How can you ensure that your employee referral program is successful?

To implement a successful employee referral program, Joseph Slavin, author of Building Employee Referral Programs That Work, outlines the top 10 factors to consider with implementing an employee referral program:

1. Aim for senior management buy-in. First and foremost, senior management must be committed to the success of the program.

2. Keep it simple. The program's rules must be simple and easy to understand.

3. Open participation to everyone. Slavin encourages employers to consider allowing senior managers as well as HR staff to participate. As long as they are not directly involved in hiring for a specific opening, why not benefit from their network of contacts?

4. Reward non-employees. Former employees, vendors, customers and former business associates can all help yield better results.

5. Give employee referrals special attention. Employee-referred candidates should be interviewed first.

6. Keep employees informed. Consider allowing employees to check the status of referred candidates on a Web site. In addition, Slavin suggests sending e-mails to employees advising them of the status.

7. Make it easy to refer.Employees should be able to look at available openings and 'push' them out to their friends with the click of a mouse, Slavin recommends.

8. Promote the program.Weekly 'hot job' e-mails combined with e-mails announcing the list of employees who have referred successfully, are great ways to keep momentum strong, Slavin adds.

9. Up the rewards. Slavin encourages employers to offer at least $1,000 per referral. Bonuses for top jobs can go as high as $10,000.

10. Pay it fast. If an employee is entitled to a reward, pay quickly. Don't force employees to follow up on fees that they have earned, Slavin urges.

Source: SHRM / Referral Networks 2001 Employee Referral Program Survey and Joseph Slavin's Building Employee Referral Programs That Work; A Referral Networks White Paper.