Monster Advertises New Social Connections

Think of it as a Facebook-connection for job-seekers and employers alike. Almost a year after launching BeKnown, its Facebook-based business network and competitor to BranchOut, Monster is now enabling its network members to see who they know at companies offering jobs on Monster.com.

IT'S SIMPLE: Job seekers searching Monster are invited to “See who you know.” A click pops up a list of their BeKnown connections who work at that particularcompany. Those not already on BeKnown get an invitation to join, needing only a Facebook login. So what if you do not have a Facebook account (as some of us out there shockingly do not); yet again, simple: create one.

The advantage for job seekers is obvious. Getting inside a company with a personal connection and recommendation is so far superior to merely clicking the “Apply” button that it makes the latter only a little better than buying a lottery ticket. For employers, the advantages aren’t quite as obvious, but they are there. For one, employee referrals are generally better qualified, so it helps the cream rise to the top. It’s also an opportunity for Monster clients to use their employees’ connections to reach better candidates, something that Jobvite has now been doing for years.

There's got to be a cost, right? WRONG-O! This feature is absolutely free! A win-win for job-seekers and employers alike.

Effective Employee Referrals? Really?!

They say the way to get places these days is by knowing people. They also say that conversation is better by the water cooler than through emails. This could very well prove to be true, especially in the business world. So who exactly are they and how do they know so much?
Employee referrals are possibly more effective than we are led to believe. CareerXroads now brings forth evidence that hires from employee referrals are under-counted. Over the years we have all accepted that the average number of hires from employee referrals was somewhere in the ballpark of SHRM's 24% (for non-exempt positions) to about a third.

“Referrals permeate the recruiting process more than we think,” says recruiting consultant Gerry Crispin, a CareerXroads, principal.

Big or small, two-thirds of the respondents offer a bonus for every referral hire. Most common (44%) is $500 for a non-exempt hire. One-in-five will pay $1,000 and a few more (28%) will pay that for difficult to fill non-exempt positions.

Interesting concept that's widely happening at many companies. Hmmm, do you know anyone that you would like to refer to your current company? Their just might be a bonus in it for you.


via: http://www.ere.net/2012/01/31/employee-referrals-may-be-even-more-effective-than-we-think/