Some advantages of implementing a Referral Program in the organization are:
– Identify scarce talent. Through the network of employee contacts, it is possible to reach talent that often takes time to locate, because current collaborators are the first to be interested in attracting talent that best fits the culture and values of the organization and that has a Great potential to stay with the company.
– Reduce recruitment times and costs. HR teams save on part of the recruitment process. The employees themselves are in charge of making a pre onboarding in which they explain the vacancy and the operation of the company, its vision and its values. They can even retain future talent before having the first contact with the person in charge of the selection process.
– Decrease the percentage of turnover. Prior to recommending the person, employees seek to ensure that the person is suitable for the company’s needs, values and expectations. In addition, it improves the quality of the teams and minimizes the risk that the new hire will leave the company.
As in any process or strategy, there are mistakes that must be avoided, such as limiting the participation of employees in the referral program, believing that only people who have been in the company the longest have a more accurate judgment of its needs. The more employees are involved in this program, the more satisfactory the result can be.
It should not be neglected that, even when the company’s employees are committed and happy to work for it, it is necessary to offer incentives for participating in a talent selection process, such as trips or financial rewards. Without an offer of rewards or prizes, the program can be perceived as a simple and unattractive informal solicitation.
Speeding up a selection process can be very tempting, but exclusively using referral programs, hoping to guarantee results, can cause insufficient reception of profiles, and may also be unsuitable for vacancies.
On the other hand, a factor that must be focused on is not hiring only profiles that are similar to those of the professionals that are part of the organization. The objective should be to improve work teams and their performance, increase their productivity, creativity and skills, as well as their skills.
________________
editor’s note: Maribel Cano is Head of Marketing & Communications at Cegid for Latin America. follow her on LinkedIn . The opinions published in this column belong exclusively to the author.
Consult more information on this and other topics in the Opinion channel