I think the reviews for my agency work (basically it’s interesting work with great colleagues but lots of red tape) and my husband’s company (innovative product, great colleagues, but terrible CEO who makes the work culture difficult) are accurate (we least as far as I can tell from what my husband tells me),

Layoffs will cause people to vent online, skewing the ratings on GlassDoor

Prior to accepting an offer at a prior company, I read Glassdoor and noticed that many people in the role I was taking had a similar complaint. I was younger, needed a job, and had a positive impression during the interview process so I took it. The complaint was definitely valid, and ultimately did play a role in me leaving, but there was also a lot of good at the company and I stayed for nearly three years. I should flag that the issue was more an organization/culture issue versus ‘the boss of XYZ department is a bully’. I think the latter would’ve been more difficult to deal with.

All that to say, I take Glassdoor with a grain of salt. It’s like yelp reviews: majority are going to be people who had a miserable experience or an exceptional one, not “there were some issues but it was pretty good overall.”

Anonymous wrote:Job market it great. We cannot find workers. Three we hired, already had parents and grandparents die or some kind of emergency.
How much do they pay?
I have never been unemployed long. There are industries that are always hiring. Get some experience in those and have them as a back up.
I'd go for it. Usually the complainers rate the company. When I see our company rating, I see problems people have in themselves or were made up. They even complained about customers being difficult.

Can you help point me in the right direction for this?
What field is this?
I’m a SAHM looking to go back into the workforce.

Anonymous wrote:I work for a large company. My impression is that morale varies according to the direct managers you have. A good boss insulates you from company negatives.

Why do people leave? If pay is low, that might still work for you if you have less experience.

+100

Yes, a company can be universally terrible due to the company culture, but I O agree that my direct supervisor (and people I work with directly on a daily basis) has more impact on my happiness with a company than almost anything else.

Anonymous wrote:I'm currently unemployed. Just got a job offer at a small firm with a decidedly mediocre glassdoor rating. I don't have any contacts with inside info about the firm. In this job market, should I just say yes?

Yes. It’s easier to find a job when you have a job. Take it and keep looking if you want.

Job market it great. We cannot find workers. Three we hired, already had parents and grandparents die or some kind of emergency.
How much do they pay?
I have never been unemployed long. There are industries that are always hiring. Get some experience in those and have them as a back up.
I'd go for it. Usually the complainers rate the company. When I see our company rating, I see problems people have in themselves or were made up. They even complained about customers being difficult.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What was your gut impression during the interview process? That would be far more meaningful to me than Glass Door.

The people seemed friendly and the work sounds interesting, but I'm relatively early in my career and don't have a lot of "gut" to go on TBH.

If it’s a small company and you’re early in your career, you’ll most likely leave within a year or two for a better salary. If you had a nice interview and the people you met didn’t seem slimy or miserable, may not be a bad early career job.

I’ve had interviews with people who were complete jack$$es—one flirted with the teenage waitress during our lunch meeting, and another made a nasty comment about my resume saying it looks like I take whatever I can get (I was only 25-26 and he knew the economy was horrific).

One interview was ok, hiring manager enthusiastic but the office was a dump. The job paid well so I took it and my colleagues were great but management was CHEAP, so that’s why it was a dump. Lasted 8 months and left for a better job at s bigger company.

Anonymous wrote:I work for a large company. My impression is that morale varies according to the direct managers you have. A good boss insulates you from company negatives.

Why do people leave? If pay is low, that might still work for you if you have less experience.

This +1. A good boss at a "bad" company can be a better situation than a bad boss at a "good" company. How long have you been unemployed? If you're getting kind of desperate, at least this is a job and a chance to get experience. Even if it's not perfect and you want to leave after a year or two, you have experience to leverage for your next position.

Like every negative review, I'd look at:
-how long ago the review was
-what the negativity is about.

To compare: I bought a clock. Some of the reviews were negative because it didn't light up. The clock listing never claimed that it lit up, so I ignored those reviews. That's like being mad your fridge won't make toast.

I work for a large company. My impression is that morale varies according to the direct managers you have. A good boss insulates you from company negatives.

Why do people leave? If pay is low, that might still work for you if you have less experience.

Anonymous wrote:What was your gut impression during the interview process? That would be far more meaningful to me than Glass Door.

The people seemed friendly and the work sounds interesting, but I'm relatively early in my career and don't have a lot of "gut" to go on TBH.

What was your gut impression during the interview process? That would be far more meaningful to me than Glass Door.

I'm currently unemployed. Just got a job offer at a small firm with a decidedly mediocre glassdoor rating. I don't have any contacts with inside info about the firm. In this job market, should I just say yes?