Review-led Talent Acquisition & Employer Branding - Part 1: How Glassdoor Reviews Build Trust for Job Seekers

Welcome to our series, Review-led Talent Acquisitions & Employer Branding.

This collection of articles is designed to guide human resources professionals in thinking about how to capitalize on the power of the employee voice by capturing and distributing their thoughts effectively in forward-thinking recruitment marketing tactics.

In the first installment, we will look at a familiar tool, Glassdoor, to explore how reviews of employers are critical in building trust in prospective job applicants.

Trust is essential to building a good reputation for your company and has an impact on all sorts of business operations, starting at the hiring level. 

While much of a successful reputation management strategy will focus on customer reviews and feedback, the satisfaction of your employees matters too, especially when it comes to recruitment and talent acquisition. 

Why Company Reviews Matter

Company reviews are a description of an employee’s experience with a business. They give authentic and reliable insight into company culture and most importantly, establish trust. 

In every vertical, people derive trust from sources that they relate to and signal their own experiences. Customers trust each other more than businesses and institutions. Similarly, prospective hires trust other employees more than leadership. 

If this isn’t enough to sway you, 92% of working Americans consider company reviews to be important when deciding to apply for a job. Therefore, if you aren’t actively managing your reputation on review sites like Glassdoor or Indeed, you’re missing out on top candidates. 

So, how do you make sure your business is putting its best foot forward when it comes to hiring? The answer is simple: get more reviews (bonus points if you use automated software like Widewail Invite). 

Knowing the Platform - What is Glassdoor?

Glassdoor is an employment website where employees (both current and former) voluntarily and anonymously review companies. It features over 114 million reviews that work to assist job seekers by offering information regarding job openings, compensation, and work culture. 

While it’s important for potential employees to have a transparent understanding of your business (for the purpose of retention, hireability, workplace compatibility, etc.) we’re most interested in the employer side of things - or how you can use Glassdoor to your advantage. 

86% of HR professionals say recruitment is becoming more and more like marketing. A recruiter’s goal is to hire, but it’s also to tap into a specific target market. To do so, they must come up with creative ways to convey their value in messaging that’s both enticing and relatable to top candidates. 

Every company review left by an employee is an opportunity for your business to curate and shape your employer branding and employer awareness. While traditional interview processes and website career pages do some work here, they don’t do enough. 

Candidates read business reviews to get an authentic view of your company. They want to hear about the culture and the individual experience - what it’s really like to work there. This kind of information only comes from your employees. 

While this reality may seem unmanageable, more reviews on a site like Glassdoor means more opportunities to respond, giving you control over your company’s narrative and a better shot at attracting top talent. 

Here are a few ways you can get more Glassdoor company reviews:

• Ask:

The best and most effective way to get more reviews on Glassdoor is to ask. Ask new and enthusiastic hires to give their feedback and insights regarding the application process. This helps prospective employees learn more about the job and works to give your company profile some character on an otherwise anonymous website. 

Similarly, you can ask current employees to share what it’s like to work at your company on the daily. Leverage your one-on-one time with them during a performance review and ask for their feedback. This way, you make it known that you want to hear their opinion and allow for a more equal and open review process - you review them; they review you. 

• Respond:

Responding is effective in getting more reviews because it legitimizes the process. When employees see you respond to your reviews, it shows you care about their opinions and well-being. More employees are more likely to leave a review on a platform if they believe they will be heard and aren’t just throwing their thoughts into a black hole. 

Responding also works to attract candidates. In fact, 75% of active job seekers are likely to apply for a job (and by extension, review that company) if the employer actively manages its brand (i.e. responds to reviews). 

• Hire an expert: 

Trusting your review management strategy to a third-party service is another way to get more reviews and boost your business’ rating on Glassdoor. Invite, Widewail’s review generation software, can be used internally as an effective talent acquisition and recruiting tool. It allows you to send review requests via text to recent hires and current employees automatically, giving you the time to focus on what matters most - making your company more appealing to top applicants. 

All in all, the way we hire and job search has changed rapidly in recent years. Candidates want an inside look into what it’s like to work at your company and be a part of the culture, not just the role itself. Company review sites have become an integral part of the recruitment process. Hiring is competitive, and in order to draw and retain the best employees, you have to invest in your business’ reputation. 

Learn more about how to get started with Widewail Invite here.