9 Companies Thriving Since Glassdoor’s Launch

Nine years ago this June, Robert Hohman founded Glassdoor in an old guitar manufacturing warehouse, along with two of his former colleagues, Tim Besse and Rich Barton. They set out to help people everywhere find a job and company they love.

We couldn’t be more proud that today – less than a decade later – millions of highly engaged candidates visit Glassdoor to find the latest jobs and take advantage of millions of company and interview reviews, salary reports, office photos, and more.

Before Glassdoor, if you were interested in working for a company, you’d typically start your quest by doing some online research about the place. You may have been able to find some information on the company’s website and in a few press releases. If the company was public, you could read its annual financial reports to get an idea of its financial strength. If you were lucky, you might have known a few people who worked for the company who could give you their personal insights. But beyond that, learning what it was really like to work for the company – its culture, compensation, and benefits, among others – was next to impossible.

That was less than a decade ago! Today, Glassdoor gets more than 45 million unique visitors each month(1) and has accumulated millions of company, salary and interview reviews. But it started with one review, then two, three, four, and so on. In honor of our 9 years, we’ve gathered 9 companies who have been with us from the beginning  – who started with one review and skyrocketed to hundreds if not thousands over the years. These companies have all also gone on to hone their employer branding and develop a recruiting strategy, which have proven to be critical to thriving in our current job market.

9 Years, 9 Companies, 9 Winning Ways

1.) Accenture

Number of reviews: 26K

Company Rating: 3.7

Why their people love them: With no official headquarters, and with offices around the world, Accenture is a professional services company offering solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. They are known for great career opportunities, interesting work, competitive compensation, wonderful benefits, great people, tremendous training programs and great core values.

2.) Cisco Systems

Number of reviews: 12K

Company Rating: 3.8

Why their people love them: Leading in 12 of 18 markets, Cisco is building teams around the globe – expanding their technology solutions in the Mobile, Cloud, Security, IT, and Big Data spaces, including Software, Sales, and Consulting Services. They are focused on innovation, collaboration, and transformation to allow Cisco to connect what's been previously unconnected around the world. Cisco wants to connect everything – people, process, data and things – and they use those connections to change our world for the better. They aim to innovate everywhere to create fresh ideas and possibilities, and they strive to make a meaningful difference for their people.

3.) Deloitte

Number of reviews: 18K

Company Rating: 3.7

Why their people love them: With headquarters in New York City, Deloitte provides audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services. The Deloitte U.S. Firms have more than 70,000 professionals with a focus on serving their clients and helping them solve their toughest problems. They work in four key business areas – audit, advisory, consulting and tax – but their real strength comes from combining the talents of those groups to address clients’ needs. As an employer, they’re known for career growth, benefits and social responsibility.

4.) Google

Number of reviews: 6.9K

Company Rating: 4.4

Why their people love them: The world’s largest search engine, based in Mountain View, CA, offers Internet services ranging from maps to news to shopping and everything in between. Google is not a conventional company, and they don’t intend to become one. With a focus on innovation and smart business practices, they do share attributes with the world’s most successful organizations. But even as they continue to grow, they’re committed to retaining a small-company feel. At Google, they believe that every employee has something important to say, and that every employee is integral to their success.

5.) JPMorgan

Number of reviews: 12K

Company Rating: 3.6

Why their people love them: J.P. Morgan is a multinational banking and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City. They have been doing first-class business in a first-class way for more than 200 years, playing a leading role in helping companies grow and markets develop throughout their history. They work in collaboration across the globe to deliver the best solutions and advice to meet their clients' needs anywhere in the world, operating in 150 countries, and holding global leadership positions across their businesses. As an employer, they’re known for work-life balance, benefits and work environment.

6.) Microsoft

Number of reviews: 17K

Company Rating: 3.9

Why their people love them: Microsoft is a global tech company headquartered in Redmond, WA, that develops and sells computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services. As an employer, Microsoft known to be an ideal place for people who have passion for their work and the desire to make an impact – in their careers, in the community and on the world. Smart people thrive on their own terms and push their intelligence to its limit. The variety of job opportunities and career advancement at Microsoft is incredible and empowers their people to constantly challenge themselves and chart their own course.

7.) Yahoo!

Number of reviews: 3.1K

Company Rating: 3.7

Why their people love them: Yahoo! wants to spread some cheer to Internet users around the world. Its network of websites offers news, entertainment, and shopping, as well as search results powered by Microsoft's Bing offering. As an employer, Yahoo! is known for great work-life balance, free meals, great company culture and smart people.

8.) General Mills

Number of reviews: 1.5K

Company Rating: 3.6

Why their people love them: As one of the world’s leading food companies, General Mills believes that food should make us better. Food brings us joy and nourishes our lives, connecting us to each other and the earth. General Mills operates in more than 100 countries and markets more than 100 consumer brands, Headquartered in Minneapolis, General Mills is known as an employer for work-life balance, benefits, progressive technology and great people.

9.) Bain & Company

Number of reviews: 1.6K

Company Rating: 4.6

Why their people love them: Bain & Company is one of the world's leading consulting firms with offices in 51 global cities. They work with top executives – across all industries and geographies – to analyze, create and deliver sustainable solutions that help shape the world we live in. Bain is consistently voted as one of the best companies to work for – in fact they’ve been on the Best Places to Work list for 9 consecutive years! As an employer, they continuously attract top candidates who, from day one, are encouraged to truly make an impact in a highly supportive environment. International opportunities abound and future career potential is strong.

To learn more about the top 9 things you can do to boost your employer branding strategy today, read our recent blog post featuring quick tips and tricks. And to get an insider’s look at the secret ingredients that make up the unique cultures of our Best Places to Work winners – from SpaceX to Clorox – download our eBook: Culture Codes of Best Places to Work.

(1) Google Analytics, Q217 average as of 6/9/17