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These days, your company doesn’t just compete on salary or perks. You’re competing on reputation. Before someone applies to your job listing, they’re Googling you. They’re checking Glassdoor, Indeed, and SEEK to see what former employees really think. And if the reviews are bad? Most of them won’t even finish the application.
Let’s break down how your online rep affects hiring—and how to manage it.
Job Seekers Read the Reviews Before You Even Talk
Online reviews are the new reference check
According to a Glassdoor survey, 86% of job seekers read company reviews before applying. That means your reputation isn’t just influencing customers, it’s shaping your talent pipeline.
A negative score or a harsh comment can steer people away. A five-star rating won’t guarantee good hires, but a 1.9-star average might guarantee no one applies.
Even a single line like “management doesn’t listen” or “no growth here” can turn into a red flag. That’s especially true for younger talent. Gen Z job seekers in particular expect transparency. If your public reviews scream burnout or chaos, they’ll look elsewhere.
Which Platforms Matter Most?
Glassdoor, Indeed, and SEEK aren’t just job boards
They’re also employer review hubs. Here’s a quick look at each:
- Glassdoor: Known for anonymous salary info and in-depth workplace reviews. Many candidates trust it over your careers page.
- Indeed: Still a top job board, but also features company reviews. Negative feedback here can hurt your visibility in search rankings.
- SEEK (Australia): Combines job listings with company insights. It’s not as review-heavy as Glassdoor but still used to gauge employer quality.
There are also forums like Reddit and Whirlpool where disgruntled employees vent. These posts can rank high on search engines, especially if no positive content is there to push them down.
How Bad Reviews Affect Hiring and Culture
A few sour posts can cost you more than you think
Bad reviews don’t just scare off applicants. They also cause trust issues with your current team.
We’ve seen companies get ghosted during the interview process after a candidate found a series of bad reviews on Glassdoor. One HR lead even told us, “We lost three great hires in two weeks. All of them cited reviews after backing out.”
That’s not rare. A CareerArc study showed 55% of job seekers have abandoned a job application after reading something negative online.
Worse, employees start believing the narrative if leadership doesn’t respond or take action. Reviews become the unofficial culture memo.
How to Monitor Your Employer Reputation
Set up alerts and look often
You can’t fix what you don’t track. Start here:
- Google Alerts: Set alerts for your company name plus “review,” “Glassdoor,” and “Indeed.”
- Review platforms: Check weekly. Don’t wait for a flood of bad reviews before taking action.
- Search engine check: Google your company with “reviews,” “working at,” or “employee experience” and see what pops up.
If the top result is a Reddit thread titled “Don’t work here,” you have a problem.
What You Can (and Can’t) Control
You can’t delete the truth, but you can respond
If something is false, you may be able to remove Indeed reviews or flag them on Glassdoor. But you can’t take down every piece of negative feedback.
What you can do is respond. And how you respond matters.
Keep it short, professional, and honest. If an employee said you had bad communication, acknowledge it and share what changed.
Even candidates know some people just had a bad experience. What they care about is whether you took it seriously.
Building a Better Employer Brand
Control the story before someone else does
Here’s what actually works:
- Ask for reviews: Get happy employees to leave honest reviews. Do this after wins, promotions, or company milestones.
- Share behind-the-scenes content: Show what the culture is really like on your site and LinkedIn. Make it human.
- Improve onboarding and exit interviews: People leave reviews when they feel ignored. Make sure they feel heard, even when they leave.
- Fix what’s real: If turnover is high because of burnout, fix that. Don’t just try to out-market the problem.
One recruiter we spoke to said, “We turned our reviews around in six months. It started with listening to the team and acting fast.”
Protecting Your Brand From Search Embarrassment
Clean up your results like you’d clean up the office
If old negative reviews show up in search results, you can push them down with SEO tactics. Or, in some cases, request removal. If they violate terms or are fake, you can try to remove Indeed reviews by submitting a complaint directly through the site.
Some companies also use a reputation agency to manage the process. Think of it like HR for your search results. Just make sure you vet them properly.
If your company shows up next to keywords like “toxic” or “lawsuit,” even if it’s outdated, it can still cost you good people. Sometimes a candidate won’t even say why they ghosted. But it’s often just one bad search away.
Turn Your Reputation Into a Magnet
Great reviews bring in great people
Your online employer reputation isn’t just a reflection of your company. It’s a tool.
Use it to attract the right talent. Build trust with your team. Show up better online than your competitors.
You don’t need perfect reviews. You need honest ones, a clear response strategy, and a real culture behind the screen.
Make that reputation work for you—not against you.