Feeling overwhelmed by trying to hire star talent? There’s a reason hiring managers dream about an employee referral program that actually works. It would free up so much time during their days and ensure quality candidates actually apply.
So, how can you build such a program?
5 Tips for Building a Successful Employee Referral Program
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Determine the Goal
The first step and piece of advice is to decide what the goal of your referral program will be. Believe it or not, the goal may not just be a broad, “get more referrals.” You may want to only get referrals for certain types of job openings. Another way to be specific with is to determine how much you want to increase referrals, such as 10 or 20 percent.
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Create a User-Friendly Process
When you are ready to implement your employee referral program, follow the basic rule of keeping it simple. To be more specific, your program should require your current employee to do the least amount of work possible.
The more steps your employee has to complete in referring a job candidate, the less successful your program will be. Once your employee gives a referral and contact information, your hiring team should take it over from there.
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Train Your Workforce
Once you’ve decided on how your employee referral program will work, and you’ve ironed out all the details, it’s time to present and train your workforce. Be sure to go over:
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The practical information on how to use your program
If there is any software to use or you want specific steps to be completed during the referral process, you must train your employees on how to do this correctly.
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What your company is looking for in referred candidates
During your training, you should communicate to your employees what qualities you are looking for in any referred candidate. Don’t assume your employees know what you’re looking for. Be specific so you will get quality referrals. Both you and your employees appreciate meaningful referrals because you both want the benefits!
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What your employees can expect for referring candidates
This last piece of training is extremely important. Employees should be educated on what the next steps are after they refer a candidate. This way, they can communicate your process to their referrals, minimizing confusion and discouragement from candidates waiting for a response.
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Keep Employees Engaged
If you want your employees to refer candidates, they need to know what positions are open! This could be as simple as sending out weekly or monthly emails updating your employees on open positions.
How to Find the Best Candidates for Your Open Positions
Are you looking to fill open positions at your company? Let the professionals at MS-IL Staffing & Packaging help fulfill your hiring needs. Contact them today.
