One of the most difficult things to determine about a company when seeking a job is “how much do they pay?” Salaries have always been considered confidential. And of course, the first person to ask about money during a job interview is considered the loser when it comes to negotiations.
Several years ago zillow.com launched, making it easy for anyone to “zestimate” the value of your home. That’s when I started removing the street address from my clients’ resumes. Why should a hiring director have access to your estimated expenses before they even call you for an interview? It’s not their business if you live in a McMansion or a trailer park.
Now the founder of zillow.com has launched glassdoor.com, a site that lets visitors browse compensation figure for jobs at specific companies, as well as reviews provided anonymously by employees. Job seekers can see in advance what the compensation packages are like, as well as the corporate atmosphere.
Currently the site is only grading companies in the Bay Area, but they plan to expand to all areas and all companies. This is one site I’ll be keeping an eye on. You probably should too if you’re in the job market.