Reviews Are a Critical Piece of Diversity Hiring — Here’s How to Get the Reviews You Need

Company reviews matter to job seekers more than ever — and they need to matter to companies, too. They’re not just a way for employees to share experiences; they can provide valuable feedback and even attract more diverse candidates to apply.

The data shows that job seekers weigh reviews heavily. A vast majority — 86% — of job seekers told Glassdoor that they look at reviews when applying to companies. Job reviews even have the potential to sway a candidate before they apply; according to Career Arc, 1 in 2 job seekers said that they’ve abandoned a job application after reading negative company reviews. 

Yet reviews also have the power to attract diverse talent. According to Qualtrics’ Global Talent Brand Manager, Shaunda Zilich, reviews can encourage more women and underrepresented candidates to apply; she saw a 15% increase in applications from these candidates after her company shared employee stories and experiences.

This is because women and underrepresented candidates are more likely to care about a company’s culture and values — which means they’re more likely to weigh a company’s reviews during the job search. When polled by Fairygodboss, nearly half of women professionals said they “care about a company’s stance on gender equality and it will likely affect my search/decision,” compared to only 31% of men. Black women and women of color were most likely to state that they care about a company's stance on gender equality compared to white women and men. Women were more likely to care about a company’s stance on racial equality as well; 41% of women said a company’s stance on racial equality would affect their job search/decision compared to 33% of men. 

Reviews give candidates an inside view into a company’s culture and values. They’re not just about how happy employers are, but what a company’s flexible work policy is like in action; how employees really feel about a company’s diversity & inclusion practices; or even how someone’s manager supported their return to work after maternity leave. 

Constructive, trustworthy and credible reviews have the ability to bring these insights to the forefront before a candidate even gets a chance to interview with the company. Here’s how to get reviews that matter — ones that all candidates, especially underrepresented ones, will trust. 

How to Get Credible Reviews

Ask the right way

It’s easy for an employee to leave a review that’s wholly good or bad, without much detail or nuance. That’s why job seekers are on the lookout for constructive reviews: ones that offer context along with their praise or criticism. This doesn’t mean your employees need to share essays on what it’s like to work at your company — even short reviews that share constructive perspectives are more likely to be seen as reliable, honest and realistic.

The best way to get constructive reviews is to run a reviews campaign that asks for employee feedback. Rather than asking employees to simply rate your company or share their experience, you should position your review request as a way to improve the organization’s culture, benefits and employee experience. 

Here’s an example script:

Ask at the right time

When’s the best time to ask for feedback? Often. 

Companies change! Over time, everything from a company’s management to its mission to its vacation policies can change. If a job seeker sees that a company only has reviews from 2016, they may not be as likely to believe them compared to more recent reviews. 

It’s also important to consistently get feedback from your employees, not only to make sure you have recent reviews, but to ensure you’re always getting new, relevant reviews. Getting a bulk of reviews at one point in time isn’t enough — and can ever be a red flag to some job seekers.

“Look at the dates on the reviews, a member of the Fairygodboss community weighed in on a post about reviews. “I've worked for multiple companies where a bad review was posted and then we were all asked to go leave positive reviews to tip the scale back in the company's favor. So when you see a whole bunch of reviews all happened in the same week, it’s a dead giveaway.” 

So how can you set up a cadence of getting consistent feedback? Use employee milestones and time-based requests to help facilitate your asks. 

Ask a wide range of employees

An employee’s experience is heavily dependent on what department and role they’re in, especially at a larger company with so many different opportunities. A job seeker applying to your marketing department may not find reviews from engineers entirely relevant. 

“With one job opportunity, all the negative reviews were from warehouse workers when I was considering a corporate role...so, I ignored the negative reviews,” a member of the Fairygodboss community shared.  “But negative reviews from more corporate roles if there are not any roles in my department reviewed? I will give them weight.”

When members across multiple teams, departments and levels of seniority share their experiences, this gives all kinds of job seekers the opportunity to read a relevant review.

Take action after the ask

Responding to reviews shows job seekers that the company is invested in their employees’ experiences and values what their employees are saying. According to Harvard Business Review, nearly 9 in 10 people actually read what businesses respond to their consumer reviews. That’s why it’s worthwhile to respond — even to positive reviews to thank employees for their time and words. 

Keep responses to positive reviews simple. According to Harvard Business Review, managers need to be careful even when responding to positive reviews. “While a simple “thank you” had little impact, more customized responses — perceived as promotional and thus viewed as disingenuous — negatively affected future reviews.”

If a review is more negative, and even slanderous, companies should make the effort to address the review — by adding context about the employee’s comment or mentioning steps the company has made or will make to alleviate the issue. This shows a sense of action and dedication to a good employee experience and can address any concerns a job seeker might have about a review.

Trustworthy company reviews can be an informative tool for candidates who want to learn what it’s really like to work at a company. Not all reviewers need to be positive — they need to be authentic so as to ensure the right match between employer and employee happens. If you want to attract the right candidates, ensuring you have credible reviews is a great first step.

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For more information on employer branding, recruitment marketing, and diversity recruiting, visit fairygodboss.com/employers.