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Ask new hires for referrals in their frst week since they
likely left a place with a group of employees with talent
you want
Develop a referral committee of proactive, assertive
workers who move about the community, commit to
provide referrals and urge peers to do the same
Hold managers accountable for securing 3-5 referrals
from their teams each month
Double the standard reward or referral incentive for
employees once they have made a pre-determined
number of successful referrals within a year
Offer rewards to HR representatives, executives, vendors
and even customers
Pay the taxes on the reward so winners get the full
amount versus a reduced amount
And target employees who represent good work and
long tenure
Solid research and company best practices tell us over and
over that referrals are more likely to be hired and stay longer.
In one study they even worked for less money. There is far
too much potential company wealth here to coast along with
your father`s referral program. Think bigger!
Idea #2: Develop realistic job previews
Why is it that referrals stay longer? One reason is they know
the job better than other applicants because they`ve heard
about the specifc duties from someone who does it. Realistic
job previews (RJPs) are under-used and under-appreciated
methods for reducing turnover because many applicants are
eager to do your job until they actually do it, and then they
quit and cause dreaded early turnover.
RJPs must smack the senses! Telling an applicant he
must work in muddy conditions cannot make nearly the
same impact as putting on boots and walking him through
By Richard P. Finnegan
Imagine if you could freeze all the ways you recruit and hire,
and instead could re-start with a marker, a white board, and
your own good ideas. What would you do differently?
The following are the frst ideas I would write on that board.
Some are new and some sound like clichs, but they make
this list because I know frst-hand that they absolutely lead
to attracting candidates who meet the two most important
criteria: they perform well and they stay.
Idea #1: Fully utilize employee referrals
While this idea is not new, consider fresh ways to make
referrals work. Gone is the old thinking such as mentioning
a referral program and accompanying reward on HR posters
and newsletters. New ways include:
Set a goal that 50% of all new hires will come via
referrals and then hold someone accountable for
achieving that goal
Try These 4 Ways to Improve Recruiting and
RetentionBecause Your Competition Wont
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Idea #3: Add retention-related
interview questions
Our fourth idea happens during interviews, where we
suggest you add a question or two specifcally about turnover.
Here is an example related to turnover issues due to hard,
physical work:
"We don`t have a lot of turnover here but when we do, the
greatest reason is because we all pitch in and work very,
very hard. This job requires major-league energy for eight
hours each day. Those who can`t keep up with others or
who tend to dodge physical labor are shunned by others
and their working relationships are negatively affected.
The greatest badge of respect here is hard, manual work.
If you are looking for a job where you never wake up with
sore muscles, you should say 'no` to us because this is
not the job for you. Tell me how you feel about working
with the energy that I`ve described."
Think of this question as just one example of a realistic job
preview. The question is tucked inside the interview but is
delivered with direct language, solid eye contact and in a
clear and convincing style.
Idea #4: Make commitment-driven job offers
Whereas the old job offer method was: "Here`s the job and
the money, please come work with us," the new method is:
"Only come work with us if you are truly committed."
Ask those who make job offers to use a script like this:
I have great news. Weve all decided that you are
a perfect ft for our team and Im calling to offer you a
position with our company. The job we are offering
is ____, the pay is $____, and here are other important
things you should know _____.
As you think about our offer, I want you to consider the
following because I only want you to say yes if you are
the mud. Telling someone they must work long hours on
holidays and weekends pales compared to showing them an
actual employee`s schedule and then having that employee
describe in person how many family birthdays he`s missed.
Telling someone they must sit in a chair for eight hours
can be underscored by showing four pictures of a peer
employee that are stamped with the same date and different
times. Saying an applicant must wear safety equipment
has little impact versus asking the applicant to put on that
safety equipment.
The important feature of RJPs is they must scare away 20%
of your applicants, so you must read faces and voices to
measure how much they will really like the job. Those 20%
would have quit in their frst month anyway so any fltering out
you do is a win-win.
Recruiting & Retention
3
Recruiting & Retention
You might change a detail or two such as the length of
time you ask them to stay, but the purpose of the script is
to ensure that a new hire feels committed to stay from day
one. Be careful to avoid any language that implies a contract
such as, "We will always have a job for you." Develop a script
you like, ask those who make offers to stick closely to it, and
know that anyone who decides not to join is a sure sign that
this method works.
Each of these four ideas will improve hiring and cut turnover.
Developing employee referrals, adding a realistic job preview,
and including retention-related interview questions each
require multiple steps to plan and execute. But changing
your job-offer method can happen tomorrow. Move quickly
to shore up your hiring methods and you will bring on
employees who stay longer and perform better.
All data referenced here is from the authors book,
Rethinking Retention in Good Times and Bad.
About Rigzone
Rigzone is the #1 resource for fnding and hiring pre-qualifed
Oil & Gas professionals. Industry leaders like Chevron,
Fluor and Halliburton save time sifting through the clutter of
unqualifed candidates with Rigzone - accessing 1.2 million
candidates across more than 200 Oil & Gas skill types -
upstream and downstream, onshore and offshore, all over
the world.
Dick Finnegan is the CEO of C-Suite Analytics and can be reached at
DFinnegan@C-SuiteAnalytics.com. More information is available at
www.C-SuiteAnalytics.com.
really committed to us. First of all, we will invest $____ to
train you and get you job-ready. You probably wont be
ready to fully contribute until youve been here at least
three months. So as much as we want you to accept
our offer, you will only be a good investment to us if you
stay here at least two or more years. We know we have
responsibilities to help you stay, too. But we only want
your yes if you see no obstacles at this time to your
staying at least that two years or longer. So you should
think about if you might leave this area, go back to school,
or any other decision that would require you to quit your
job with us.
In fact, why dont you think about this overnight? Weve
taken our time to make a decision and you should take
your time as well, to determine if your commitment to us
is as strong as ours will be to you. How does that sound?
What time should I call you tomorrow?
1.800.503.0925 x2012 employers@rigzone.com www.rigzone.com
5870 Hwy 6 North Suite 107 Houston, TX 77084
Rigzone is a service of Dice Holdings, Inc
For a quick quote on posting your jobs at Rigzone or to gain access to our
resume database email employers@rigzone.com or call 1.800.503.0925 x2012.