Tips for reviewing your previous company professionally and honestly
In a world where reputations are born and broken online, an Employer is only as good as their last review. Let’s face it: you wouldn’t order from a restaurant with a series of damning reviews just as you would feel anxious if your assigned taxi driver had a 2-star rating.
Considering 40 per cent of UK job seekers use review sites to inform employment decisions, a lot of negative comments from former staff isn’t a good look for any competitive company.
If you’ve recently left a job due to dissatisfaction with the company, there’s a good chance you have more than a few points to address. In the digital age, penning a Glassdoor or Google review is a sure-fire way to lift the curtain on the internal flaws of your Employer.
But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.
1. Wait until the dust has settled
Taking to the keyboard to type your truth can be cathartic – however, writing a review when the wounds are still fresh can cause it to come out chaotic and unnecessarily specific. Give it a few weeks and you’ll find that the dots connect to form a clearer picture – from here, you can write a review that has a clear focus and addresses the overarching issues.
2. Don’t let emotion take over
We’ve all read reviews that are littered with profanities and end with about a million exclamation marks. Simply put, the more emotional your review, the more it looks to the public (and even prospective Employers) like a personal issue and potentially even a reflection on your character. Instead, try to keep your focus on the key pain points – doing so will boost your credibility and ensure the spotlight is fixed on the Employer.
3. Be constructive
On the back of a bad experience, sharing your opinion is important: after all, companies know how much of an impact word of mouth can have on their word of mouth. Feedback is the necessary fuel for improvement, and with this in mind, a constructive criticism that is written thoughtfully is more likely to inspire action. By sticking to the facts and highlighting what could have been done differently, you provide to the public a fair review and to the business invaluable insight into staff satisfaction.
4. Give credit where its due
Not all leavers change jobs due to dissatisfaction, and if you had had a positive experience, don’t hesitate to highlight this in your review. A few lines that express what they did right and clarifies that your reasons for leaving were unrelated will help the company to attract candidates in the future and give applicants that first-hand reassurance they need to proceed with their application.
5. Consider the impact
As honest as your review should be, you might want to consider the potential ramifications it could have on your former colleagues before providing examples. It’s a given that using real names could result in legal trouble, but even airing sensitive issues in the public eye can have consequences on others in the business that you won’t necessarily consider since you aren’t around to feel the impact. Remember, inspiring positive change through professional feedback is the goal – sparking arguments and upsetting internal politics is not.
6. Think beyond reviews
If you feel there is too much information to condense into a Glassdoor review or you don’t feel your voice will be heard, there might be better channels for you to talk about your experience. Writing an honest email to your former HR manager with constructive feedback will alert them to the underlying cause of unhappiness within your role or the wider company without causing a scene.
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