I’ve definitely alluded to this before. New technology is making the job search easier and more transparent than ever before. One really incredible resource is Glassdoor.com. People are definitely starting to utilize it as a resource when preparing for interviews, learning about companies, and for salary negotiations. For those of you who aren’t as familiar with Glassdoor, here’s a quick post about how to use Glassdoor in your job search.
There are 4 major areas that Glassdoor can help you with – we’ll walk through each:
Look for jobs
This is probably the most basic function of the 4 so I won’t spend too much time on it. You can search for jobs similar to the way you would on plenty of other sites. The only big plus about searching on Glassdoor is that you’ll see company ratings (1-5 stars) next to the postings so you can get a sense of how happy their employees are. Which brings me to the next feature which is a really unique one…
Do company research (but also get the dirt)
Lots of websites have company overviews and can get you the basic information pretty easily. Glassdoor offers something completely different and in my opinion, more valuable. You get to hear “reviews” of the company directly from employees, consultants, and interns. People are brutally honest and will share the good and the bad. You’ll know what type of role they’re in and exactly what they think. Think of it like your Yelp for your job search.
I look at this as “the next level” of company research. The first level is reading a company website and learning what they want you to hear (and weaving that into your interview answers). This is a much more honest, raw, perspective and it’s more for you to determine if the company is a place you actually want to work. Just remember, as with all reviews, people are more likely to leave one if they have negative things to say – so take it with a grain of salt. Every company will have positives and negatives – just make sure the negatives aren’t deal-breakers for you personally!
A sample review for Facebook
Salary research
This is incredibly valuable for you while you’re in the job search and even once you are with the company. Glassdoor does an amazing job of gathering data from employees (sorted by title) so you can see what people are actually earning at different roles with different companies. I always advise people never to go into any salary negotiation without data and this is a great place to get it.
Even if you’re not at the point where you are negotiating a salary, it’s really helpful to know what different types of jobs pay on average so you can have a sense of it when you apply. It will also help you answer the “what are your salary exceptions” question in an educated way.
An example of salary research from Glassdoor
Interview prep (find out exactly what questions they’re asking)
Ok, best for last! Wouldn’t you love to have a crystal ball that tells you what interview questions you should expect at a certain company? Well… they have this too. This data is uploaded by people who have gone through the interview process at these companies. They upload all kinds of information about their interview process, from how long it took, to what questions they were asked. I would say this feature will be more accurate if you are interviewing for some type of “program” where the interview process is very uniform. It also works well with companies that hire many people per year into the same type of role.
However, over-preparing is never bad so it’s always good to look and see what you can find. As you read through, you might notice common trends in at least the “types” of questions being asked.
Sample of interview review on Glassdoor
So hopefully I’ve made a case for this great tool (and no, I’m not affiliated to them in any way, just find their site incredibly helpful!) and it’s one you might find useful as you go through your job search process. Would love to hear about any of your experiences with Glassdoor as it relates to the job search – was it useful/helpful/accurate? Leave some comments!
