Reliance on opinions to guide our decisions is a common occurrence in every aspect of our lives. Whether it is purchasing a new product or trying out a new recipe, word-of-mouth often drives our decisions. The same principle can also be applied to recruitment strategies for better hiring. 

Word-of-mouth recruitment is a common way to fill vacancies in a company. Your employees spread the word about the company to others, usually when they’re happy, which attracts more talent. Many organizations leverage the power of social media to create digital employer profiles and appear as good employers for boosting good word-of-mouth. 

Attracting new talent is challenging, especially in today’s competitive market with abundant opportunities. It is essential to understand that just as business leaders rely on peer recommendations for partnerships, so do job seekers in today’s world. Especially as the workforce demographic is gradually being dominated primarily by Gen Z, talent gives preference to the companies recommended by familiar faces and happy employees.

Recruitment strategies are complex to develop, especially as practices pan out differently for every business. Having reliable tools for recruitment is of great importance, which is why having word-of-mouth recruitment as a part of your business strategy is crucial. 

In this article, we will talk about the key points you can implement in your business strategy to successfully leverage word-of-mouth recruitment for outstanding results. Let’s take a look. 

Use online platforms to attract reviews. 

Candidate and employee reviews are essential to attract prospective applicants. You can share excellent reviews given by happy candidates and employees on your social media platforms to boost good word-of-mouth. 

Use online platforms like Google My Business and Yelp to set up your business profile and share that link with your employees or other stakeholders. Allow them to give honest feedback and stay active in regularly replying to the reviews you receive. It becomes easier for happy candidates to leave reviews which ultimately boosts your market reputation to attract more talent.

Ask for candidate testimonials.

Testimonials from candidates who had positive experiences with your organization can truly help generate good word of mouth. Forward these testimonials to your marketing teams for converting them into catching content for your social media platforms. This strategy can help you recruit excellent talent in today’s digital-native generation.

Testimonials help you attract new clients as well as new talent. When people see authentic first-hand reviews about your business, it acts as a great selling point. So, you must keep a well-organized record of candidate testimonials and combine them with the power of the digital world by posting them on your online platforms in the form of engaging content. 

Invest in building a good company culture. 

Defining your brand and culture is an essential trick to make word-of-mouth recruitment work. You cannot expect it to produce desirable results if you continue with hostile and unwelcoming company culture. 

Today’s workforce places great importance on a company’s culture while choosing among opportunities. In fact, turnover due to poor culture can cost losses worth billions of dollars. If your existing employees don’t like the company culture, they won’t spread good word-of-mouth. 

You must invest time in building a good company culture. Demonstrating integrity, enforcing employee-friendly policies, conducting regular informal get-togethers, creating a welcoming & trustworthy environment, and actively promoting a healthy work-life balance are some practices that can help you build a good company culture. Such practices genuinely help you boost an honestly positive word-of-mouth that attracts and retains more talent.

Start referral programs.

Referral programs help incentivize your employees to attract new talent. These incentives can be in the form of a bonus cheque, a vacation, extra paid holidays, or other perks. It boosts your search for new talent, as your employees proactively work on finding compatible candidates for you. 

You must understand that referral programs don’t replace the importance of a good culture. A welcoming environment is one of the ultimate selling points of your business. Even if your employees proactively work on word-of-mouth recruitment, it won’t produce desirable results if your company culture lacks in any way. Having a good culture simplifies the job for your employees who are trying to leverage word-of-mouth recruitment tactics to attract talent, and referral programs just give it a much-needed push to accelerate the process. 

CONCLUSION

Word-of-mouth recruitment works in two ways – it promotes your business while finding you exceptional talent. By using different strategies to build a diverse workforce with differently talented employees, you can ensure optimal productivity and steady growth of your business. 

However, it is also crucial not to depend solely on word-of-mouth recruitment. It should always be combined with other recruitment strategies; otherwise, it can limit your talent pool. People usually stay in touch with like-minded people, and that’s whom they refer in case of openings. This can restrict your workforce and eliminate the options of diversifying talent. 

Investing in building a good company culture, starting referral programs, asking for candidate testimonials, and leveraging the power of online platforms are vital points you can implement in your business strategy to implement word-of-mouth recruitment successfully. Additionally, you can also encourage employee advocacy to facilitate fruitful word-of-mouth recruitment. If you realize that good word-of-mouth is attracting more talent and customers, you must continually undertake practices to prove the narrative. If you fail to maintain consistency in your practices, word-of-mouth recruitment results will be short-lived.