How to Generate Referrals Through Your Careers Page

Open referral programs in recruitment

More and more employers are opting for open referral programs, engaging not only their employees but also people from outside the organization – including candidates applying for their job openings, and even potential candidates visiting their Careers page.

The Careers page as a source of knowledge about the employer

According to eRecruiter's findings, as many as half of all candidates treat the Careers page as their primary source of knowledge about an employer. At the same time, GoldenLine reports that as many as 59% of candidates have turned down an offer because they felt they knew too little about their future workplace. For any employer planning to recruit intensively, a Careers page is therefore a necessity. Information about the company, the stages of the recruitment process, available benefits – each of these things must be part of the company website.

The potential of referral programs

The importance candidates attach to the Careers tab, and the resulting traffic they generate, creates considerable potential for open, publicly accessible referral programs. Simply put: there is an opportunity to convert website visitors not only into applicants, but also into people who refer job openings to their friends. In this way, an employer reaches with their job postings not only potential candidates, but also their personal networks.

A dedicated referral section on the Careers page

For a company that runs an open referral program, it should therefore be obvious to include a dedicated section or tab on the Careers page devoted to referrals. It should clearly communicate two key pieces of information:

• What does the candidate referral process look like?
• What is the reward for a successful referral?

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The reward is not the only motivator

Naturally, the reward is not the only factor that should encourage people to refer. Ideally, the entire Careers page should be written with the referrer in mind just as much as the candidate. A visitor to the page should get a clear answer to the question: why should I recommend this company to a friend or family member? Although every case is highly individual, a few good practices can nevertheless be identified.

Good practices in referral programs

1. Candidate experience – If the page is clear and full of useful information, and the application process and communication with the employer are stress-free, we significantly increase the chances that a candidate will refer a friend.
2. Seamless integration of the Careers page with the referral program – Let the referrer move easily from the Careers page to the referral program, where they can make a referral in 30 seconds.
3. Engaging communication – Make the candidate genuinely think how pleasant it would be to start a new job with a familiar face by their side. Appeal to the desire to help others, which we can further reinforce by offering the option to donate all or part of the reward to charity.
4. Social proof – Put simply: if others are doing it, it must be something good. If we have statistics on our referrals, let's showcase them – this is exactly what Dell in the US does with great success. Publish testimonials from referrers who have recommended their friends to us.
5. Building the image of an employer worth recommending – Show the awards and distinctions received in employer rankings. Share employee testimonials – especially from those who joined us thanks to referrals.

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Referral programs without a Careers page

Paradoxically, the opportunities described above are by no means closed to companies that do not have a Careers page. For many of them, the referral program has become their Careers page! Based on the standard referral application template offered by ShareHire, you get all the basic components of such a website: job offers with a search engine, an employer profile, photo galleries and videos, the option to add information about the team, benefits, the recruitment process, and so on. In this way, smaller organizations can get a complete package: a referral program, a Careers page, and a built-in ATS, allowing them to effectively collect not only applications but also referrals.

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• GoldenLine survey conducted among users, November 2017

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