How to Expand Your Referral Program
Posted October 5th, 2015
Many businesses have employee referral programs. These programs have been effective in finding new talent for companies. Employees have many professional connections that they can mine for referrals, so they are an excellent resource.
But recently, some companies have taken this concept one step further, expanding it beyond just employees. They not only encourage employees to refer people, but they also reach out to former employees, retirees, customers, vendors, contractors, even fans of the company, and others to encourage them to refer people as well.
This method is even more effective, according to surveys, resulting in an increase of 28 percent in the number of hires compared to employee-only referral programs.
Human resource experts also encourage companies to revamp the rules for such programs, to make them more responsive and realistic and less restrictive. For example, traditionally, employees could not refer someone for a job until there was an official posting of the job opening. And, in order for the employee to get credit for the referral, the new person must be hired within a certain time period, within 180 days for example.
To improve the referral process, companies should do away with these restrictions, according to business experts. Employees should be able to put in a referral at any time and receive a bonus whether the person is hired within a certain time period or not.
Employment experts also recommend that the referral process be simplified. Requiring people to fill out forms, especially if they are not employed by the company, to make a referral is a needless bottleneck in the system. People should be able to make referrals simply by providing a name and brief recommendation.
Another outmoded practice is giving a referral award only to the first employee to refer a certain person, according to employment experts. Companies should offer incentives to encourage as many people as possible to make referrals, even if people are referring the same person.
With the communication technology available today on such platforms as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, it is much more likely that several employees will refer the same person. But having multiple referrals for one person actually benefits the company because it makes it easier to judge the candidate’s quality and abilities.
If you are looking for work in a technology-related field in the San Francisco Bay area, Bayside Solutions can help you find the right job. At Bayside, we focus on technology and providing the people technology-related companies need. Give Bayside Solutions a call today.
