Do you have problems with motivating a great potential employee to work for you? There are many things you can offer to such a candidate to stop hesitating. One of the most effective motivators, however, is to simultaneously hire a close colleague or friend for him to work with. This method of recruitment is called "buddy system". As you probably guess, the word "buddy" means a friend, a mate.
The Buddy system has already proved successful when used in the US army and large corporations. Now, however, the ideal time has come for this system to be used in companies of all sizes and types of industries. John Sullivan writes about it in his recent article on TLNT.com. "Once hiring managers find out about this option, they are enthusiastic about using it. And incidentally, if you want to go up to the next level in hiring people who have can effectively work together, consider “team lift outs,” where you hire an entire intact team at once, and acquit-hiring, where you buy a small firm primarily for its already cohesive talent", added Sullivan.
Buddy system advantages
The first, already mentioned advantage is increasing the motivation of potential employees to work for you. Who would not want to work with his best friend or a colleague he already collaborates well with? Google, for example, shows job candidates the profiles of their future colleagues and the buddy system goes even one step further. When a potential employee receives an offer to be hired with a colleague, he is usually initially surprised and then excited. The offer also reduces the stress around working in a new environment with new people.
When there is a lack of talents for certain positions, the possibility of hiring two equally good employees is like killing two birds with one stone. Hiring two employees instead of one may seem too expensive, but you should balance it with the cost you can save when trying to find and retain a similar expert.
Buddy system in practice
- First, make sure that the opportunity of being hired with a colleague is really of interest to your potential employees.
- Offer this option only to high-priority roles to the functioning of a team / company.
- Offer this option only to exceptional talents.
- Do not reduce your requirements for the position.
- Do not worry about a drop in performance due to hiring two people.
- Do not worry about possible favoritism toward the simultaneously hired colleague. In most cases, this does not occur.
- Do not guarantee the newly hired colleagues to work in the same team or on the same project for more than one year.
- Let both the colleagues independently choose and shape their work.
- Consider offering the possibility of choosing their future boss.
- You do not have to hire both the new employees at the same time.
- Measure the effectiveness of your buddy program. Does it provide more-quality hires and return on investment?
Do you have practical experience with this type of recruitment?
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