Today’s professionals no longer look for jobs; they are looking for career development and long-term growth. With a host of information channels available to them, they carefully review any job opportunity by scanning company reviews to assess the reputation of the organisation and the career growth offered.

Most professionals research companies online

In a recent study conducted by the recently revamped JobBuzz, (a company rating platform powered by TimesJobs) the clear majority of working professionals agreed that whether one is at the beginning of job search, preparing for an interview or contemplating a job offer, being armed with information about the prospective company is in one’s best interest.

Among the 660 working professionals who participated in the study, 60 percent working professionals admitted to checking up on the company before accepting a job offer. Over 35 percent of professionals rely on company review platforms to check out and research a prospective company.

About 30 percent of them use web search and scan through articles, stories, media mentions and Wikipedia to gather insights about the organisation they are looking to work with.

About 19 percent of the surveyed professionals rely on word-of-mouth to get an understanding about the work culture, leadership and other aspects of the organisation, while 16 percent scan the company website for relevant information.

“The quality of talent an organisation is able to attract and retain is crucial to its success in today’s highly competitive environment. TimesJobs’ study clearly shows that companies active on employer review sites are able to engage with top talent, and build their reputation as one of the best places to work – giving them the critical edge as an employer of choice,” says Nilanjan Roy, Head of Strategy, Times Business Solutions.

Company Reviews help assess organisations carefully

Emphasising on the importance of company review platforms, 35 percent professionals say that they could assess the company comprehensively across multiple parameters. Nearly 30 percent candidates feel reviews are a big benefit, when you are unsure of which company to select, since they give you a lot of information and provide suggestions.

See: 46% India Inc. Employees Consider Company Reviews When Deciding on a Job Offer: Study Reveals

Another 15 percent say they do not rely only on company reviews, but seek out other sources as well while making career decisions. Interestingly 20 percent professionals felt that most reviews on such websites were planted or fake.

However, the significance of having a good number of positive reviews on a company rating website must not be discounted.

This is further supported by the fact that 25 percent of professionals use company rating websites every time they get a job offer. About 45 percent say they use it sometimes, when they are not very knowledgeable about the company, while 20 percent say they rarely use it and 10 percent say they access other sources for company information.

Incidentally besides reading reviews about future employers nearly 70 percent professionals also say that they also post their own reviews about their current and previous organizations.

Company Culture is the most important factor

TimesJobs Study revealed the checklist of parameters on which professionals use to assess a potential employer. Among the factors mentioned, company culture is the most crucial factor for almost 40 percent  professionals, for 35 percent of them seek work-life balance as their focus while checking company reviews.

Nearly 30 percent professionals say salary scales are of high importance to them. Rewards and recognition is a decisive factor for another 30 percent professionals and 25 percent look at the learning and development opportunities critically.

Reviews impact Employee Perceptions

The impact of company reviews on a professional’s decision can be gauged by the fact that 90 percent of the surveyed professionals’ perceptions have been altered after reading a company review. For 50 percent professionals, it has positively impacted their decision to take up the job, at a specific company, implying the review has created good impression about the company.

For 40 percent professionals, it has negatively impacted their decision and created a bad impression about the company. Another 10 percent professionals said their career decisions were not impacted by reading reviews.

This study clearly reiterates that the days of indiscriminately applying to jobs through newspapers, or depending on friends and family for recommendations are passé.

In today’s highly competitive business environment, online and social media are the new modes of recruitment, the critical aspect is how effectively companies can engage and respond to past, present and future employees on these platforms.

Also read: HR Tips: How to Handle Negative Online Reviews?

Feature image credit: freedigitalphotos.net