80% of your millennial talent pool is using Glassdoor actively in their job search process.
Our research with over 1000 millennial workers across North America in 2015, has uncovered that close to 80% of workers use Glassdoor in their job search activities. To be clear, it is not that they are consistently using Glassdoor to apply to jobs, though they have stated that if they see a role that fits their career aspirations and it looks like an appealing culture, than indeed they would take the step to apply. What millennial candidates are consistently using Glassdoor for, is to research employers, benefits, what it is like to work there, what employees say about the company, and what the company social and community commitments are.
When we dug deeper with this talent pool as to why they frequent Glassdoor for their active and passive job seeking process, candidates tell us that they feel it is a more authentic and transparent view of the company because employees are a part of ranking and validating the cultural experience. Millennial talent tell us that they will often go to Glassdoor to review your culture before they go to the company careers page.
Although there is a clear trust and usage of Glassdoor with this talent segment, we still hear challenges from executive level clients about the validity of the site as more than an employee gripe site.
Here are some completely unbiased facts:
- There are 23 million users on Glassdoor (roughly 80% are passive job seekers)
- Behaviours and statistics prove that it far from a gripe site. In fact, 70% of employees say they are “OK” or “Satisfied” with their job and company. The average company rating is 3.4 (on a scale of 1-5).
- Our clients have on more than one occasion, said that we have nailed their engagement issues, upon our first meeting, simply because we have reviewed the employee rankings of what the cultural strengths and weaknesses are on the Glassdoor site. This is incredibly telling of the honesty and thoughtful reviews that talent share on your company.
If we have started to peak your interest, let s explore some best practices and options for your organization to better engage talent with your pages.
The biggest and best organizations have a full Glassdoor Essentials package.
Facebook, Google, IBM and Deloitte are just a few examples of companies that have fully optimized their pages.
Glassdoor Essentials, is the best of Glassdoor. It helps companies to showcase their brand with Employer Branding tools and analytics. It will also allow a company to advertise all open positions using a combination of targeted job ads and display ads. We love that an enhanced profile will also allow companies to add pages that are compelling to job seekers such as, “Why work for us?” Finally, it will allow a company to block ads from competitors, which will otherwise show up on your profile, redirecting talent to your competitors that have more compelling employer brand stories.
Not ready to invest, and just want to dip your toes into the Glassdoor waters?
Did you know that with the Glassdoor Free Employer Account you can make basic edits to your company profile page? Employers can respond to their company’s reviews as an official representative, update basic company information (i.e. # of employees), flag content as inappropriate, and post awards and workplace photos. Finally, you can get access to some reporting and monitoring for your brand.
What does talent look at on your Glassdoor page?
- Employee reviews on culture, leadership and career opportunities
- Pictures of employees, workplace, events inside and outside the company
- Why work here pages with deeper details of the benefits of a career experience at your organization
- Video and content stories about the employer brand and culture
- Company updates and leadership responses to continuous cultural improvement and engagement – acknowledge employee comments!
- Benefits and Perks of a company in a detailed story
- Company Awards
It is easy to identify some of the weakest employer cultures and leadership teams on Glassdoor. Many of these companies have less than 2.5 rankings and several comments by employees eagerly offering leaders feedback on the current culture.
You can invest millions in branding, taglines, fabulous careers pages and social media strategies. However, if you don’t ensure that the EVP is aligned in the employee lifecycle, the truth will absolutely be revealed on Glassdoor.
If you have already embarked on employer brand research and creative, 2016 is the year we implore you to look at aligning the candidate, onboarding and year one talent experience. This is the stage when the employer promise must absolutely align with the experience. We also recommend that 2016 is the year that your talent acquisition and employer brand team begins to engage much more actively with Glassdoor. Your talent segment is a part of the community, connect with them. Share your employer brand in a manner that tells your best and truest story. You will see an impact to talent applications, referrals and brand ambassadorship!
Should you have any questions or requested guidance on your current strategy or employer brand reputation, please reach out directly to Managing Director, Stacy Parker at sparker@bluivygroup.com.
About Blu Ivy Group
Blu Ivy Group is a leading employer branding and employee engagement consultancy that aligns your organization with contemporary workplace paradigms. Blu Ivy Group’s mission is to help client’s build award-winning people practices, inspire extraordinary employee engagement, and cultivate unique and desirable workplaces.
Blu Ivy Group provides integrated solutions in employer brand and engagement research, strategic consulting, employer brand integration, creative and talent communications.
Blu Ivy Group is a trusted partner to many of North America’s most respected employer brands. For more information, go to www.bluivygroup.com