Hiring managers, be honest: Have you ever Googled your company? Do you know what your company looks like to the rest of the digital world?
When people apply to jobs, they are going to research your website, search for reviews, and ask around to see if they know anyone who’s ever worked there. Wouldn’t you?
With the new age of social media, digital marketing, and online branding, it’s important to know what message you’re sending to the outside world.
It’s incredibly frustrating to give a candidate an offer, only for them to decline it after learning your company has sub-par reviews on Google or questionable comments on Glassdoor. Candidates will back out because they’re afraid of joining a tainted culture or afraid of risking that it’s not going to work out long term.
To avoid these hiring roadblocks, here are some tips to understanding what candidates see when they research your company & how you can resolve any issues:
Let’s start with Google:
What do you see when you type your company name into Google? This includes your Google Review, your Glassdoor page, and other websites depending on your industry. Keep in mind that this is what your company is projecting to the world, so when applicants and potential new employees do their research, this is what they’ll see.
Is the address, phone number, and photo up to date? Does your company look good at first glance? What about photos? Does it make you proud to be a part of your organization?
If so, great! Keep up the good work.
If the Google results aren’t giving you the “warm & fuzzies”, here are a few tips:
- Encourage employees to leave positive reviews on Google, Glassdoor, Indeed, or any other review platform.
- Incentivize employees to receive good reviews. If a client or a customer has a satisfactory experience with you, ask them for a review, and give your team credit for it. This could be a simple recognition, a gift card, or free lunch for whomever gets the most positive reviews!
- Put together a template for your team to easily send out to others requesting reviews. Having a template ensures all customers/clients are receiving the same messaging and links. If it’s already formatted, all your team has to do is forward it on, sit back, and watch the reviews flood in.
- Dedicate an internal employee to monitor reviews. It’s rare, but occasionally serial-reviewers will pop up without having any legitimate interaction with a company. These reviews can be reported and removed.
Now what about LinkedIn?
Search your company through LinkedIn.
- Are your employees’ profiles updated with professional photos?
- Are the employees’ titles accurate? Maybe someone got a promotion and forgot to update their page. Encourage them to add it on – this shows company growth and promoting from within.
- Is there a page dedicated to your company where readers can learn about your company and find your website link, etc.? (Here’s ours: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bluewave-resource-partners/)
- Does your company’s logo look good?
- Ask yourself again, would you want to work here if you didn’t already?
Take a look at your company’s website.
When you look at your company’s website, is it inviting? Easy to navigate? Does the messaging make sense? Can you easily decipher what the company does?
If you answered “no” to any of those questions, maybe it’s time to talk to your team about website improvements.
- Make sure your messaging and branding is clear and your product is easily understood. It sounds silly but there are several companies out their with poorly constructed websites, where viewers can’t even tell what the company does.
- Add a team page to your website if you don’t already have one! This can be helpful when applicants are trying to envision themselves as a part of your organization and get a feel for the culture.
Don’t stand in your own way of retaining talent or gaining new talent. Do your due diligence and research what your candidates are inevitably seeing. These pages influence decision making. Take our word for it.
