How to Optimize Your Employer Glassdoor Page
As the way people search and apply for jobs continues to change, digital platforms like Glassdoor are becoming an industry standard for candidates looking for work or researching companies of interest. Research has shown that 69% of job seekers are likely to apply to a job if the employer actively manages its brand digitally, which means that having a Glassdoor page is no longer optional – it’s a necessity to attract top performing candidates and retain your current employees.Glassdoor prides itself in its ability to help companies of all sizes build their employer brand through a combination of employer-supplied information and user reviews. For many job seekers, Glassdoor is known as one of the most trustworthy sources of employer information because of its unique platform; it’s free and open for anyone to leave anonymous feedback about their experiences with your company’s culture, leadership team, salaries, professional development, and more. Glassdoor is built on the promise of honesty: it showcases the unfiltered opinions of current and past employees that have experienced working hand-and-hand with your company.
Because of this commitment to honest feedback, make sure your Glassdoor page defines and manages your company culture and employer brand. Get started with these five tips to optimize your Glassdoor page and attract the right talent for your team:
1. Take ownership of your profile.
Your Employer Profile should be a direct reflection of who you are as a company – so, who are you? Regardless of whether your company decides to leverage the paid or free version of Glassdoor, make sure you’ve filled out your brand’s basic profile information. Add photos and your logo, fill out company details, and provide a description about the type of work you do. Add content to your profile that gives outsiders a glimpse in to the inner workings of your company so that they realize this is a place they want to work! Keep in mind that the information you add to your page should answer these questions:- What’s your mission as a company?
- What does it look like to work there?
- What do your benefits packages and professional development programs look like?
- Training and career advancement plans
- Mentorship programs
- Community involvement opportunities
- Awards and accomplishments
- Transparent culture practices
- PTO and benefits
- Pay scale goals and incentives
- Work environments (including remote work)
2. Understand what you can’t control.
One of the main advantages to using Glassdoor is the employer satisfaction rating, which is calculated based on a one-to-five scale ranking. Glassdoor has a proprietary algorithm that automatically issues a star rating based on all of the information that the site collects. This includes reported salaries, positive and negative feedback, and reviews from past and current employees. As an employer, your overall company rating may seem somewhat out of your control. What's unique about Glassdoor's algorithm is that it’s programmed for fairness and honesty. The sophisticated technology itself is built to level the playing field between companies of all sizes. Some of the reviews and postings aren't actually approved—they're rejected if they lack a balance of pros and cons, revolve mostly around items that are not relevant to workplace culture, or don’t meet Glassdoor’s other Review Guidelines.
It’s important to understand that while the Glassdoor ratings may not be totally in your control, you can use the reviews that are posted to your page to improve your organization over time. Employee reviews allow you to take a closer look at what is working well in your organization as well as to identify opportunities to improve upon. Perhaps employees are craving more professional development options or are looking for more transparency into what is needed to achieve promotions. Taking the time to understand employee feedback patterns and focus on improving your culture will ultimately benefit not only your Glassdoor rating, but also general employee satisfaction and retention.
3. Empower your employees to tell stories.
Potential candidates that rely on Glassdoor for career insights are similar in the way that travelers who are planning for a vacation use TripAdvisor for trip recommendations: they're looking for honest reviews with relatable feedback. They want to understand the overall experience through detailed stories from people that have firsthand experience. Treat your Glassdoor profile like TripAdvisor by encouraging your employees to contribute valuable content through testimonials and stories that highlight various aspects of your work environment. Have your employees answer questions to describe the experiences they’ve had in the office, talk about workplace culture, give insight into the CEO’s leadership style, expand on the company’s mission, or detail their training and advancement paths.Not only will experiences and stories from employees better define what it’s like to work at your company, but featuring them on your Glassdoor page is a great way to attract they type of job seekers that align with your brand’s values. So, as your organization continues to grow and scale, you have a team of employees that are invested in your company’s culture.
4. Highlight why you’re unique.
Potential candidates are motivated by different things – and so is your company! Some candidates are motivated by wages and salaries, while others want to have a great mentor. Many candidates want to work for an organization that does good things for the community or makes the world a better place, while others want the opportunity to master their skillsets for future growth.Ultimately you want to attract candidates that resonate with your specific business values, goals, and culture. Share information about your company on your profile to give a well-rounded view of what makes your organization special. Whether it’s in the Glassdoor description of your company or in the employee reviews and stories, highlight what makes your organization stand out and the programs you have in place that consistently contribute to employee happiness. Examples of information to include are…
5. Don’t stress over a negative review.
Glassdoor is different than most social platforms. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are very controllable—you can define and publish the information and content that is there for others to see. On Glassdoor it’s anonymous, making it hard to manage the content that's been published. A negative review is bound to happen. However, being consistent and showing honesty on your Glassdoor page is the most powerful tool you have to showcase your commitment to your brand values and employees.Every organization is allowed to have bad Glassdoor reviews. Instead of getting defensive about negative comments, employers should shift their focus to improving for the future, both in the content on your Glassdoor profile and in your practices as a business.
For businesses today, a positive employer brand is not only essential for retaining and engaging your best employees but is key to recruiting and hiring new and top performing talent.
Have you had some promising candidates reach out through Glassdoor? Learn more about making the right hire as you begin your interview process.
