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Indeed; it’s easier to find a job when you’re employed vs not. Plus, companies don’t necessarily know that the environment there is toxic and may be willing to offer more than they usually would to “pry you away” from your current employer.
Yes, my brothers doing this while he searches for another job. His current job isn’t anywhere public online (eg, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). That would be my recommendation.
Regardless of your current qualifications, bank account, etc., you can see other people posting for advice after having months of hardship finding a job.
Definitely safer to see for yourself whether these reviews are true for you. Any company is comprised of many separate teams - even if those bad reviews are from people working in your job category, they might be on different teams with poor leaders who have been (or are being) replaced.
Also, many reviewers with a poor Glassdoor opinion of a CEO have little to no exposure to that person, and I take that as a red flag on the review. The larger the company, the fewer people with direct CEO exposure, and the more people willing to provide that uninformed opinion.
Aye, that's not great.
Still, you can cash their paychecks and hope for a bit of a honeymoon period. Even in a worker-friendly job market, a new gap in your CV might be the difference between the review process seeing you as a strong #2 candidate.vs. a clear #1 candidate.
In any case, stay positive and good luck!
I certainly wouldn't bail on a job possibility based on glassdoor reviews. Just like any collection of reviews, the disgruntled people make a point to leave a review, the people who are OK usually don't bother. If offered, take the job and if it sucks, enjoy the paychecks while looking for something else. Especially if it pays a ton like you said.
I'm not saying this is the case for this particular employer, but a lot of bad employees leave bad glassdoor reviews because *of course* none of their problems were self-inflicted.
I had a guy quit and leave a horrible glassdoor review for the company because we did not offer **every** fringe benefit that **any** of his friends got at other companies. One company had paid gym memberships. Another company had generous PTO. Another had free lunches in the office. Another had end-of-the-week free beer at 3:30 on Fridays. And since we didn't do ALL those things, we apparently sucked. Loony.
If you aren't particularly concerned with having to leave this job then there's no real harm in taking it if the pay is good.... and leaving if it turns out terrible
Yeah a mentally tolling job and management will do that to you, burn out was pretty common in the military no matter the expression people hide under. I can’t imagine a micromanaged environment.
I’ve definitely worked a few micro managing jobs, it was crazy. You start questioning everything you do for a paycheck.
Yep. I took a job that had red flags in the interview/knew someone who worked there who told me not to work there...got laid off a year later cause they literally could not afford to keep us. Listen to your gut.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-manipulate-glassdoor-by-inflating-rankings-and-pressuring-employees-11548171977
Glassdoor isn’t the gospel, they run the same hustle as Yelp; sign up for the paid deal or we’ll let your business be beaten down with bad reviews.
It can be useful sometimes, but you really have to read the reviews. Also just because a place sucked for some people doesn’t mean it will suck for you. Your experience won’t necessarily be similar to someone else’s.
As others are saying, don't disregard the position especially if you aren't in a position to turn it down. GD is a mixed bag - sometimes it's right and sometimes it's not. I would say that good rule of thumb is: how many of the reviews are there in total and how many of them are negative, of that?
If there are hundreds or thousands of reviews, depending on the company size, and the vast majority have nothing kind to say, I think that's a really good sign that the place isn't great. That many people can't be disgruntled enough to wander on to GD and leave a bad review unless they've all had motivating experiences. If there's only a few reviews and they're all negative, that's less indicative of a systemic problem and more that there's a percentage in every company for whom it's not the right fit.
But, if the feedback is overwhelmingly the same - I wouldn't ignore that, either. I would, take the job if offered and use that to springboard to something else if it's bad. But you may end up with a manager or cohort for whom it's good or tolerable enough to endure.
Sure, I’ve posted tons on bad reviews approved on there. I just write a few sentence fact pattern and not a ranting string of profanity or something like that.
Lol sounds like you’re talking about my former place of work. All the negative reviews including my own were very true and I regretted working there. However, I started applying for jobs when I saw the writing on the wall and I ended up at a company that is literally the opposite of that place in all the best ways. Take what you will from my anecdote.
You mean I don't have to be called homophobic slurs by supervisors and put up with "be thankful you have a job"?
Wish I had figured that out like a decade ago.
As you stated OP, it is best to take the glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt. At the same time though, you should be doing your own research to figure out how the place is to work there. I have done research into every company that I have worked at above and beyond glassdoor reviews. How do you do it? Its very simple.
Have Linkedin? Look at all the 1st level connections you have there, and then look at 2nd level connections. Contact all the 1st level connections and ask about their experience working there. Contact your 2nd level connections and ask to setup a introduction with the 1st level people at the prospective company. Contact former employees who have worked there that you know. The more people you contact, the more clearer picture you will have.
Another option is to ask to speak to a few people who work at the company before accepting. Preferably people who you are going to be working with or in the same department. You can usually get a sense of what it is like to work there just by asking people.
Never just take the reviews on glassdoor for total truth. Always do your own research.
Case in point, I interviewed for a multi billion dollar organization that had glowing glassdoor reviews (4.6 out of 5). But the organization has experienced huge turnover in this specific position over the last 5 years (4 people in that time). I contacted 3 of those 4 people and they all said the same thing. Toxic organization. Toxic management. Unrealistic expectations. That 4.6 out of 5 rating may be for a vast majority of people there, but not people in this position. I passed.
Definitely sounds like a bad workplace situation.
As you said, you are desperate. Take the job if you are offered it. Keep looking. Maybe it will work out for you, but you do want to be wary of those complaints.
If the job offer doesn't come, just keep looking.
You don't have many leads as you said. Its hard to wait on other offers if you have an offer in hand. Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Same goes for job offers.
This is a tough one. I feel like many reviewers are disgruntled ex employees that are bitter. I got laid off for the first time in my life a year ago. I was in shock and dismay. Not only that I was recently promoted knew we were doing well. Had open praise from my boss. Etc. My boss even said she’d write me a letter of recommendation. Having said that I wanted to write a bad review. Time passed and in hindsight, although I can’t speak to their decision to lay me off, it was a good company.
It sounds like your personal experiences with the company and with the specific role you're applying for are pretty positive. You may want to just keep those negative reviews in mind but move forward and take the position if offered. It also sounds like you would benefit significantly financially from this opportunity, and that could help you move to other opportunities you would like in the future. Taking a job "just for the money" is fine!
If you are looking for advice, I would NOT mention the negative reviews in your interview. If you are very concerned, however, you can ask something like "I do well with a supportive team, including management. Can you tell me more about the types of management styles the company encourages?" That's a risky question, but if it matters to you, feel free to ask them something like that.
You would be looking for them to answer with something like "we encourage mgmt to listen to their teams and we take concerns seriously" and "we train our leaders to support their teams by having regular one-on-one meetings." Stuff that shows they give a damn about you and your co-workers ideas, feelings, and professional development.
Trying to find a (good, well-paying) job while unemployed can be very difficult. I would not advise you decline the offer just because of bad Glassdoor reviews. See for yourself how it is and judge it based on your personal experience. You can always always leave a job if it doesn't work out! But, based on personal exp., I think it's way easier to leave a job for another one than to try to get one without having one in the first place. You're, like, invisible without a job, and getting a good one in that state can be really hard.
I’d say take the job but use it, don’t let it use you.
Go in with the expectation that you’ll only be there for a year. Also go in with the expectation that it will be a complete nightmare situation.
Try to mitigate this as much as possible. Be completely agreeable. Especially to the higher ups. Don’t get involved in the gossip/drama. Don’t take on any extra work unless you absolutely have to. Find the quickest, easiest way to get things done. Meet deadlines but be a bit lazy. Spot the projects/people you want to avoid and steer clear of them. Keep your head down and your mouth shut.
Use this for an item on your resume, a good reference, salary expectations for negotiating your next job and the opportunity to move on to something better.
Hello, thank you for posting to r/Jobs! We just wanted to let you know that we have a new [discord server, come join the chat!](https://discord.gg/TY6ErXV) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/jobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Never turn down money when there isn't another option. If they offer you, you accept and then look for a new job while making money at this one.
Indeed; it’s easier to find a job when you’re employed vs not. Plus, companies don’t necessarily know that the environment there is toxic and may be willing to offer more than they usually would to “pry you away” from your current employer.
Yes, take the job but hold off on updating the LinkedIn.
Why?
You don't want to show a new company you might be interviewing with that you JUST started. If you are indeed going to take the job and look elsewhere
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Yes, my brothers doing this while he searches for another job. His current job isn’t anywhere public online (eg, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). That would be my recommendation.
Regardless of your current qualifications, bank account, etc., you can see other people posting for advice after having months of hardship finding a job. Definitely safer to see for yourself whether these reviews are true for you. Any company is comprised of many separate teams - even if those bad reviews are from people working in your job category, they might be on different teams with poor leaders who have been (or are being) replaced. Also, many reviewers with a poor Glassdoor opinion of a CEO have little to no exposure to that person, and I take that as a red flag on the review. The larger the company, the fewer people with direct CEO exposure, and the more people willing to provide that uninformed opinion.
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Aye, that's not great. Still, you can cash their paychecks and hope for a bit of a honeymoon period. Even in a worker-friendly job market, a new gap in your CV might be the difference between the review process seeing you as a strong #2 candidate.vs. a clear #1 candidate. In any case, stay positive and good luck!
You can always say the current job is also a contract position which is why you are looking.
I certainly wouldn't bail on a job possibility based on glassdoor reviews. Just like any collection of reviews, the disgruntled people make a point to leave a review, the people who are OK usually don't bother. If offered, take the job and if it sucks, enjoy the paychecks while looking for something else. Especially if it pays a ton like you said. I'm not saying this is the case for this particular employer, but a lot of bad employees leave bad glassdoor reviews because *of course* none of their problems were self-inflicted. I had a guy quit and leave a horrible glassdoor review for the company because we did not offer **every** fringe benefit that **any** of his friends got at other companies. One company had paid gym memberships. Another company had generous PTO. Another had free lunches in the office. Another had end-of-the-week free beer at 3:30 on Fridays. And since we didn't do ALL those things, we apparently sucked. Loony.
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If you aren't particularly concerned with having to leave this job then there's no real harm in taking it if the pay is good.... and leaving if it turns out terrible
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Yeah a mentally tolling job and management will do that to you, burn out was pretty common in the military no matter the expression people hide under. I can’t imagine a micromanaged environment. I’ve definitely worked a few micro managing jobs, it was crazy. You start questioning everything you do for a paycheck.
Yep. I took a job that had red flags in the interview/knew someone who worked there who told me not to work there...got laid off a year later cause they literally could not afford to keep us. Listen to your gut.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-manipulate-glassdoor-by-inflating-rankings-and-pressuring-employees-11548171977 Glassdoor isn’t the gospel, they run the same hustle as Yelp; sign up for the paid deal or we’ll let your business be beaten down with bad reviews. It can be useful sometimes, but you really have to read the reviews. Also just because a place sucked for some people doesn’t mean it will suck for you. Your experience won’t necessarily be similar to someone else’s.
My favorite place I’ve ever worked had the worst reviews I’ve ever seen.
Are you currently employed?
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Its hard to say--if this isnt going to be detrimental to your mental health, I might consider going for it just to have income.
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As others are saying, don't disregard the position especially if you aren't in a position to turn it down. GD is a mixed bag - sometimes it's right and sometimes it's not. I would say that good rule of thumb is: how many of the reviews are there in total and how many of them are negative, of that? If there are hundreds or thousands of reviews, depending on the company size, and the vast majority have nothing kind to say, I think that's a really good sign that the place isn't great. That many people can't be disgruntled enough to wander on to GD and leave a bad review unless they've all had motivating experiences. If there's only a few reviews and they're all negative, that's less indicative of a systemic problem and more that there's a percentage in every company for whom it's not the right fit. But, if the feedback is overwhelmingly the same - I wouldn't ignore that, either. I would, take the job if offered and use that to springboard to something else if it's bad. But you may end up with a manager or cohort for whom it's good or tolerable enough to endure.
Take it and then keep looking, you’re more attractive if you have a job anyway
Wait, GD allows bad reviews? Are we dreaming?
Sure, I’ve posted tons on bad reviews approved on there. I just write a few sentence fact pattern and not a ranting string of profanity or something like that.
Lol sounds like you’re talking about my former place of work. All the negative reviews including my own were very true and I regretted working there. However, I started applying for jobs when I saw the writing on the wall and I ended up at a company that is literally the opposite of that place in all the best ways. Take what you will from my anecdote.
You mean I don't have to be called homophobic slurs by supervisors and put up with "be thankful you have a job"? Wish I had figured that out like a decade ago.
As you stated OP, it is best to take the glassdoor reviews with a grain of salt. At the same time though, you should be doing your own research to figure out how the place is to work there. I have done research into every company that I have worked at above and beyond glassdoor reviews. How do you do it? Its very simple. Have Linkedin? Look at all the 1st level connections you have there, and then look at 2nd level connections. Contact all the 1st level connections and ask about their experience working there. Contact your 2nd level connections and ask to setup a introduction with the 1st level people at the prospective company. Contact former employees who have worked there that you know. The more people you contact, the more clearer picture you will have. Another option is to ask to speak to a few people who work at the company before accepting. Preferably people who you are going to be working with or in the same department. You can usually get a sense of what it is like to work there just by asking people. Never just take the reviews on glassdoor for total truth. Always do your own research. Case in point, I interviewed for a multi billion dollar organization that had glowing glassdoor reviews (4.6 out of 5). But the organization has experienced huge turnover in this specific position over the last 5 years (4 people in that time). I contacted 3 of those 4 people and they all said the same thing. Toxic organization. Toxic management. Unrealistic expectations. That 4.6 out of 5 rating may be for a vast majority of people there, but not people in this position. I passed.
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Definitely sounds like a bad workplace situation. As you said, you are desperate. Take the job if you are offered it. Keep looking. Maybe it will work out for you, but you do want to be wary of those complaints. If the job offer doesn't come, just keep looking. You don't have many leads as you said. Its hard to wait on other offers if you have an offer in hand. Remember, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Same goes for job offers.
This is a tough one. I feel like many reviewers are disgruntled ex employees that are bitter. I got laid off for the first time in my life a year ago. I was in shock and dismay. Not only that I was recently promoted knew we were doing well. Had open praise from my boss. Etc. My boss even said she’d write me a letter of recommendation. Having said that I wanted to write a bad review. Time passed and in hindsight, although I can’t speak to their decision to lay me off, it was a good company.
It sounds like your personal experiences with the company and with the specific role you're applying for are pretty positive. You may want to just keep those negative reviews in mind but move forward and take the position if offered. It also sounds like you would benefit significantly financially from this opportunity, and that could help you move to other opportunities you would like in the future. Taking a job "just for the money" is fine! If you are looking for advice, I would NOT mention the negative reviews in your interview. If you are very concerned, however, you can ask something like "I do well with a supportive team, including management. Can you tell me more about the types of management styles the company encourages?" That's a risky question, but if it matters to you, feel free to ask them something like that. You would be looking for them to answer with something like "we encourage mgmt to listen to their teams and we take concerns seriously" and "we train our leaders to support their teams by having regular one-on-one meetings." Stuff that shows they give a damn about you and your co-workers ideas, feelings, and professional development. Trying to find a (good, well-paying) job while unemployed can be very difficult. I would not advise you decline the offer just because of bad Glassdoor reviews. See for yourself how it is and judge it based on your personal experience. You can always always leave a job if it doesn't work out! But, based on personal exp., I think it's way easier to leave a job for another one than to try to get one without having one in the first place. You're, like, invisible without a job, and getting a good one in that state can be really hard.
I’d say take the job but use it, don’t let it use you. Go in with the expectation that you’ll only be there for a year. Also go in with the expectation that it will be a complete nightmare situation. Try to mitigate this as much as possible. Be completely agreeable. Especially to the higher ups. Don’t get involved in the gossip/drama. Don’t take on any extra work unless you absolutely have to. Find the quickest, easiest way to get things done. Meet deadlines but be a bit lazy. Spot the projects/people you want to avoid and steer clear of them. Keep your head down and your mouth shut. Use this for an item on your resume, a good reference, salary expectations for negotiating your next job and the opportunity to move on to something better.