Recruitment and recommendations go hand-in-hand. Where would your company be if it didn’t have a constant flow of referrals for prospective employees? On the flip side, who would want to work with you if negative reviews were floating around Glassdoor and LinkedIn?
As recruiters, we spend a great deal of time locating the perfect match for our company. But, do we truly respect the power of recommendations and how they impact our day to day activities?
Experts have shown “a 7 percent increase in word-of-mouth advocacy unlocks 1 percent additional company growth,” according to Advocacy Drives Growth, by Fred Reichheld, and Paul Marsden.
Our research (see graphic) digs deeper into this word-of-mouth advocacy and provides thought-provoking insights around how these recommendations shape the way we view brands and companies.
These results around consumer brand recommendations can be directly applied across all channels of HR and recruitment. We know all companies want a positive review from employees, but how do we get there? And what does that look like?
Recruiting is a two way street. When you setup an interview with a prospective hire, keep in mind that they’re interviewing you and the company just as much as you’re interviewing them. With the widespread prevalence of social media, job seekers have an informed perspective on every aspect of your company. What’s the culture like? Is this company healthy and growing? How have past employees been treated?
All of these questions and much more are being evaluated via offline and online channels every day. Through social, job seekers aren’t afraid to tap into their connections and, as proven in the survey results, they can trust that these recommendations from family, friends, and peers are reliable.
In this era of always-on connectivity and ubiquitous information, as a recruiter, communicate openly and honestly with every interviewee — always keeping in mind the power of word-of-mouth with the knowledge that recommendations can reach a global audience in an instant.