Millennials consider ‘company culture’ more seriously than any working generation, and with good reason. Salary and position are less important to this generation – they are much more concerned with the experience the working environment will provide them. Regardless of how high the unemployment rate may be at any given time, today’s job market is always a two-way street. Hiring managers now realize the company is also being interviewed every time an applicant walks through the door.
Applicants are now spending just as much time researching the company as they are tailoring their resume to the position. Part of this research is checking out company review sites, including Indeed and Glassdoor. Websites like these provide indispensable information about company culture from an inside track.
Here are just a few reasons you should look at companies on these websites before applying.
A Comprehensive Company Picture
Professional review websites are very serious about the reviews they post. The two websites mentioned above have a strict guidelines section that requires a permanent digital identity in order to post.
Every review that goes up on one of these websites must pass through a multilevel review that includes automated and manual steps. This helps ensure the veracity of each review, and maintains the integrity of the website as well as the overall picture of the company being critiqued. The result over many reviews is a comprehensive company picture that would be difficult to obtain without being employed there firsthand.
Completely Truthful Reviews
Although it is possible to run across a review from an employee who is simply disgruntled, this is a very small percentage of the reviews on professional review websites. Employers also have the ability to respond to reviews, so you get both sides of the coin.
More importantly, all reviews are slightly anonymous. No one has to worry about facing repercussions at work for giving an honest opinion. You are getting the closest perspective possible, because many of the people who leave reviews (even negative reviews) are still employed at the company.
A Smart Acceptance Decision
Companies looking to employ you will probably check your references. They will do this to make sure they are making a smart buying decision. Shouldn’t you make a smart acceptance decision by checking the ‘references’ of the company as well?
Checking reviews allows you to make the smartest decision among the offers you will receive at the end of your job search process. If you have two or three choices that provide a similar salary and benefits, the deal breaker should be company culture. Most likely, you want to take the offer from a company that aligns with your personal values and provides the most opportunity for growth.
Inside Baseball
If you are considering a job because of mentorship under a particular individual or alignment with a company mission, you would definitely want to know if either of these details change in real time. This is the “inside baseball” that is very important to consider before accepting an offer.
Changes in leadership or mission will often shift the entire infrastructure of the company. Check on these things before you accept any offer, so that you will not have to renege on an opportunity that looks promising.
Aside from the reasons above, you can also use company reviews in your interview process. Interviewers always love a candidate with knowledge of the company. Use the information you find on review websites to ask pertinent questions. It will help engage your interviewer in the conversation, and it will showcase your professional initiative.
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