Short takes on referrals, job ad timing and recognition from the Humetrics blog:
Employee referrals
In addition to past employer referrals, ask all job applicants for the phone numbers of three people they have worked with who can provide references on the candidate’s work ethic. This not only gives you good reference information, but, more importantly, an opportunity to connect with three more employed people you can ask about your candidate as well as whether they may be interested in exploring employment with your organization.
Timing can make your job stand out
Indeed.com recently published an informative study entitled: Timing Matters in the Job Search that has some interesting applications for employers as well. The short version for those who hire frontline, hourly employees is:
“Those without a four-year degree do most of their searching midday and are comparatively less active weekday evenings. The Sunday evening peak is there, but it’s not as pronounced as with employed and better-educated job seekers.”
Personalize your employee recognition
Add an “Employee Data Sheet” form to the paperwork a new hire completes and use it to find out the person’s favorite candy bar, restaurant, charity, sports team, etc. Then, when you’d like to recognize them for an achievement, you can give them something you know they’ll appreciate.