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When a job offer is given to you, prior to accepting it, do you research the level of employee satisfaction via sites like Glassdoor?
To make a long story short I was recently offered a job at a well known company in my area, with a great reputation and the name of this company is so well known globally that if I was to put this company on my resume it'd be awesome. Especially since right now I'm currently waitressing, because my field(marketing) is absolutely horrible to find a job in, in my city. That being said, this job is a great opportunity, and even though the pay rate is sub-par for this position, it's a lot more than what I'm making as a waitress and I know that even accepting this job will be a stepping stone to getting where I want to be years down the road. But I went on glassdoor last night just to gauge the level of employee satisfaction for the job role I'd be pursuing, and the satisfaction level was low for that job role. From what I read I'd be micromanaged to the point that I'd feel like a 2 year old, lunch breaks are short, there would be little room to grow at this company into another position, the pay is below industry, the hours are long and it's one call after the next(it's a call center environment), the managers are incompetent, the company is very conservative about a lot of things, hard work isn't appreciated,etc, etc . The only positives I read was that training was awesome, that the name of the company is enough to help you find employment elsewhere if you decide to leave, the job is stable because the company hardly ever lays off it's employees, co-workers seem to get along, excellent benefits, cafeteria, and gym onsite.
I'm debating on if this is the place for me. I've worked at a professional call center before as a life insurance agent, and I hated it, but that was "sales", this isn't sales it's more of the financial sector BUT I will be on the phone all day, I will be micromanaged, everyone will be drones, etc, etc. Don't get me wrong I hate that I'm not working in my field, and that I'm a waitress. It's embarrassing. BUT I actually like being on my feet all day, I like the rush that comes with it(especially on busy days), I like my coworkers, I like the unpredictability. But I just turned 26 and I haven't worked in my field in almost two years and I know that continuing the "serving" route is not a good idea. Should I just take the job anyway, knowing that the work environment will suck? Or should I just take the reviews I read off of glassdoor with a grain of salt?
Well, keep in mind that your experience at the company will be more about how well you like the team you will be working with. That can vary widely with a large company (any company). So, take it with a grain of salt.
That said, things like stringent company policy, stingy pay, etc should be taken seriously. At the same time, you have to look at your real options at any given time. If you're miserable as a waitress and not making much, is it really a bad move for you? Maybe not. Also, keep in mind that you are not tied to this job for the rest of your career. You could always put in a couple years there, get the brand name for the resume and the experience and jump to something better.
I use Glassdoor myself and have also contributed to it. I think it's definitely worth considering all the reviews given. If the reviews are overwhelmingly bad, then I am guessing the company is not pleasant to work for. If there are an abundance of good reviews, with only a few bad outliers, there might just be a few sour grapes.
GD is good to look at negative reviews and then take them with a grain of salt. The glowing positives are from HR or mitigation teams at companies. They are pretty easy to spot. You will see a slew of this place and then equal number to combat that negs immediately.
Colorado, nice that you point that out. Because I noticed that there were some good reviews that seemed like something that an HR person would write. Which means that the majority of people that take on this particular job role are not happy with the company. I'm really at a loss at what to do, because this company has a great reputation in the financial industry, the job is structured, great benefits, company onsite perks, no layoffs so great job stability, BUT micromanagement, incompetent managers, and the host of other issues I read about, concern me. I am waitressing and I definitely feel stuck in a rut, but I at least tolerate it enough to go to work everyday and not feel super depressed. I've worked at jobs that were depressing and I don't want to go down that route again. But at this present moment no one else has contacted me back for an interview(I've applied to several companies). I really want to get my foot back in the door in the corporate world...
Glassdoor and Indeed are one of the main places fired employees go to vent and exact revenge for being fired. Sometimes fired people were fired because they were not good co-workers, but that'll never be their version of the story.
There will be nuggets of truth amidst the vitriol, but just keep in mind it would be wise not to believe everything negative you read before you make a decision based on what you read.
If every review is bad, then obviously I would avoid.
If there is a mix of good and bad, then that is normal. I haven't seen any company I've worked for or researched on Glassdoor that didn't have some mix of positive and negative.
IME, large companies are better to work for. The chances of them being super horrible to work for are smaller because they somehow pleased employees enough to stay and created some sort of a sustainable business model to successfully grow their operations.
OTOH, at a smaller company, you could be totally overloaded with work and hate EVERY single person you work with.
I'd look for consensus in the reviews. If they are all pointing to the same issue then it is more likely true. If it is just one bad review then you should take that with a grain of salt.
I do look at glassdoor and do contribute as well....
Look for trends not specifics within individual reviews.
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