Singaporeans look to online comments by ex-staff before taking jobs

Comments by ex-staff posted online have a strong influence on job seekers in Singapore giving them a perspective on the prospective employers, according to a survey conducted by recruitment expert Hays.

The report said that locals are completely or to a certain extent influenced by these messages left by the ex-employees.

The latest Hays web poll carried out in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore asked candidates, “Do the online comments of former employees influence your decision to apply or work for an organisation?”

Overall, over half (52 per cent) the respondents in Singapore stated that they take online comments of ex-staff into consideration when deciding to apply or work for a firm. In addition, over a third (39 per cent) of them said that they are ‘definitely’ swayed by such reviews and opinions.

The global recruitment firm also noted the declining number of candidates in Singapore who do not take into consideration online comments about a prospective employer. In an identical web-poll carried out in 2016, 15 per cent of respondents said such factors did not influence them when deciding to apply or work for an organisation while in the 2019 web poll, only nine per cent felt the same.

Grant Torrens, regional dtirector at Hays Singapore says: “As industries across the board become skills-starved, organisations could enjoy managing their online reputation from an Employer Value Proposition (EVP) point of view. In this digital age, it is a natural process for many hopeful candidates to look up what’s being said of working at an organisation which they are considering being a part of. The Internet has made it fairly easy to gain access to comments of ex-staff, with many active employer review platforms and forums available online.”

“Organisations that want to attract high quality candidates and mitigate the potential risk of losing adept talents should position themselves as the employer of choice –– both online and offline. While it is difficult to control what people post online, there are social media platforms available which employers can use to give outsiders a glimpse of what is it like to work at their company while showcasing its successes and values. And as far as existing online comments go, it is best to assess the feedback made by both current and ex-employees, then create an action plan for not only your PR image but also your working environment.”

-/TISG