Job Candidates

Grow your talent pool the fun way with Employee Referral Programs

August 2, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Imagine you just won the lottery but you can’t pick up the prize for six months.

How would that make you feel? Frustrated? A little cheated?

Most employee referral programs build that frustration build right in. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Employee referral programs are a great way to find great employees. Your current employees likely know talented people they would like to work with. Some companies find the majority of their new talent through employee referral programs, reducing the time to fill and increasing the quality.

Let’s leverage those contacts to add to your team!

Our latest video on Biz Tv, shows you how to grow your Employee Referral Program in a fun and productive way! Click the video to watch the latest episode.

Typical programs are set up like this: Employees make a referral. The referred individuals might get interviewed, might even get hired. Then the programs usually require that the referred new hire work successfully for some months, sometimes as long as six months. Then only the person who referred the employee who was hired gets a reward. Rewards can be pretty high, ranging from $1000 to $5000 or more per hired referral.

That is the delayed gratification built into most employee referral programs. It is frustrating to wait months to get a reward. Today’s workers expect rewards and feedback quickly. Delayed reaction reduce the effectiveness of employee referral programs. After a while, many programs structured this way will fade away.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Job search is a numbers game. So let’s change around our employee referral programs to support that job search numbers game!

Let’s reward leads instead of hires! An employee gets a reward for every name or resume submitted, whether the candidate works out or not.

Here are five advantages to rewarding leads:

Rewarding leads encourages a larger talent pool. Employees are not going to refer people who will embarrass them so the more people they refer the better.
It gives employees immediate gratification for their participation.
It gets employees more involved in recruiting. More eyes will focus on talent acquisition. Recruiting becomes a company-wide endeavor not just confined to the HR department.
It gives an additional depth to the relationships employees have on LinkedIn if they are also looking for potential leads.
It keeps employees interests in an age of immediate feedback.

Rewards for leads can be smaller and more immediate like smaller amounts of money, tickets for a regular raffle, gift cards or company branded stuff.

Make the program more fun with a branded communication program will keep your employee referral program vibrant. Use games, contests and some fun prizes to increase the number of leads. Contests and raffles can be held quarterly with a raffle ticket earned for each referral. More referrals, more chances to win a nice prize like a TV or tickets to a fun local event.

You can still offer a larger prize when someone is hired. You can vary the size of the larger prize for positions that are more difficult to find or more critical to find in a short time frame.

To increase the size and quality of your talent pool and reduce your time to fill, get your employees involved in a fun employee referral program. Reward leads as well as hires to offer immediate gratification that keeps the employees motivated and focused on the big talent picture.

To view this video, or to view other videos featuring other strategic job search tips and tools from The Interview Doctor click here.

Find that Needle in a Haystack – 3 Tips for Creative Candidate Sourcing

July 1, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Do you find it challenging to find the right talent in your organization?

Many people do. I usually hear comments like, “there just are no good people out there”. Or “Gee, the labor market is so tight.”

If that sounds like you, I have a secret. The people ARE out there. You just can’t find them because you are looking in the wrong place!

It is time to get creative about finding the talent you need.

Some companies get really creative. One high tech company inserted a special character in a popular video game to attract players who fit their ideal candidate profile. Can you imagine the brainstorming sessions to come up with that one?

You don’t have to be that creative. You just have to think outside of the box. The “box” in this case is the traditional job description posted on an online job board.

Here are three creative ways to find candidates in this social media era:

Enlist your employees to help. Your employees have a vested interest in adding co-workers that they want to work with. So ask them!

This could include employee referral programs, lead generation programs, and posting jobs through your employees’ personal social media platforms.

Use social media. Where does your ideal candidate hang out? You need to meet your ideal candidate where they hang out. What are their interests? What social media are they likely to use? Facebook? LinkedIn? Twitter?

Creative sourcing through social media requires that first you have a solid understanding of exactly what you want and the profile of your ideal candidate. Creative sourcing also requires that your company has a solid social media presence. Then you can search social media using keywords that describe your ideal candidate.

Build relationships with your ideal candidates in advance of your need. One creative approach is to proactively find candidates before you need them. You can build a communications strategy built around your employment brand.

If you are not familiar with these terms or you have no employer presence on social media or maybe you don’t know what to do with those LinkedIn connections, then we can help.

At The Interview Doctor we developed a simple process for utilizing social media to find candidates that better meet your business needs. We get your employees involved, help you approach social media, particularly LinkedIn in a different way and put you in front of your ideal candidate profiles.

To view this video, or to view other videos featuring other strategic job search tips and tools from The Interview Doctor click here.

Exercise Your Way to Positive Energy

June 24, 2016 By Katherine Burik

I love to exercise. It makes me feel good. Yet, despite the good feelings I often skip it. I get busy and I put it off.

Just today I had some time but what did I do? I started working on my computer “for a few minutes” and several hours as well as the opportunity to exercise passed me by.

Why do we avoid doing something that makes us feel good? In the hustle and bustle of job search, we often cut corners, even corners like exercise that make us feel better.

We should make time for activities that make us stronger, especially when we are searching for a new job.

Exercise is a marvelous way to clear our minds of unnecessary clutter and distractions.

Here are some benefits of regular exercise:

Positive attitude
Burns off steam
Overall feeling of well being
More energy
Physical strength
Improved mobility
Clears your head
Longer, happier life

No one wants to work around a crabby person. In a job search especially we want to be positive and full of energy. These are plenty of reasons to fit regular exercise in your weekly schedule.

Fine you say. It is easy for you to say. How do I get regular exercise if I am not employed? I can’t afford a health club membership.

No excuse. There are plenty of websites with exercise routines and plenty of magazines at the local library with workout routines. You could go walking or running. You could walk your dog. You could climb steps in an office building. You could ride your bike instead of taking the car to the grocery store.

There are plenty of ways to get exercise if you want to make it happen. The advantages definitely outweigh any constraints you might place on yourself!

Check out these other articles on related topics:

Exercise new muscles to get different results!

What does exercise have to do with finding a job?

A Suit is a form of Job Search Armor

June 7, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

Where does confidence come from? That little bit of difference that supports you when you try something new or scary.

Confidence makes the difference between walking into a networking meeting with a big smile and jaunty step even if you feel icky on the inside.

We all struggle with confidence at times. Sometimes I allow that little voice in my head to whisper bad things in my ear. I hate when that happens!

One of our clients has depleted his supply of confidence. He sounded like Eyore from Winnie the Pooh the last time I talked to him. Even if he tries to hide it, that lack of confidence comes out of his skin like garlic.

If we struggle with confidence sometimes and have it other times, logically that must mean that there is something we can do to boost our confidence.

Barb Z. sent this quote from Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living [i] by Jason Gay that gives a great suggestion:

I don’t reject the idea that style matters… I too like to feel stylish, and sometimes I can allow myself the illusion that I actually know what I am doing. I believe there’s some benefit: a confidence both internal and projected.

The designer Tom Ford has said that a suit is a form of armor, that when a man is well dressed, it provides an aura of invincibility that helps get him through the day. I am with Tom Ford on that, though I know I am not well-dressed enough to be Tom Ford’s cable guy.

What a great idea! We can pretend our way to greater confidence by wrapping ourselves in clothes that make us feel more confident. Could it be as simple as that? I think so.

I feel and behave different when I am dressed in t-shirts and shorts, like I am dressed while writing this, than when I put on a suit, high heels, and nice jewelry. It just makes sense. When I wear that particular necklace from my mom that always gets compliments I feel even more confident, almost invincible!

What clothes do you wear to give you extra confidence? That beautiful power tie? Those great pumps? A beautiful jacket?

I would love to know what works for you! Share your thoughts here or send me a note and I will share these great ideas with our community!!

[i] Gay, Jason. Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living, page 166. Emphasis added.

Put a mirror to your Corporate Culture – The Candidate Experience

May 6, 2016 By Marta Goertzen

It’s the little things that add up to a great candidate experience.

Early in her career Susan interviewed for a position as a chemist with a company that distributes supplies used in research laboratories. The interview went badly. The company representatives were not on time or prepared. They did not get back to her when they said they would and in fact were downright rude during the interviews and in the follow up. Susan was happy she did not get the job.

Susan went on to a very successful career in Research & Development person managing large labs in multiple locations.

For the rest of her career, some 30 years, she NEVER allowed anyone on her staff to order lab supplies from that company. She remembered that story like it was yesterday and repeated it often.

A candidate’s experience begins when they start researching the company. It continues through every interaction during the recruiting process. The interaction makes a lasting memory of the total experience, good or bad. It could influence their view of the company for years in the future. Just like Susan.

Perhaps you have had a similar experience in your life? Most people have.

Candidates invest a lot in a job search, preparing search materials, doing research, and preparing for interviews, not to mention time and money spent on travel and interviews. They resent it when they feel they are treated badly. They never forget and they tell others!

Given the candidate’s investment, don’t they deserve to be treated like good customers?

The cost of a poor customer experience adds up.

You lose good candidates now and in the future. They tell their friends, family and colleagues who won’t apply either and maybe won’t buy from you.

Employees stop referring their friends and maybe get disenchanted themselves. Disenchanted employees might leave or worse hang around with a bad attitude.

You will probably make more bad hires because the best candidates have more options.

All this word of mouth going on behind the scenes damages that corporate brand you work so hard to develop. It is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Here are characteristics of a great candidate experience.

Respond promptly to everything – phone calls, emails, applications, requests, job offers. Simply responding to candidates will improve the candidate experience. It also separates you from your competition.
Be flexible to the candidates’ needs, not rigid. Offer flexible interview scheduling and you will get the candidate’s attention.
Be honest and pay attention to candidates’ needs.
No unpleasant surprises – do what you say you will do, don’t change the specifications all the time, don’t change the schedule, be there when you say you are going to be there and respond when you say you will respond.
Solicit feedback from candidates and apply what you learn.
Keep candidates updated and explain what is going on. Tell people if there will be a delay. Ignoring candidates or stringing them out for your own convenience is particularly annoying.
Add an unexpected “wow” factor to seal the deal. How about a little muffin basket to welcome the new hire?

Time to get out that mirror and figure out what your candidates think about you then make adjustments.

Make every touch point a great experience. It is the little things that add up to a great candidate experience.

Informational sources:

Improving the Candidate Experience

2015 Talent Board North American Candidate Experience Research Report