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You understand the role that customer reviews play in your brand but have you given much consideration to how to really utilize employee reviews? And no, we don’t mean performance reviews. We mean employee testimonials where employees pull the curtain back on what it’s really like to work for you.

We now have a generation that won’t decide what to have for lunch without checking Yelp! reviews. So you better believe they are doing their research online when looking at something as important as their next employers. According to Glassdoor’s 2018 stats, 83% of job seekers are likely to research company reviews and ratings when deciding on where to apply for a job. That’s just to apply. We’re not even talking about accepting an offer yet.

In a recent study, 69% or candidates said they would not take a job at a company with a bad reputation even if they were unemployed. That number is staggering! It is vital that your employee branding is optimized. If you want to learn more about employer branding, we explore the importance of having a clear employer brand earlier in the blog Want to Hire right? Here’s why you need both Employer Branding and Recruitment Marketing. Using employee testimonials is one of the strategies we mention in that blog to help manage your company brand as an employer and help get those top candidates to accept your offer.

What are employee testimonials and how do you get them?

Employee testimonials can run the range from a short quote to a video testimonial. Of course, you want to cover the basics like who they are, what they do, and how long they’ve worked for the company but then you want to get into what makes your company a great place to work. What sets you apart? For example, you may ask:

• What are three benefits you’ve discovered about working here that you weren’t aware of when you started?
• What’s your favorite recent project you’ve worked on and why?
• What is your favorite yearly company event?
• What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of working here?

You can gather this information in a variety of ways. You can send out a company-wide email blast or survey, ask managers or supervisors for suggestions, or casually chat up employees at company events. Another great idea is to automate reminders into your onboarding process. Set a reminder or go ahead and schedule an email to go to that new hire three to six months after their start date to get their thoughts. 

Don’t be afraid to take to the internet yourself. Check your Glassdoor reviews or social media pages for positive employee comments and repurpose them. This is invaluable social proof because it comes from a third party. 

How to utilize employee testimonials.

Now that you’ve got your employee testimonials, use them on your company’s website and social media pages. However, the most important place to use them is somewhere you may not have considered: in your job postings. Candidates aren’t just looking for a shopping list of job requirements and experience. They want a feel for your company culture and including employee testimonials is one of the best ways to give them that insight.

Candidates trust employees three times more than the employer to provide information on working at the company. (LinkedIn Employer Branding Statistics). Including employee testimonials in your job posting, means you have control over making a positive first impression before the candidate hits that Google search. By now we’ve established that it’s not a matter of if they do their research, it’s when. So be proactive in your approach. Missed our blog on how job seekers are doing their research on your company? You can find it here.

You can utilize employee testimonials in your job posting in a number of ways including employee quotes within the job posting or on the sidebar of your career opportunities page to including video testimonials. Some companies even go so far as to embed widgets for Glassdoor and other review sites directly onto their hiring pages. 

At AHA! Business Consulting, we integrate company photos, videos, and employee testimonials into our done for you feature-rich job postings to attract your ideal candidates.