Using GLASSDOOR to "research" your next medical sales job? ...get real.

While I generally applaud any type of research during the job interview process, I want to issue a serious word of caution about online company review websites like GLASS DOOR. Blindly accepting reviews from these websites as legitimate "research” can be unreliable and misleading. Inevitably, you will stumble upon a rant from a disgruntled internet troll (as just about every company has them). The question becomes, how seriously do you take these reviews?

Unfortunately, I am finding that there are people out there that take these things as gospel, putting way too much stock in these websites when making career choices.  

A few things to keep in mind about GLASS DOOR reviews...

1. Non-Verifiable - There is no way to verify that the person who wrote the review ever worked for the company. Consider the fact that the review could have easily been written by someone who was passed over for a job, an angry customer, or even a competitor.
2. Complaints may not apply to you - Even if the reviewer did legitimately work for the company, they may be complaining about “in house” issues or items completely unrelated to outside sales. For instance, a remote sales rep will probably never eat at the employee cafeteria or spend time on the product assembly line.  Do you really want negative reviews related to cafeteria food or manufacturing issues impacting your decision to sell a fantastic product.
3. Whiners are everywhere - People who write reviews are generally mad about something and essentially using these websites to vent their frustrations. In order to make their point, these folks exaggerate and make bombastic statements to get attention. Happy employees (who aren’t looking for new jobs) don’t generally even think to go on these websites and review their company positively.    
4. Beware of blanket statements – An employee might have an ax to grind with their boss and make a statement about the entire company. I read a review yesterday that said “no one at this company cares about family”. Think logically about how absurd that sounds! This is usually an indictment on one individual, not the company as a whole.  
5. Different divisions/different cultures – Many medical companies have multiple divisions that are very different. Assuming that the urology disposables division of a company has the same culture as the cardiology capital equipment group is just plain wrong. Many times, these different divisions have no interaction or cross-over; with totally different corporate offices and leadership teams.
6. Overly positive reviews might be “doctored” – Some companies have made a concerted effort to bury negative reviews. It isn’t that hard for a motivated company to negate any negative reviews by overwhelming the system with bogus 5 STAR reviews. Other industries (hotels, restaurants, and retail) have been doing this for years.

Talking to actual employees (managers and other sales reps) is a much more effective way to evaluate a company. Utilizing GLASS DOOR reviews to make your decision is career limiting and risky…not to mention lazy. Don’t allow internet trolls to dictate the direction of your career!