Five reasons your career site should include Glassdoor reviews

You don't need to work in recruiting or talent acquisition to know Glassdoor. It's the company reviews site used by current and former employees to give their peers an inside perspective of what it's really like to work at a company. Glassdoor reviews are an invaluable resource for candidates as they go through their job search and make decisions on which opportunities to pursue.

There's one catch, however. Glassdoor reviews are not readily available to candidates in the moment, as they are actively making a career decision. They are multiple searches and clicks away from the company career site, potentially leading candidates away and increasing the risk of drop-off.

What's the solution? Bringing Glassdoor reviews to your career site in order to keep top talent engaged and moving towards an application.

Here are five reasons you should include Glassdoor reviews (yes, even the bad ones) on your career site:

1. Glassdoor reviews create an Amazon-like experience

Marketing and selling a job shouldn't be any different than marketing or selling a product - and yet, it is treated differently. You can find thousands of reviews for a $8 book, such as the one below, directly within the Amazon.com product page, but if you are looking for a job on a company's career site, there aren't any reviews. No one would argue that the decision to purchase a $8 book is more important than a potentially life-changing career decision - so why shouldn't you have the same, if not more, information available when doing the latter?

[caption id="attachment_1752" align="alignleft" width="2180"] Over 18,000 reviews![/caption]

Amazon has created the standard for e-commerce and the customer experience in part by providing user reviews directly within product pages. These reviews help consumers make decisions on which products to purchase by building trust through others experiences.

Glassdoor reviews are the equivalent of Amazon reviews. They reflect the real-life experiences, good and bad, of current and former employees at specific companies and help potential future employees decide if the company is right for them.

2. Glassdoor reviews signal transparency

The mere presence of Glassdoor reviews on your career site shows candidates that you are trying to give them the whole picture of your company - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Job seekers appreciate being treated like, well, people. They know no company is perfect. (Even yours.) What they want is the ability to weigh all available information and come to a decision. Even if they decide your company isn't the one for them, they are left with a good impression and it helps all parties avoid what could become a bad situation if the candidate proves to be a bad fit for the company, or the company a bad fit for the candidate.

[caption id="attachment_1756" align="alignleft" width="1004"] Company reviews provide an overview of the company culture.[/caption]

By acknowledging that Glassdoor reviews of your company do indeed exist, you are showing your candidates that you are transparent. Even if you don't have a five-star rating or 100% CEO approval, candidates appreciate this transparency. If everything they hear about a company comes from your career site and content you have produced, they will be skeptical of what they're reading. By giving candidates access to your Glassdoor reviews, even the negative ones, you put all of that information out in front of them and let them make their own decision.

3. Glassdoor reviews bring more applicants

Social proof, which typically comes in the form of customer reviews, is a powerful decision maker. Ecommerce sites include them directly within their product pages, while other companies exist specifically to host reviews for everything from restaurants (Yelp) to vacation spots (TripAdvisor.)

Whether a person is deciding between two pairs of shoes, a vacation destination or a restaurant for a weekend dinner, these review sites help them make a decision because they trust the information. This leads to increased purchases, trips booked and reservations made. Glassdoor reviews on career sites do the same for applications - they spur candidates to apply.

4. Glassdoor reviews speed up hiring

While Glassdoor reviews have little to nothing to do with your hiring and onboarding process, what they can do is influence the amount of time it takes for a qualified candidate to make a decision.

People tend to put off making a decision if they feel they don't have all of the right information. This can extend the amount of time it takes to make a hire because candidates will stall - or worse, will clog your ATS with applications because candidates aren't quite sure if they will fit with your company and apply anyway, even though they won't be a good fit.

5. Glassdoor reviews produce better applicants

Glassdoor reviews won't necessarily bring better talent to your site. What they will do is help candidates determine on their own that they are a poor fit for your company or for a given position.

Here's an example. Julia is a candidate who, on paper, is a perfect fit for one of your open positions. She has great experience and has demonstrated results at previous companies. But, she doesn't have experience working in a corporate culture - all of her work experience comes from startup-like companies. After reading Glassdoor reviews on the company's career site, Julia decides not to apply, because she knows she won't be a good fit in a more corporate workplace. Without the help of Glassdoor reviews, she may have been a high risk for turnover after just a short time at the company, costing the company more money and time hiring her replacement.

By giving candidates access to your company's Glassdoor reviews through your career site, you build good will with candidates and provide a service in their job search - which helps your company continue to attract, engage and convert top talent.