My Name is Ed, Recovering Glassdoor Hater

This is my first time at one of these “Recovering Glassdoor Hater” meetings, so I’m not sure what the protocol is. Listening to your stories so far, I can empathize with how painful it must be for many to be here. I see among us people at all skill levels and years of experience in talent acquisition, in various industries and from locations around the world. I think we all remember how we brushed off Glassdoor as a nuisance a year or two ago. I, for one, definitely saw Glassdoor as an enemy to my efforts rather than a partner. Ouch! That really hurt to say. But everyone here knows it’s true. I was with all of you haters in recent years and went so far as to blast Glassdoor and mock those who got in early. But now, I know Glassdoor isn’t going anywhere – it’s the present and future of our industry. And while that’s painful to say, it’s taught me a lot. What Glassdoor taught me So now it’s time to join the chorus. I’ve learned Glassdoor is not just a platform for the disenfranchised, nor is it like a Festivus “airing of the grievances” session. Rather, it’s an embrace of what a real employment brand strategy should be – honest, open and transparent. Sure, we all know some Glassdoor reviews are simply sour grapes posted by bitter ex-employees. We have all learned that while in some cases that’s true, more often than not the feedback on Glassdoor is viable and worthwhile. The world has changed, and so too has our space – candidates these days have more than just options – they have information. And that’s powerful. Information readily available to job seekers everywhere can either help or hurt your efforts as recruiters and talent leaders. Either choose to embrace it and help drive the narrative or let the narrative drive you. Glassdoor’s product To be completely transparent, Glassdoor’s product development over the past year or two is what convinced me I had a problem being a Glassdoor hater. Instead of just being a “Yelp for employers,” Glassdoor began offering employers tools we need to drive our brand on a site that gets a ton of traffic and terrific SEO results. As you can tell, I’ve definitely drunk the Kool-Aid and am no longer a Glassdoor hater. For those of you who are still questioning Glassdoor and how it can benefit your business, here are three steps to recovery I suggest you take: 1. Wear it loud and proud. As an employer, I spent much of my time on platforms other than Glassdoor developing my employer brand, but let’s be honest – when someone is researching your organization, they are likely to stumble across your Glassdoor profile. Instead of just hoping people will look away, embrace this! For example, the Company Updates feature to share what’s great about your company and culture. Put up fun photos and videos, just as you would on any other platform. Link to all your social accounts and, by all means, link to your Glassdoor reviews on your careers page. If you own it loud and proud, Glassdoor will help you, not hurt you. 2. Be real. As we all start to embrace Glassdoor and see employer branding in a new light, my advice is to understand that “business speak” is not how you should market your employer brand. My advice? Be authentic. People sniff out corporate jargon and BS pretty quickly. If you promote who and what you are and truly have an awesome culture, then the reviews on Glassdoor should sync with how you brand yourself. Hint: random quotes, stock imagery or too much text are no-no’s on Glassdoor. 3. Encourage. Here’s another tip: encourage your employees to join the conversation on Glassdoor. I know this can be the scariest step, especially if you’re not sure what your employees are going to say about you anonymously. Explain how leaving reviews helps your organization – it’s the same as encouraging employees to become brand ambassadors on social media, just a different platform. What’s great about Glassdoor, too, is that it is completely anonymous. What doesn’t work, however, is when you see clearly “company forced” reviews. In short, encourage your employees but don’t push or bribe. Thanks so much to everyone here for sharing their stories. I was really nervous at first but your support means a lot. My journey, like yours, was hard and we all have our battle scars. In closing, my name is Ed and I used to be a Glassdoor hater – not anymore.