Before you waste an hour or more applying for a job, take 10-15 minutes to research the company first. I know it can be tempting to apply ASAP to “get it over with.” But there are 3 reasons you should take the time to research the company first. You may find that…
- The job doesn’t meet your salary or flexibility requirements
- The company culture SUCKS!
- The company isn’t growing
These are websites where past and current employees post comments about their experiences working for a company or organization.
View a wealth of information including:
- Recommend Company to A Friend Scale: 0-100%
- CEO Approval Rating Scale: 0-100
- Pros & Cons
- “What Employees Say”
- Perks & Programs
Let’s look at just a few of the most popular employee review websites:
Glassdoor is the leading employer review site. With a database of 8+million company reviews, you can evaluate…
- Overall Company Review Rating Scale: 1-5
- Recommend Company to A Friend Scale: 0-100%
- CEO Approval Rating Scale: 0-100%
- Employee Reviews
- Pros & Cons
- Interview Ratings
Great place to work offers the most in-depth employer reviews on the list.
- What Employees Say Scale: 0-100%
- About Company
- Company Awards
- Perks & Programs
- Compensation Programs
- Employee Benefits
- Demographic Visuals (Charts & Graphs)
- Hiring Outlooks
- Advice on How to Get Hired
3. Indeed.com
Indeed is best known for gathering millions of jobs across the internet and listing the open positions. But it also provides job reviews—users rank their employers with a 5-star scale and list pros and cons.
You can look at…
- Overall Company Review Rating Scale: 1-5
- Work/Life Balance Scale: 1-5
- Compensation/Benefits Scale: 1-5
- Job Security/Advancement Scale: 1-5
- Management Scale: 1-5
- Culture Scale: 1-5
- Employee Reviews
- Pros & Cons
4. Comparably
A new employer review site focusing on company culture data and compensation including:
- Company Culture Score (Includes breakdown by Department)
- Awards
- CEO Score
- Gender Score
- Diversity Score
- Reviews from Employees
- Salary Information
- Competitor Comparison
- Anonymous Q&A with Employees
5. CareerBliss
A site for employers, job seekers, and job recruiters. The site has the most accurate salary data including salary by position and in-depth salary comparisons to the national average and geographical averages. They also have an annual Employer of Choice Award for the top 50 Happiest Companies in America.
- Bliss Score – Includes multiple user-generated data points like job satisfaction, pay-scale and overall employee happiness to calculate the “Bliss Score”
- # of job openings
- Average Salary (across the company)
- Employee Reviews (based on 8 criteria)
- Links to Job Openings
- Company Salary Distribution
- Salary by Position
- Compared to national avg. salary of position
- Compared to avg. salary of position at a specific location
6. LinkedIn (Premium version – Free for Military!)
LinkedIn can also help you do certain research on companies. The platform offers you an overview of average turnover, median tenure, and employee distribution. To find these company insights do the following:
- Go to the page of the company you want to research.
- Click on the Insights tab.
If you want to break down employee distribution based on roles not listed, you can do the following:
- Click on the Functions dropdown menu.
- Select all of the different parts and departments you want to appear in the pie chart.
Trust me, there is nothing worse than starting a new job only to wish you had declined their offer! So do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to check out that prospective employer.
Written by Cassie Hatcher, CEO of Career Confidence LLC, a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), and Certified Veteran Career Strategist (CVCS) who translates military leadership experience to ensure your resume is on-target for the civilian workforce.
For 8+ years, Career Confidence Resume Services has specialized in translating military experience into accomplishments-focused resumes. Our goal is to help military service members to find their next mission with a resume that captures employers’ attention and highlights their unique military experience.
If you are a military service member, click here to get in contact with us.
If you are a civilian professional, manager, or executive click here to contact us.
We have a couple of great resources including a free quiz designed specifically for Military & Veterans to answer the question, “What Type of Resume Do I Need?” This quiz takes 5 minutes on average to complete.
Also, grab your Free Military to Civilian Resume Template, where you can insert your experience, education, training, and certifications. Take the guesswork out of securing civilian employment and successfully transition from military-to-civilian employment.