I got this by email from someone called Paul Denning, Director of Media Relations at MIT (weird, I don't even know someone at MIT!)
MIT Sloan Assistant Professor of Management Emilio J. Castilla, who specializes in strategic human resource management says:
" The challenge for managers is to use these programs to not only broaden the pool of job applicants, but to continue reaping benefits by keeping people recruited via referrals over time. "When you hire someone who is referred, you are bringing part of the worker's social network into your company," said Castilla. "Employers often forget that when a worker is hired using a referral program, that employee becomes linked and even dependent upon other workers in the organization." Well-managed referral programs can increase productivity and reduce turnover, he said. "When your best employees refer some of their friends, they in turn do some of the screening for you. But while these social connections help companies find applicants and provide difficult-to-obtain and more reliable information on them, what happens if the person doing the referring leaves?
According to our research, the new employee may leave or become less productive if the company does not work to retain the mentor and the other way around. This important social process is often overlooked by managers."
The answer to that question is what users of the Jobster, Linkedin and Doostang services would also have to answer. The research can be found here. Registration required.
Interesting that. Gives new meaning to the phrase "oh you can get into ----- company only if you know someone" :-)
ReplyDeleteBut I think value is added only if the referrals are tested and screened with a level comparable to the non-referred candidates. It should make the interview process lighter, not eliminate it altogether.
My guess is that in a lot of cases, if someone higher up refers a candidate, there is a likely chance that the individual gets in, as long as he is somewhat qualified. I don't want to use the term nepotism, maybe something just this side of it?
Ram's on to something....we too often change the interview approach based on the fact that the person is a "referral." The interview becomes less rigorous - we assume that they know all they need to know about our company because of their contact within the company. Or, for that matter, that we know all that we need to know about them.
ReplyDeleteConsistency is key. When we do the little things right each day, it pays off greatly in the long run.