Is it OK to bring up GlassDoor reviews in interviews?

[mjr]

I'm torn on this one.

There's a part of me that thinks it's OK, but there's another part of me that thinks it could be bad for the chance to get a position.

Especially if the GlassDoor reviews are somewhat negative.

I mean, if I'm sitting in an interview, and basically say, "GlassDoor says your company sucks to work for...how do you respond?" the interviewer probably wouldn't look too highly on that.

Even if I phrased it something like: "In the course of researching your company, I have some concerns based upon online reviews on GlassDoor. Could you address that?"

So what do you think?

[NorthernZel]

Personally I wouldn't quote Glassdoor directly, like I wouldn't bring up Yelp reviews if I should interview for a job at a restaurant.

But I would bring up innocent enquiries about some of the themes the bad reviews are about (like: "how is the work culture?" "Is there a certain chain of command I should be aware of if/when problems arise?" etc. Then compare the interviewer's responses to the reviews, and go with your gut feeling.

Like on Yelp, Glassdoor reviews can be honest, but it could also be disgruntled ex-employees making stuff up. You just don't know.

[mjr]

I don't think I'd quote it directly, because you're right, people can just make up stuff. But if the company overall has a 2.5 star rating, and most of the comments are negative, I think that would be worth asking about, but in a tactful way (like you point out).