Having Trouble Finding Top Candidates?

If unemployment is so high, why do companies still have trouble finding top candidates?

From a lack of critical skills to a poor cultural fit, the reasons for recruiting difficulties are as complex as the technology inside an iPhone 5.  But whatever the causes of your hiring challenges, a well-executed employee referral program can help you overcome them.  Referrals have been shown to increase retention, lower recruiting costs and yield higher quality matches, giving HR and hiring managers more time to focus on other key priorities.

Successful employee referral programs vary widely from company to company.  Tactics that generate high-quality candidates for a manufacturing firm may not work as well for an IT company.  Still, the best referral systems share many of the same characteristics.  If you’re looking for better ways to hire top performers, use PrideStaff’s tips to turn your employees into a well-oiled HR recruiting machine:

Make your program responsive.  Give your referrals preferential treatment by contacting them in a timely manner (within 24-72 hours of submission).  Process their applications quickly and expedite their interviews, to ensure you don’t lose potentially fantastic candidates due to a lack of responsiveness.

Make employee referrals a formal priority.  The more attention you give your referral program, the more it will yield.  Take the time and formally integrate proactive referral activities into daily business activities: interview referring employees to learn how they met the individuals referred; ask for referrals at employee onboarding meetings; discuss referral opportunities at regularly scheduled staff meetings; remind employees of available positions in company newsletters and other business communications.

Leverage social networks.  Train your employees and align your corporate policies to effectively use social networks for professional purposes, then encourage company-wide participation.  Give your staff guidelines for creating quality profiles and provide useful information for them to post (about your company, culture, available positions, social responsibility, etc.) that will build your brand, tell your company’s story and encourage sharing.

Make the referral program part of your company’s culture.  Successful employee referral programs are not just about incentives or cash bonuses.  They are part of the company’s overall team-building function and encourage employees to refer candidates who naturally fit the organization’s culture and work ethic.  Regardless of whether or not you pay employees for their referrals, your program will be more fruitful if it is an integral part of the way you do business, and not merely a way to make an extra buck.

PrideStaff’s On Target fulfillment process consistently refers high-quality candidates with the skills, experience and personal qualities to thrive in your organization.  Whether your needs are temporary or direct, simple or complex, trust PrideStaff to deliver the talented administrative, customer service, information technology, finance, legal support, healthcare or production & distribution staff you need.