You think your company is pretty great, but many online reviewers disagree. Whether they’re disgruntled employees leaving less-than-stellar reviews on Glassdoor or unsatisfied customers bashing your business on Yelp, what they’re saying isn’t good — and it’s scaring away top talent.
As staffing partners in Lehigh County, HTSS, Inc. knows online reviews hold a lot of weight. Here’s some advice to help you address this issue, so it stops hindering your hiring activities.
Three Ways to Move Past Bad Online Reviews
Look for Patterns
In the grand scheme of things, one or two bad reviews typically isn’t a big deal. Your business can’t please everyone, so it’s inevitable that every once in awhile someone won’t be satisfied. However, several of these does speak volumes about your company — and potential hires are paying close attention.
Carefully read negative reviews to look for issues commonly cited by people. Where there’s this much smoke, there’s usually fire, meaning there’s likely some truth to what they’re saying. Address the problems as soon as possible, so if candidates ask you about them, you can explain the steps you took to take care of them.
Respond to Negative Comments
Make your voice heard on the forum by taking the time to respond to reviews. Negative reviews might make you feel frustrated — especially if what the person is saying isn’t true — but bite your tongue.
Responding in a hostile manner will send the impression that whatever negative was said about your company is likely true. Acknowledge what the reviewer is saying, apologize for their bad experience and invite them to have a conversation with you offline.
Seek Positive Reviews
People are more inclined to write negative reviews than positive ones, so don’t be afraid to ask satisfied employees and customers to sing your company’s praises. This will give potential hires a more well-rounded look, so they can see more people are happy with your company than not.
Frequently invite people to leave positive reviews, because an influx of them after a negative review looks suspicious. You don’t want to send the impression that the satisfied reviewers are fake or were coerced into sharing their thoughts.
Need help attracting top talent? HTSS, Inc. is here to connect you with outstanding professionals who can’t wait to join your team. Contact us today to learn more!