When applying for a new job there are many uncertainties.  What is the culture of the firm that I am considering? Is it one that I can fit into?   What do the people already there think of the place?  Will my skills be appreciated?  Most important:  is it consistent with my career aspirations or will I be back on the job market later? Knowing the answers to these questions in advance can save one much costly grief.  That is why a website with information from past and present employees can be invaluable.  I want to suggest two of them.  The first is ratemyemployer.ca

Rate Employer

Ratemyemployer.ca is a straight forward rating site where employees or ex-employees can post comments, either positive or negative.  This is a good time to be aware of the old adage, that when a company is good, perhaps 10 people are told about it. However, when something is wrong with a company, 100 people are told about it.  It is more natural for people to post perceived problems.  Keep this natural bias in mind when reading the employer ratings.  They are, however, governed by a set of rules which include a prohibition again false or misleading statements, personal attacks, obscenities, or reports of illegal behaviour.   A list of these is available by clicking the FAQ toggle.

One can rate a present or past employer by clicking the rate my employer tab and, if that employer is not already in the database, click the option to add them.  19 criteria are offered for rating including management skills, atmosphere, compensation, and how recommendable they are.  Click Rate This employer and supply yours.  There is a comments section below and one must add their email.  In this way the website can determine if your rating was genuine and if it meets their criteria.  After you complete the process you will receive an email asking you to confirm your submission.  Only then will it be posted.  Other people will then be able to review and add additional comments.

Glass Door

The other is glassdoor.ca.  This is a more comprehensive site that not only allows users to rate a company, but also to also report on their salary levels, their interview processes, benefit levels, and to post and search for jobs.  The ratings allowed are shorter and only categorized into Pros, Cons, and Advice to Management.   So if one wants to write a long narrative, they will likely exceed the space allowed.   Short comprehensive reviews are encouraged and these can be started by just clicking the “Add a Review toggle”. The categories of Pay and Interview could be helpful, however contributions here appear to be scarce.  There does not seem to be any verification process, so anything submitted is automatically posted.

The best thing about the glassdoor site is its job alerts.  These are based on location and type of work desired and can be very helpful.  The alerts come with ratings so one is able to immediately assess how desirable the company is as a place to work.

What is important about these sites is that they are as good as the contributions submitted.  Thus, if one is to rely on this information, he/she should not hesitate to submit quality ratings that are truthful, accurate, and helpful to prospective job seekers.   Another issue is that companies and the people running them change.  So the dates of the reviews are important as well as a healthy dose of scepticism.  Remember, what you consider important in a position can be very different from others given your personality and ability to deal with various work situations.  Ideally, the best way to know what a company is like is to contact people in your network who already work or have worked there.    However, if this is not possible, then the rating sites that I am recommending are good alternatives.