Forget Glassdoor – you need glass walls

Picture this: your Glassdoor reviews suck. You have 1.8 stars. You know your company isn’t that bad. How do you convince candidates of that?

Think about a glass door. If you have a glass door, that means that people should be able to see a small slice of your workplace. That might be the receptionist, your lobby, and some of the folks passing through on their way between meetings.

Is that a meaningful view of your company? Your lobby is designed to show the best face of your organization. I’ve worked in companies where you weren’t allowed to pass through the lobby on your way elsewhere, even if it was the shortest path.

What you really need to convince candidates what it’s like to work in your organization is glass walls. Show them essentially everything. What’s it really like to work there? Who are your employees? What does the office look like? What technologies do you employ?

Glass walls are metaphoric for transparency. Some of our local office buildings actually have glass walls and open floor plans, and you can see the entire operation from the street, but it still doesn’t tell a candidate much.

Take the metaphor of glass walls further. Choose channels in which you can illustrate what it’s like to work in your organization. Does your careers site have content? What’s that content about? Does it reflect actual employees at all levels? Is that content mobile-friendly?

How about social media? Your company may be active there, but do you regularly feature events and your teams? Also, do you engage with the followers?

Review sites like Glassdoor and job boards frequently offer the opportunity for you to showcase content on a company-specific page. Are you leveraging that opportunity? When you get a review, are you responding? A thoughtful response to a negative review can frequently be an opportunity.

A thoughtful response to a negative review can be an opportunity. Click To Tweet

There are nearly innumerable channels for you to showcase your employer brand, impact your ratings and reviews, and most importantly of all attract the right candidates to your organization.

Shameless plug: like this blog post? I’m available to speak on this topic and others! Check out my speaker bio, past topics, and current topic ideas.

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