14
6 INCREASE REFERRALS FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING HIRES SUREFIRE WAYS TO

6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

A guide to increase you employee referrals for software engineering hires. Harnessing an effective employee referral program could see your referral rates increase by more than 50%.

Citation preview

Page 1: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

6INCREASE

REFERRALS FOR SOFTWARE ENGINEERING HIRES

SUREFIRE WAYS TO

Page 2: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

1ASK CURRENT EMPLOYEES

Your employees are your greatest resource in the referral game. After all, they

understand what you need. They also know who will fit, both in terms of company

culture and skills level. Plus, they probably know other developers, either from

their university, professional organizations, or members of their network.!

Page 3: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

One-on-one meetings with current employees are a great way to tap into

topics you wouldn’t normally get a chance to discuss. For example, think about

scheduling casual interviews with existing software engineering employees. In

these interviews, ask about their thoughts on your hiring process, their

personal experiences with it, and how they think it can be improved. At the

same time, you can also find out if they know any engineering professionals

who would be a good fit.

CURRENT EMPLOYEES CONTINUED

Page 4: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

2 SET UP AN EMPLOYEE REFERRAL PROGRAM

Many referral recruitment softwares come with a variety of tools for organizing and engaging talent -- past, present, and potential. Plus, plenty of these software programs integrate with existing CRM or recruiting software to help you organize job candidates’ cover letters and resumes. You can also keep track of the actual referrers and engage in follow-up conversations at different stages of the hiring process. !!

Page 5: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

There are three types of referral programs that create different results, particularly with

external engineering hires:

!!» Generic programs, those with ad hoc management, often produce 24-27 percent of

external hires.

» Formally managed programs produce on average greater than 34 percent of their

organizations’ external hires

» Strategic programs, ones that prioritize jobs, link social media and mobile efforts, and

involve employer branding, now often produce 48 percent or more

!!The true employee referral program winner is obvious: Strategic programs allow you to

focus your resources on attracting top engineering talent, developers, and innovators.

Ultimately though, it’s up to you to chose the referral program that fits best with your needs.

EMPLOYEE REFERRALS CONTINUED

Page 6: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

3CREATE DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTIONS

While they are important for any job opening, detailed job descriptions are particularly

vital when you’re looking for the right engineering candidates. For instance most software

engineering positions require specialized skills, a certain educational history, or levels of

certification in order to be considered for the job. When your job descriptions are

complete with this information, you help your referrers to find the right candidates, as

well as cut down on miscommunication and wasted time.

Page 7: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

In addition to educational history and skills needed, job descriptions should include

the following: company information, position overview, application material

requirements, contact information, and details about the hiring process. This moves

the process a long, while bringing you the most qualified engineers for the job. !!

JOB DESCRIPTIONS CONTINUED

Page 8: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

4 TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EMPLOYEE’S

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Pairing social networking with referrals can further amplify the process. For example,

let’s say you have 50 employees at your software engineering firm, each with 200

friends on a social networking site like LinkedIn. That’s a total of 10,000 contacts to

potentially tap into for a job referral. Though not every contact will be relevant for

your open position, social networking can bring you closer to that superstar software

engineer.!

Page 9: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

Your company can harness the power of social recruiting by encouraging existing

employees to share engineering openings on their personal or professional social

networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Then, you can

keep track of progress, such as which social networks bring in the most qualified

engineering candidates or which ones create more engagement.!

SOCIAL NETWORKS CONTINUED

Page 10: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

5USE MOBILE

Mobile is the way the world is moving. With the advancement of

mobile technology comes the need for other tools to evolve, as well.

Employee referral programs must follow suit or risk falling behind. If

companies want to connect employees with the best engineering

candidates, they need to do so by utilizing the devices people use the

most.

Page 11: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

Here are a few tools you need to have in your referral arsenal:

!» Mobile career sites: Since many referrals use tablets or smartphones to seek out

these opportunities, having a mobile compatible career site will ensure a smooth

candidate experience.

!» Mobile referral program applications: These applications allow employees to

access the referral program from their mobile devices, not just through an office

computer or in-house operational system like an intranet. This is particularly helpful

for those employees who want to refer quality engineering candidates from outside

the office, such as from a conference or networking event.

!» Text and push notifications: Since your employees could have a lot on their plates,

they may not remember to check out job openings or refer engineering candidates

on a regular basis. Text and push notifications are key drivers that can assist your

employees to stay active and engaged in the referral process.

MOBILE CONTINUED

Page 12: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

6PROVIDE REWARDS

Rewards are not only a participation incentive -- they can also lead you to more qualified

engineering candidates.

!Your first thought may be to offer large cash rewards or bonuses for referrals that turn into

hires. While this is a good idea, small rewards and team rewards go much further than

occasional cash payment. Plus, when rewards for referred hires are large, there is a high

level of due diligence, as well as tax implications.!

Page 13: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires

Instead, create a rewards program that reflects your company, as well as one

that appeals to employees. The most successful employee referral systems

actually reward referrals, as opposed to hires. That is, you reward for effort.

These rewards can be small, such as subscriptions to software engineering

publications, professional development opportunities, a day off, public

recognition in the office or social recognition online, an additional paid vacation

day, or even the opportunity to telecommute. !

Page 14: 6 Surefire Ways to Increase Referrals for Software Engineering Hires