Companies That Leverage Review Platforms Attract Top Talent: JobBuzz Study

NEW DELHI, May 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

60% of the 660 professionals surveyed - research an organization before accepting their job offer. Further 35% of them rely on company review sites to do this research about the company, reveals JobBuzz. 

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 organization 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% of working professionals admitted to checking up on the company before accepting a job offer.

Over 35% of professionals rely on company review platforms to check out and research a prospective company. About 30% of them use web search and scan through articles, stories, media mentions and Wikipedia to gather insights about the organization they are looking to work with.

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

"The quality of talent an organization is able to attract and retain is crucial to its success in today's highly competitive environment. TimesJobs' study clearly shows that companies that are 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 organizations candidly

Emphasizing the importance of company review platforms, 35% professionals say that they could assess the company comprehensively - across multiple parameters. Nearly 30% feel they are a big benefit when they are unsure of which company to select, since they give a lot of information and provide suggestions. Another 15% say they do not rely only on company reviews, but seek out other sources as well while making career decisions. Interestingly 20% 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% of professionals use company rating websites every time they get a job offer. About 45% say they use it sometimes, when they are not very knowledgeable about the company, while 20% say they rarely use it and 10% say they access other sources for company information. Incidentally besides reading reviews about future employers nearly 70% 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 also revealed the checklist of parameters which professionals use to assess a potential employer. Among the factors mentioned, company culture is the most crucial factor for almost 40% professionals, for 35% of them work-life balance is their focus while checking company reviews. Nearly 30% professionals say salary scales are of high importance for them. Rewards and recognition is a decisive factor for another 30% professionals and 25% 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% of the surveyed professionals' perceptions had been altered after reading a company review. For 50% professionals, it had positively impacted their decision to take up the job at a specific company, implying the review has created a good impression about the company. For 40% professionals, it has negatively impacted their decision and created a bad impression about the company. Another 10% professionals said their career decisions were not impacted by reading reviews.

This JobBuzz 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.

JobBuzz itself was recently revamped with a slew of new features that significantly enhance engagement and the insights it provides into companies. A brief description of the newly launched features:

• Top 5 reasons to work: Surveyed feedback from employees working in that company. It highlights what the employees feel positively about their company.
  
• Top 5 reasons to leave: This is also a survey result of the employees. It tells the parameters employee do not like or enjoy in their company. 

  
• Average job tenure: Job tenure in a company speaks a lot regarding the work culture, career growth, salary standards, etc. This is a unique feature available only on JobBuzz. Here candidates can find a comparative analysis with respect to industry standards. 

  
• Employee strength by education: It speaks of the mix of employees with respect to various educational qualifications. Candidates can compare the company with the respective industry standard.
  
• Employee's feedback for new joinees: Feedback from the employee's for new joinees, including suggestions, advice and tips for them to settle into the organization.
  
• Employee's feedback for company/management: Feedback, advice or suggestions from the employees for improvement/betterment in certain areas of the management/company.

  
• Rating trends: Rating trends across the year provides very important insights about the company. Candidates can find how the company is perceived among its employees in terms of career growth, work culture, salary hikes and work-life balance over a period.
  
• Insights from employees: Provides insider information regarding the company. Includes candid experiences regarding certain sensitive information like salary hike, frequency of promotions, etc. 

  
• Compare with competitors: Provides a comparison between two companies with respect to different HR policy parameters.

  
• Interview tips: With the widest range of potential interview questions, TimesJobs further helps professionals understand different employer's interview methods and help them prepare to ace their interviews.  

Visit http://jobbuzz.timesjobs.com/ to discover more about the company of your interest.

About TimesJobs: 

TimesJobs, a flagship business of Times Business Solutions (TBS), is a platform to help competent professionals make smarter career decisions. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month; it is fast becoming the most preferred career portal among the candidates. 

TimesJobs is leading in the recruitment and employment space with its pioneering and dynamic divisions because it successfully meets all the needs of the job-seekers. Its major platforms include:

• TechGig: India's biggest dais for tech professionals to help them learn, showcase and compete in the IT industry.
• JobBuzz:  A well-known portal that provides information and insights about different companies, job profiles and interview processes. 
• StepAhead: StepAhead offers professional resumé writing and distribution services, career astrology, and resumé improvement to help job-seekers accelerate their career.

Also, TimesJobs has the largest collection of jobs in the market, which ensures that whenever and wherever there is a great opportunity, job-seekers will discover it on the platform.

In the recruitment market as well, being the biggest platform for competent professionals who think of their careers first, TimesJobs has become the destination of choice for recruiters who seek to engage with the right talent.

Media Contact

Aseem Seth 
Head of Corporate Communications 
Times Business Solutions - A Division of Times Internet Ltd. 
Email: [email protected]   
Twitter: @aseems 
Tel: +91-120-663-6338, +91 9910 273367