Over the last few years, Glassdoor has received increasing attention among job seekers and recruiters. Glassdoor is a review website that allows employees and former employees to write anonymous reviews about workplaces and management. Users can upload pictures of the office space, review company management, post interview questions, and even log their salary. However, Glassdoor not only hit it off among job seekers; Glassdoor for Employers is now a must-have for corporate marketers as well. Why? One word: transparency.

Transparency is a top priority in today’s social media age. In marketing terms, transparency means followers can take a real, inside look at your company –– see the office space, get a taste of the work environment, read opinions on the management style –– before they even walk in for an interview. Glassdoor is fiercely committed to creating transparency in the workplace, and with over 340,000 companies and 27 million users (aka job seekers) on their site; the success this website offers your staffing firm is a no-brainer.

Let’s take a quick look at this rising recruiting phenomenon. What are the pros and cons? What can it do for your staffing firm? How can staffing firms use it to attract new recruits? Look at the review below, then decide if Glassdoor is a worthwhile time investment for your staffing firm (take it from me; I think your answer will be yes).

What’s Significant about Glassdoor?

— It is changing how people search for jobs and how companies recruit top talent.
— Supplies user-generated content including company-specific salary reports, company reviews and ratings, CEO approval ratings, benefits reviews, interview reviews and questions, office photos, and more. (employers.glassdoor.com)
–– It creates transparency among jobs and career communities (thus, GLASSdoor), which is a top priority in today’s social media world.
— 2013 Webby Awards for Best Employment Site.
— The mobile app is one of the most popular among job-search apps.
— It is geared toward the Facebook generation, who like to comment and post vast amounts of information.

Best Things about Glassdoor for Employers:
— An employer account is free.
— It allows you to manage your company brand.
— You can directly contact candidates who are researching your company.
— It provides data and stats on how your branding rank compares to other competitors in the industry.
— Along with transparency, it’s a great outlet to tell your company story…“this is who we are.”
— It helps employers see what improvements they can make. A company can look at what their employees are saying about them and gain valuable insight on what needs to change in terms of work ethics, terms of salaries, environment, interviews, or management.
— Glassdoor maintains a strong comments policy to minimize unnecessary slander or injurious posts.

Not-So-Great Things about Glassdoor for Employers:
— Even though the company has a policy against rogue posts, there are still some out there that slip through. The company also offers great advice on managing your company reviews.
— It’s also very possible that reviews could create a false sense of security; without a doubt, bias will slip into some of those comments.

Personally, I think Glassdoor for Employers is a great choice for companies in the staffing industry. It’s like a laid-back version of Linked-In with the benefits of company reviews and direct outreach to potential candidates who are searching your company. Do you have a Glassdoor account? Have you found it helpful to you as a professional? What are the pros and cons about the site? Please share your comments with us below!

If you want to find more ways to extend your company’s reach, contact us and/or take a look through the our blogs and get expert advice on marketing that fits your company’s needs.