Applying for a new job? What if you could get an inside look at what it’s like to work at a company before you even got hired? You can when you take advantage of online company review websites.
Company reviews are typically written by current or former employees of a company. Reviews offer ratings of a company on different categories and then a brief written summary based on the reviewer’s experiences. It’s pretty cool stuff.
Check out company reviews websites like CareerBliss, Glassdoor, or Vault. These sites get millions of viewers who are looking for information about companies that they may want to work for. They typically will supply ratings, data, or reviews on categories like salary, perks & benefits, management, work life balance, career growth, interviews, and other hot topics for job seekers.
It’s a smart decision to read company reviews for the businesses where you want to work. Usually you should hold off on reading the reviews until you make it a little ways into the hiring process because company reviews can have a direct impact on how you view your potential future employer.
How To Research A Company Before A Job Interview
Whatever you see in a company review, you need to keep it in perspective. Remember that unhappy people are more likely to write reviews than happy people, which can skew a company’s ranking. The take away here is to look for themes throughout the reviews. Don’t solely focus on one cranky and disgruntled worker’s angry rant. Instead soak in all the information and use it to paint the entire picture of what it’s like to work for that business.
Reading company reviews is a lot like reading a review on Amazon. There’s always that person who gives a pair of pants a one star rating because they ordered the wrong size. Be sure to read reviews from multiple sources and from lots of different people. It will give you a more accurate image of what it’s really like to work for that employer.
Red flags often come up when people read company reviews. It’s your job to dig deeper to find out more information about anything negative or positive you read in a review. Arm yourself with valuable research and use it to ask questions during your job interview.
Beware Of These Red Flags For Job Seekers
As a job seeker, you should absolutely read company reviews while researching a company. It’s your responsibility to learn as much about a company as humanly possible to ensure that it’s a good match for you.