Employee Referral Programs: If You’re Not Mobile, You’re Missing Out

The recruitment world has come a long way in the past few years. From using innovative hiring techniques to social recruiting, gaining the best candidates for the job has never been more streamlined.

In addition, if you have resources like a referral program, the job of finding the best of the best has now been put in the hands of your network. No one knows you better than those you keep in close company, which is why referrals are continually touted as the No. 1 source of hire.

There’s no doubt employee referral programs are a great resource. But there is one thing that could greatly improve your program.

Yes, I’m talking about mobile.

Mobile can streamline the process for those who are doing the hard work for you. The fact is, if your employee referral program doesn’t include mobile, you’re stuck in the dark ages and limiting the types of referrals you receive.

When you decide to get started with a mobile referral program, you need to be aware of some key drivers that can steer you to success.

1. Mobile career sites

Your first step should be to create a mobile career site. This is where your employees can point qualified applicants to you should they be interested in the job. With many referrals using mobile devices — such as tablets and smartphones — to seek out these opportunities, it’s in your best interest to ensure your career site is mobile compatible.

Here’s what happens if your career site isn’t compatible on mobile devices: An employee takes the time to match the job description to someone in their network. The candidate, who’s not by a computer, checks out the opportunity on their tablet.

However, they run into a roadblock. The job description doesn’t show up properly, the links don’t work, and they can’t move on to the application process. Instead of pursuing the opportunity, they give up. In just a few minutes, you’ve missed out on a qualified candidate, all because the referral process didn’t point the lead to a site that’s efficient.

2. Mobile referral program applications

Let’s look at the referral process from the perspective on your team.

You may have employees all over the country, maybe even all over the globe. Essentially, remote workers do not have the same access to certain technologies that in-house employees do. So, if you want your workers to utilize an employee referral program in your recruitment strategy, you’re alienating those who just so happen to be working on-the-go or remotely.

You can solve this by using mobile referral 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.

Even if you don’t have remote employees, mobile referral applications will still allow them to immediately refer contacts when they’re in meetings, at industry events, or whenever they see a fitting opportunity.

3. Text and push notifications

While it may be an unconventional approach, text and push notifications can keep your employees on track.

If they’re on-the-go or have a lot on their plates, they may not remember to visit your employee referral program regularly. Text and push notifications are key drivers that can assist your network to stay active and engaged in the program.

Keep this in mind, though: Employees should be given the chance to sign up for these notifications. Although work has extended into life, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) is prominent, and the 9-to-5 lifestyle may not exist in many industries, it doesn’t mean they need alerts at all hours of the day on their mobile devices.

Instead, give employees options of when to receive notifications during regular intervals, such as when jobs become available, if they are close to receiving a reward, or if you need more information about a candidate.

Implementing mobile into your referral program ensures you’re bringing an effective recruitment tool into the 21st century. Use these key drivers to enhance your candidate acquisition strategy and boost your employee referral program through mobile devices.

Do you have an employee referral program? What are some other key drivers to an effective mobile referral program?