Referrals are a broad term that refers to the process of getting new talent through leads from current employees or other contacts. Before you begin your search, it's important to become familiar with all the different ways referrals work. For example, employee referrals are when someone within your company recommends a candidate for an open role at another company. On the other hand, a referral from a recruiter is when someone in HR recommends an external contact for one of your openings.
Once you've started the process of recruiting, you may find that referrals are the most common way to find great talent. In fact, according to the B2B Lead Generation & Sales Performance Report by The Predictable Revenue report, 96% of job seekers say that they are more likely to apply for a job if referred by someone they trusted. That's not all: more than half (55%) of employees also reported that they'd be willing to change jobs if their friends or family members recommended it as well.
The truth is that referrals are one of the best ways to find new hires because they come with built-in trust and credibility. If someone has already worked with an employee before, there's no need for lengthy introductions or interviews—you already know what kind of person you're working with before bringing them on board!
If you’re looking to hire new employees, ask your current employees for referrals. This can be done in a number of ways: You could hold an internal contest where the employee who refers the most candidates wins some kind of prize or reward. The rewards don’t have to be financial; they could also be in the form of gift cards or other things that will appeal to your employees. Whatever you decide on, make sure it is meaningful enough that people will take notice and want to participate! Make sure that whatever you choose as a reward is proportional to how much value the referral brings your organization; rewarding someone with a $5 gift card just because they gave you someone’s name won't do much good for either party involved (or for future hiring efforts).
Network with people at conferences and industry events. If you're looking for candidates who are in the right niche, then you'll want to make sure that the people you're hiring are also interested in this niche. This can be difficult if you don't have a good understanding of what's going on around you. The best way to get an idea is by talking to other people within your industry. By attending networking events and conferences, you will have plenty of opportunities to meet others who know more than just what they've read online or heard from friends. They'll be able to give you inside knowledge about trends in their particular field and give tips on how best to reach out when looking for new employees or candidates.
In your business life, it’s absolutely critical to network with others in your field. While you can always count on being able to browse through LinkedIn or Facebook for people who are already in the industry, there are also a few ways you can use social media to find fresh candidates for hire.
The "People You May Know" tool on LinkedIn is a great way to find potential candidates. The best part? You don't have to search for them in order to use it.
Now that you know why referrals are a great way to find great marketing candidates, it's time to get out there and start looking! Here are some tips for getting started: