Glassdoor

From the makers of Expedia and Zillow, Glassdoor--now in beta--is a site that allows employees to post work place/environment reviews and salary information. The premise: “What would happen if someone left the unedited employee survey for the whole company on the printer and it got posted to the Web?” (From the About Us). Users give a rating up to five and list the pros and cons, as well as advice to the CEOs, about the company they work for.

I think these services can help special library/corporate library job seekers by giving them an idea about the type of workplace, either confirming or denying rumors. (But when it comes to the people posting the information, make sure you aren't posting from work.) These sites are also extremely effective for people looking to work in large corporations or Fortune 500 companies, but I haven't seen a lot of evidence that they help people looking to work for non-profits, privately-held companies, or for companies that have less than 100 employees--most libraries. Actually, their sorts are good--by industry, by approval rating, by job type--but an advanced option with company size and a mashup with LinkedIn or Indeed/SimplyHired might go a long way for users.

One of the Salon bloggers has provided a basic review, including some saucy dishing on Apple's salaries.

Update: WSJ posted an announcement of Glassdoor the following morning, stressing the similar experience of Zillow in collecting accurate data and information. I thought the quote at the bottom was a bit funny, we aren't a recruitment site. Just why do you think people will visit the site? To evaluate stock prices, ok, sure, but the vast majority of users will be coming to the site so they can prep for an interview or evaluate a job offer. Combining research on work environment with links to potential jobs is just one way to increase site traffic and overall stickiness, one of the tools of seduction when your site relies on ad revenue. No job ads for a fee, ok, but a mashup is called for.