Forget your career site. The real employer branding is happening on Glassdoor and Indeed

Build your employer brand where it can have the most impact — the world’s leading job portals might just matter more than your career site, Emile Mac Gillavry, CEO, Maximum, affirms.

This article is brought to you by Maximum.

Employees talk about you, whether you want them to or not. And what they say covers the full range of workplace experience. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Facts, perceptions, and misconceptions — and even downright lies — all intermingled.

With over 3mn monthly visits in Singapore alone, Glassdoor is the go-to platform. 86% of job seekers check out ratings and reviews before making an application decision. Notably, employee accounts are perceived as three times more credible than the CEO's.

These are crucial insights. They reveal that Glassdoor wields more influence over your employer brand than your own career site. That means if you're not already curating your presence on review sites like Glassdoor, you’re passively allowing others to set your company narrative.

And whilst you can't dictate your employer brand entirely, you can influence its direction. This article makes the case for actively managing your reputation on Glassdoor, bolstered by some relevant statistics.

Why manage your Glassdoor profile?
Here are four compelling reasons to prioritise the management of your reputation on Glassdoor.

1. Be where your audience is
Reputation is hard-won and easily lost. But to influence it at all, the first thing you need to do is engage on the platforms where the conversations are taking place.

Glassdoor draws in 67mn unique visitors monthly. It’s hard to think of another platform with traffic anything like that, where the conversation is as workplace focused. It’s therefore a no-brainer to make these platforms a core component of your employer branding efforts.

But proactively managing your Glassdoor profile not only influences a potential job seeker's perception. It also creates a sense of transparency among your current employees.

2. Build trust and credibility
A silent Glassdoor profile signals to candidates that you might be unaware of — or worse — indifferent to your public image.

Candidates rely on reviews to form their opinions about your company, your actions, and what it’s like to work with you. Transparency therefore needs to be foundational to your strategy.

Paying close attention to reviews, and leaving honest, thoughtful, replies build trust and credibility. Nobody expects a rose garden. Recognizing different perceptions and acknowledging issues where they exist — and addressing them head on — shows people you are approachable, open, and attentive.

Consider the following stats from Slack, Glassdoor, and Randstad:

• 87% of employees expect transparency from their employer, yet only 18% believe their business owners deliver it, despite 55% claiming they do.
• Employee testimonials are viewed as three times more credible than the CEO's when discussing workplace conditions.
• 50% of job seekers will avoid companies with poor reputations.

3. Increase your conversion rates
Employees serve dual roles as both members of your workforce and as your critics. A positive reputation on platforms like Glassdoor — bolstered by an active, attentive presence — can attract more of the right job seekers.

• Job seekers who encounter a company's brand more than 10 times on Glassdoor are five times more likely to apply.
• A robust employer brand can cut hiring costs by up to 50%, while a negative one can increase hiring expenses by 10%.
• In a test run at Maximum, a thoughtfully crafted job description increased the conversion rate by 40%.

An active employer profile not only garners more applications, but the way you present your job openings also matters. For example, according to Adobe’s Future Workforce study, an overwhelming 85% of Gen Z respondents said they would be less likely to apply for a job if it did not disclose salary information.

4. Understand the heartbeat of your culture
Regular engagement with employee feedback can offer a clearer understanding of the factors shaping your culture. Monthly reviews of feedback can dissect elements that contribute to your workplace environment, such as inclusivity, recognition from supervisors, and overall organizational appreciation.

This chart from McKinsey reveals a startling disconnect — employers frequently misinterpret the reasons driving employee turnover.

By digesting this feedback, you gain the chance to more address key issues, and reduce attrition rates.

Remember, reviews can bolster or undermine your company. Glassdoor research says that 76% of job seekers have a more favourable view of companies that respond to reviews. It’s therefore essential to stay current, analyse feedback, identify issues, and take proactive steps.

In a nutshell

Cultivating a presence on Glassdoor is key lever to crafting your employer brand. With millions accessing Glassdoor daily, it's a critical channel for talent. Active engagement on Glassdoor is vital to build trust and credibility, as both potential and current employees consult these reviews to form their opinions.

A strong Glassdoor profile not only boosts the rate at which applicants turn into hires but also helps to reduce recruitment costs. Moreover, insights from analysing reviews are invaluable for understanding and enhancing your company's culture.

Maximum x Glassdoor + Indeed: Closing the gap between what you want to do and what you can do.

At Maximum, we recognise that for many Employer Brand teams, best practices and working reality are often at odds. Budget constraints, resource limitations, and the many complexities of life within a large organisation means that much of the time, it’s a question of balancing competing needs, prioritising, and making trade-offs. This is exactly why we have partnered with Glassdoor and Indeed. Together, we’re best placed to maximise the ROI of your investment. Focused insights. Targeted solutions. All delivered where it can make the most impact — two of the world’s leading job portals.

This article was written by Emile Mac Gillavry, CEO, Maximum.

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Photo: Provided by Maximum