Effective Employment Branding: Online Review Sites

 Employer review websites like Glassdoor have become extremely popular over the past few years. Offering a peek into “real life” as an employee at a particular employer, review websites offer job seekers a better way to research companies prior to application or interview. Whether or not you’re aware of this, these types of online hubs for current and past employees and new job seekers can drastically affect your employer brand and reputation.

Why? They give job seekers an inside look into a business — and sometimes that view doesn’t provide a pretty picture. Sites like Glassdoor allow workers to not only rate a business, but to write out specific details about the pros and cons of working there. And in today’s ‘reviews age’ who doesn’t want the inside scoop when researching a business?

In fact, a survey discovered that 72 percent of consumers reported trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations, while 52 percent said that positive online reviews influence their decision to more than likely use a local business. That’s pretty major.

 And the same holds true for millennials, who we all know makeup a good portion of today’s top talent. According to a report from Bazaar Voice, “Talking to Strangers: Millennials Trust People Over Brands,” 84 percent of millennials say user-generated content (UCG) on company websites has at least some influence on what they buy. And as a millennial who is an avid review reader, I can tell you that this is true.

So if today’s top talent trusts people versus brands, this really means that people have a direct influence on building (or destroying) brands. And that’s why what people write on review sites like Glassdoor is so important to your company’s overall brand success.

Just look at Google. This megabrand achieved its status partly through word-of-mouth; for example, a whopping 95 percent of Glassdoor users approve of the company’s CEO. That’s definite promotion and will certainly attract potential employees.

So, to help you further see why review websites play such an integral role in your brand’s success, below I have outlined five popular websites and some of the things each has to offer to boost your brand recognition:

 1. Glassdoor

Glassdoor is huge when it comes to your employer brand because it offers many features for both employers and job seekers. Employers have a company profile that includes company description, revenue, competitors, photos, links to the actual company website and even a “Why Work for Us” section.

Job seekers can take advantage of salaries listed by current and former employees, company reviews, reviews and advice on the interview process, a list of current job openings and even an opportunity to see who else you may know that is connected to that company.

2. LinkedIn

LinkedIn can immensely affect your brand because it is the largest professional network out there. As job seekers search for jobs, they can view a company’s page that displays photos, updates and current job openings. LinkedIn will also automatically show the job seeker who he/she may be connected to that works for the company, which makes it much easier for job seekers to connect with a business. And being able to network and easily access key people in a company when applying is extremely important to job seekers.

3. Indeed

Indeed does not have all the features of a site like Glassdoor, but as the no.1 job board, it still drastically affects your employer brand. As people look for jobs, a star rating appears next to the company’s name underneath the job posting as well as the number of current reviews. Job seekers can access company photos, a list of current job openings, and even a forum of Q&A from job seekers and current and former employees. The forums can get pretty colorful!

4. CareerBliss

CareerBliss says it wants people to “choose happy” as they access the sites 3.5 million job postings, 4 million salaries and 700,000 company reviews. CareerBliss also regularly publishes the “happiest companies” for XYZ (for example, the happiest companies for finance professionals). Appearing on one of these lists will certainly add a boost to your brand recognition.

5. Vault

Vault provides job seekers with information on companies, schools and internships. It regularly lists company rankings, like the top law firms or the top banking companies. Including best internship program rankings also benefits a company’s brand because many college students and recent graduates use internships as not only a way to gain experience but to help them decide on the best company to work for.

The best thing of all about review sites is that your company can appear on all of the above five and even more. This means job seekers all over the world can constantly be exposed to your brand and receive the “inside scoop” from workers, and they can do this in a myriad of ways as they view many different sites. That’s helping promote your business on multiple platforms at multiple times.

Yet, you must remember that review sites can offer your business both positive and negative brand promotion and recognition. The key for success is to ensure that what these people are reading and writing about your business truly reflects your company’s brand.

A big thank you to this month’s Leadership Sponsors – iCIMS and TheLadders. Please visit their sites to understand how these market leaders can help advance your positioning as a top employer.