Danica Patrick Teams Up with Glassdoor to Speed Up Hiring
Danica Patrick

Danica Patrick Teams Up with Glassdoor to Speed Up Hiring

With a remarkable driving career, Danica Patrick has made a name for herself as a top contender in a sport dominated by men. She’s won or ranked high in many high-profile races, firmly establishing herself as one of the most successful women in the history of American open-wheel racing. And, according to Forbes research, Patrick is eighth on the list of highest-paid female athletes in the world.

Winning on the track is a little like winning at recruiting: you need to be firing on all cylinders to do it right – especially if you want to do it fast. Danica Patrick knows a thing or two about building momentum to come out ahead, so we looked to her for some pro tips as they apply to hiring quickly.

“You have to take calculated risks with persistent dedication to really reap the rewards.”

Here’s how Patrick passes the competition – and how her tips can help you speed up your hiring on Glassdoor.

1.) Use Your Mission to Stand Out and Gain Fans

There are so many forces at play when you’re a high-profile competitor, so it’s crucial to stay laser-focused on your personal mission. By doing this, first-and-foremost, you stay sane. By sticking to your mission, it’s your core values that direct you day in and day out – whether things are going well or not. And when you stay on that path, you attract the kind of supporters you want – those with common values.

“It’s all about knowing exactly what you want to accomplish, and then having the unwavering confidence to make it happen. You can’t overthink it.”

For companies, the reality is that there’s no shortage of opportunities and companies to work for – especially in this current candidate-driven marketplace. All these factors put serious pressure on your organization (and employer brand) to stand out from your talent competitors.

By evangelizing your company mission and shaping your company culture to align with your fundamental values, you get buy-in from your current employees. And when you get that broad adoption, you’re building momentum and gaining a reputation that will serve up lots of high-quality candidates – the kind that are exactly right for your company. And when you know exactly who you are as a company, you can use behavioral interviews to screen for new-hires who align with your values right from the start.

Fast tip #1: Stay true to who you are to attract talent that adds to your culture. Your true fans – your people – become that much more loyal and new talent will be pedal-to-the-metal to win a job.

2.) Learn from Competitors

When you’re racing all over the world, the competition is stiff. It would be impossible to keep pace without studying and learning from rivals. As Patrick has gained experience in NASCAR, she’s gotten advice from counterparts and kept her eye on the strategies of other drivers – while never losing sight of her own unique approach.

“I never wanted to be the best female driver. I always wanted to be the best driver, but that can only be achieved by knowing your competition, and then finding your own way.”

Whether competing on the global stage or the local one, companies, too, need to understand what their competitors are up to. And the first step to getting a handle on your competition is to identify who they are so you can track them over time. For Patrick, it’s about watching footage and analyzing what makes other drivers successful as much as it is about figuring out where they get hung up.

For businesses, it’s critical to look at competitors’ Glassdoor reviews to have a deep understanding of where they’re succeeding – and where they’re falling short. When you understand their strengths and weaknesses, it’s far easier to match their strengths and use their weaknesses as a key differentiator when you’re attracting talent.  

And, just like Patrick will go beyond the surface indicators of her competitors’ advantages and shortcomings, smart companies use Glassdoor to go deep in analyzing their competitors’ stories. They’ll get to the bottom of whether that story is authentic, if it resonates with their employees, what their career site is like, what analytic tools they're using, what their interview experience is like, and – perhaps most importantly – what they pay. Having this knowledge in your tank will help you move fast on a hire when you get the green flag.

Fast tip #2: When you need to go from zero to one-sixty on a hire, it’s key to know what’s a fair salary in a competitive market – then meet or exceed it.

3.) Focus on Wins to Stay Positive

Every competitor in the world knows about loss. Without failing, there’s no way to develop. So – win or lose – it’s key to look reality straight in the eye. To understand what you did right, and study what you can do better in the future.

“I have an incredible family and a great group of friends. They’re my biggest support. Surrounding yourself with confident and understanding people is the best way to keep a positive outlook.”

The same goes for companies. Employee reviews are the single most authentic way to look directly at the reality of company culture. If reviews are positive, they can be shown to employees in order to reinforce an external image, which may influence their identification with the organization and improve their sense of belonging.

If reviews are negative, they may represent an opportunity for companies to

understand and improve their HR practices, as well as to show that they care about
the welfare of their staff. Critical reviews should be met with an open mind and a growth mentality.

Fast tip #3: There will always be detractors – ignore them. Focus instead on how you can capitalize on your strengths and improve areas of weakness.

[Related: Stealing Your Competitor’s Playbook: How to Win the Competition for Talent]

4.) Plan for the future

Whether planning for steep corners or an aggressive series of competitions, it’s key to think ahead. The driver with a greater anticipation of situations that could arise has a big advantage over other drivers on the track. You never want to have to slam on the brakes and risk spinning out of control. And you never want to run out of gas, so to speak.

“I’m involved in so much right now, but I love it. Just like racing, I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t enjoy all of it. In terms of the years to come, I hope to continue doing what I love. I feel very fortunate to be in the position I’m in today and I look forward to all the future holds.”

For companies, it’s important to always have a full pipeline of talent. Organizations can use Glassdoor to develop their employer brand to tell a compelling and authentic story to candidates. This attention to employer branding will attract talent and build your referral network in the process. Even dedicated, high-performing employees can come to the end of their tour of duty with a company. So it’s critical to always be anticipating organizational shifts and preparing for unknown obstacles in the road.

Fast tip #4: You can’t just get out there and go fast and furious. You have to lay the foundation for future success with careful discipline – even if you have to slow down just a little to get it right the first time.  

The bottom line is that to hire at the speed that our current marketplace demands – and to scale a company at a clip you’ve promised (whether to yourself, the board or Wall Street) you’ve got to have a structure in place to make it happen. And Glassdoor is the single best way to get your company firing on all cylinders so you can outpace the competition and win at recruiting.