Oftentimes, the best source for new employees is your existing employees. People who like where they work are inclined to suggest their workplace to others, and it's also likely that they will be careful about who they recommend.
Fleets have often used employee referral as a source for new hires. Adam Robinson, co-founder of Hireology, said that referral candidates can end up being some of the most successful new hires for your organization.
- The first step is to make sure your employees know you have a referral program and what they need to do to make a referral. Robinson suggested you use the same tactics you would use in any marketing campaign to make sure all of your employees know about the referral program. Email is a good way to remind them about the program and review what they need to do to make a referral.
- In addition to sending an email, consider holding meetings with your employees to review who in their circle might make a good job candidate. During the meeting talk about open positions and what the qualifications for those positions are. Robinson said that many of your employees will know people who have backgrounds, skills sets, and experiences similar to their own. These can be excellent prospects for you.
- Next, you want to make it easier for your employees to make referrals. No one wants to spend time filling out a long, involved referral form. “Ask them to simply share the referral’s name in a company chat channel and leave the rest of the work to your recruiters,” he said in a recent blog. You could even allow them to use text messages to refer someone.
- Finally, make sure there is some incentive for employees to offer referrals. Most referral rewards are cash, but Robinson said the value of those rewards is too low. Make sure the reward level aligns with how difficult the role is to fill and the level of the position.
For seasonal positions or ones that are easier to fill, Robinson suggested using something other than cash as an incentive. Some ideas include concert tickets, gift cards to a local restaurants, spa days, or donating to a charity in the employee’s name. You can also consider a tiered approach to referral rewards depending on the number of successful referrals an employee provides.
Making a few changes to your employee referral program can help you find more applicants and fill open positions quickly.
Jane Clark focuses on managing the member services operation at NationaLease as vice president of member services. She works to strengthen member relationships, reduce member costs, and improve collaboration within the NationaLease supporting groups.
