When searching for a new job, do you read reviews left by former and current employees?

19 Comments

1. AnonymousJanuary 13,2023 at 3:06AM UTC

   I do after the current toxic job I am in now. I read them all and the negative ones were on point.

2. Gisele CloutierJanuary 13,2023 at 1:39PM UTC

   Depending on the site, I don't believe a company can remove negative reviews.

3. AnonymousJanuary 15,2023 at 3:14PM UTC

   Correct. On Glassdoor it’s really difficult to get a review taken down. I got one removed because the person said really slanderous personal things about a coworker that was highly inappropriate. I also tried to get another removed because it was clear the person was reviewing a different company than ours, but Glassdoor wouldn’t remove it.

4. Kathryn MontbriandJanuary 13,2023 at 1:40PM UTC

   I typically read them, the good and the bad. That way I can ask more pointed questions during the interview process about aspects of the culture that might be intriguing or concerning (as well as deciding something isn't for me if there are big culture red flags in the comments).

   I consider a red flag something that shows up consistently across multiple reviews, not just a one-off comment from someone who might be unhappy with their former employer.

5. Susan RosenvoldJanuary 13,2023 at 1:42PM UTC

   I do as well. I'd like to know if there is a toxic work environment. I'd like to think no reviews are removed. Otherwise it defeats their purpose.

6. Yolanda SouthJanuary 13,2023 at 5:46PM UTC

   I always read reviews and just like when purchasing items online if the same comment is said over and over I tend to give it more weight. You can usually tell from what the complaint is and how it is worded if it is legitimate or someone just venting. And like others said you can use that when interviewing.

7. AnonymousJanuary 14,2023 at 5:30PM UTC

   I absolutely do. I might take them with a grain of salt - of course not everyone is completely happy with their employer.

   I just recently did an interview with a company that had bad reviews going back two years. I contacted a friend who worked there a few years ago and he said the exact same things I was reading.

   I went ahead with the interview (the pay was awesome, I’m a sucker), and found out the guy I was interviewing with had two assistants in three years.

   strike three! I didn’t advance after round 2, but when a company has that many bad reviews, definitely believe them.

8. AnonymousJanuary 14,2023 at 8:26PM UTC

   I have, but I generally disregard anything posted more than a year ago because the culture and environment (especially considering pre- and post-pandemic) are likely different. I also tend to dismiss anything too glowing and too hostile, as those are more likely to be fringe opinions. Like someone else said, take them with a grain of salt, and be wary if multiple people post the same issues (unless they all use the same verbiage), like you probably do when buying merchandise online.

9. AnonymousJanuary 15,2023 at 3:12PM UTC

   100% agree with not focusing too much on either extreme. I’ve managed a company’s Glassdoor Review responses and I can tell you that some of the overwhelming positive ones aren’t quite honest and some of the incredibly negative ones are written by someone who was angry and not necessarily telling the truth. I think the important thing is to look for trends. If something is mentioned numerous times, it’s probably accurate.

10. AnonymousJanuary 15,2023 at 2:06PM UTC

    Like on here, I love that reviews are anonymous. Employees can go to town telling it how it is. For big companies this might be hard to shift thru since working for different depts or even locations could be quite different. My last job was for a smaller company of 100 people was so toxic. I wrote a review on every site I could to the effect. I know for a fact they made everyone in HR write good reviews for the company, but all the negative reviews weigh their score down to 2 stars with very detailed issues you can not ignore. It has taken a big hit to their hiring which shows it works to warn others.

11. AnonymousJanuary 15,2023 at 3:37PM UTC

    I believe people are more likely to leave reviews when unhappy, so I take that into consideration. That said, if there are a lot of reviews with a similar theme, I pay attention to that.
    At my last job, I never thought to post a review when things were going well. If I had, it would have been a good review because although overworked I was well-supported, my work was acknowledged, and I was growing. When management changed and I saw they were 'working me out', I stuck with the job and gave 110% because that's who I am, and did not post a review until they fired me. I tried to be fair, stating good points of the company but of course I was upset so the review was largely negative.
    So I would say pay attention to common themes in reviews, but realize you might have a different experience at the company for good or bad.

12. Kari HadleyJanuary 15,2023 at 4:36PM UTC

    I weigh them carefully. However, with one company where I was considering applying for a job in my field (product management), the previous person in the job (looks like they left less than a month before I was going to apply), left a very clear, concise, bad review of what was exactly wrong with the company and bosses. It didn't seem like sour grapes. It seemed like reality. Needless to say, I did not apply. No sense going into drama and toxicity.

13. PatriciaJanuary 16,2023 at 12:11AM UTC

    I used to take reviews with a grain of salt. Then I learnt my lesson a few years ago. I was desperate for a job and despite the multitude of negative reviews I took the role. I was so stressed after the first week, I was a complete wreck. Even my chiropractor commented on how stressed I was as soon as I walked in the door. I left after 2 weeks. Now if I see a pattern of negative reviews I won't apply for the role.

14. Joan Williams, Senior Talent Acquisition SpecialistJanuary 16,2023 at 4:03AM UTC

    I take them with a gigantic grain of salt - especially since reading that some companies force their employees to write glowing reviews. Many times, the negative reviews are written by disgruntled ex-employees.

    I would take them as a place to target issues you need to drill down on during the interview process.

15. AnonymousJanuary 16,2023 at 6:42PM UTC

    Absolutely! never ever take them with a grain of salt. If they skew too far in either direction its a flag. Oh and I run and HR team. I had a former CPO that would make people write something in their first 30 days of employment. Their companies always smelled clean but were a mess internally. Cross reference the companies social media, create a google search for anything public about them and look in linkedin for the ant trail out the door from ex-employees. Use blind and glassdoor to refer to insider information. Oh and lastly look to see if they have been sued. These are all easy things to look up and will spare you personal disaster in the future. Not all negative reviews are posted by disgruntled ex-employees. Some of them are by current ones who prefer to remain anonymous.

16. Shanita Taylor BSIS, BSc (Psyc), M.A.E.LJanuary 17,2023 at 1:46AM UTC

    Yes

17. misskelleypJanuary 17,2023 at 2:42AM UTC

    I think you do take the reviews with a grain of salt, but certainly look for themes... If 6 out of 10 reviews talk about a specific issue or series of issues, then you should definitely ask questions around that if you choose to go ahead with an interview.

18. Kimberly GrahamJanuary 17,2023 at 5:32PM UTC

    I typically review them to get a sense for the organization and any themes but also consider that (unfortunately) people often post reviews when they are unhappy.

19. Bridget HarringtonJanuary 19,2023 at 10:53PM UTC

    Yes. I don't pay attention to the positive reviews as much as the negative ones. If I am interested in a company, then I know what their good points are. I want to hear about the negatives and the reasons why I might reconsider working for that company. I look for patterns, problems mentioned over time, etc. I have also personally worked for companies that "requested" current employees to review the company in a positive light. Requested = Goaded Into Doing So. In fact, I worked for one whose HR director would periodically scan the company's profiles on job search sites. If not enough employees reviewed the company in glowing Golden Child terms, or not enough employees in diverse layers of the organization reviewed, she'd approach people personally to ask why you haven't left a review and drilled you as to if you were unhappy with the job, if there were problems, etc. Very cringy and a huge red flag. I wish I could post the name of that company publically, because they are a fairly large employer in the area and invest a lot of money in PR to overcome/hide the fact that they are a toxic environment. As it is, they have a difficult time recruiting anyone. Pay attention to reviews, not a company's paid PR!

    Also consider that only one or two dissatisfied people usually equals 10-20 in the real scope of the issue. So if you see, say, more than 10 negative reviews on any company, stay away and don't even question it.