d like readers to remember. If an employee takes the time to write a positive review, pick out one or two positives from the review to dive into and explain a bit more in your response. Also, be sure to thank the reviewer for taking the time to share their experiences. Highlighting positive aspects can help to focus reader attention on the areas of your choice and can help to balance out negative reviews.

Speaking of negative reviews, more likely than not, you’ll stumble upon a negative review at some point. Dealing with these reviews is extremely important; several good reads on how to do so can be found on sites such as RecruiterBox, Rush Recruiting & HR, and even GlassDoor itself. The key aspects are:

• Fix what’s broken. Are multiple negative reviews complaining about one thing in particular, such as benefits? Take a look at your competitors’ offerings and see what you might do to bolster your company’s package and fix the problem for your current and future employees. Was there a recent company merger that compromised morale? Perhaps the issue has been resolved, and a candid review explaining the situation will suffice to put out the fire. Addressing the root of the problem not only dissuades more negative reviews, but can also increase the tenure of current and future employees. Oftentimes several bad reviews in one area stem from an internal miscommunication. Try to isolate the offending area and make a plan for better communication and expectation setting for new hires.
• Be transparent and authentic. Job seekers value honesty and good faith effort, and reading a candid and heartfelt reply to a negative review can put readers at ease. Take responsibility and ownership, apologize for the negative experience, and reaffirm that concerns in the given area are important to your company and being looked into or dealt with. Reaffirming that company culture and morale is important to leadership and expressing genuine concern might be all that’s needed to put applicants at ease.
• Don’t let the fire spread. If a negative review is caught and responded to early on, others will feel less inclined to post the same negative feedback. Plus, applicants might even gain respect for your company’s ability to hear employee concerns and make time to address them.

5

Have C-suite executives respond to reviews

No matter how tempting it might be to relegate your Glassdoor profile management to an intern or the HR department, it’s absolutely essential that reviews warranting a response be attended to by someone from upper management — ideally the president. This shows that your senior management is concerned and involved with employee needs and company culture.

6

Integrate and cross-promote your Glassdoor profile with other social media platforms

Finally, once you have a profile to be proud of — complete with recent employee reviews, good information available on benefits and salaries, and plenty of detail on what it’s like to work at your company — it’s time to link your Glassdoor profile with other social media channels. Paste your Glassdoor link next to other social media links throughout your website, social media and elsewhere. Glassdoor should embody your firm’s brand and be an integrated part of your employer marketing. Link social media platforms to your Glassdoor profile, and strengthen your employer brand by having employees post video testimonials and blog posts on your website and social media. Be sure that your Glassdoor profile is branded and consistent in voice to your other communications channels.

7

Monitor your profile closely

Treat your reputation on Glassdoor like you would any social media outlet. Set up alerts that notify you when someone posts something new, and ask employees to keep an eye out for any comments that may need follow up.

Stakes are high. 84% of job seekers would change jobs for a company with a better reputation. And 69% would not take a job from a company with a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed. Clearly, establishing yourself as a quality employer is essential for attracting top talent. The average job seeker looks at 7-8 sources in order to form an opinion about a company, so a powerful Glassdoor profile will not only add your firm to the consideration sets of top talent, it will act as an additional source for job seekers to validate their perceptions while considering your company. As a bonus, strengthening your employer brand with a strong Glassdoor profile is a great move in the eyes of your investors, as Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work outperformed the S&P 500 by 122%.