Talent Solutions Playbook

Leverage employees

Employee Referrals

Referrals are typically the highest quality hires, with greater retention and engagement rates than their peers. You can also leverage top-performing employees to identify potential sources of high-quality talent by looking back at their education and work history.

  • Establish a robust employee referral program by hosting “invite-a-friend” happy hours to expose others to the company’s culture. Throw sourcing parties with colleagues from the department you’re hiring for to encourage them to comb through their networks. Offer incentives for employees who refer candidates who remain with the organization for a set duration.
  • Evaluate the education and work history of top-performing employees to identify providers that have supplied your organization with the highest share of high-caliber talent. These preferred providers could be high schools, colleges, other training providers, or even community-based organizations that have contributed to individuals’ success within your organization.

Tips

With referral incentives, avoid creating the perception that certain jobs are more important than others by offering the same monetary incentive regardless of department, seniority, or position.

Treat employee referral programs like ongoing marketing campaigns, and consider how you can recognize referred employees. For example, Groupon provides coveted green Adidas track-style jackets to referred candidates who remain with the company for one year.

Channel resources toward your preferred providers to widen your talent pipeline or codesign curricula, so you can further reduce the time it takes these new hires to become productive. If you’re the primary organization hiring graduates from a specific program, they’ll likely be willing to partner to ensure graduates develop the skills you’re looking for and remain engaged with your organization.

Tips

With referral incentives, avoid creating the perception that certain jobs are more important than others by offering the same monetary incentive regardless of department, seniority, or position.

Treat employee referral programs like ongoing marketing campaigns, and consider how you can recognize referred employees. For example, Groupon provides coveted green Adidas track-style jackets to referred candidates who remain with the company for one year.

Channel resources toward your preferred providers to widen your talent pipeline or codesign curricula, so you can further reduce the time it takes these new hires to become productive. If you’re the primary organization hiring graduates from a specific program, they’ll likely be willing to partner to ensure graduates develop the skills you’re looking for and remain engaged with your organization.

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The playbook provides practical tactics, metrics, and resources to support the recruitment, development, retention, and engagement of talent in the new era of work.
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