'Find an Original' and pocket some CA$H

Wynell Lauver is communications consultant for Human Resources

Since Emory’s CA$H employee referral program was implemented two years ago, more than 500 successful referrals have been hired within the University and hospitals. To continue the momentum, the program has been expanded to encompass all five entities: Emory University, Emory Hospitals, the Emory Children’s Center, the Emory Clinic and Wesley Woods Center. A new name, “Find an Original,” has been coined for this word-of-mouth recruitment strategy.

It was word of mouth that brought Chicago native Theresa Simmons to Emory 12 years ago. “A friend’s aunt worked at Emory and suggested I apply here,” Simmons said. “I started as a secretary in Emory’s police department. Even though I have a computer science degree, once I had a taste of law enforcement, I decided to switch careers, go to the academy and became a police officer. I’m now an officer in crime prevention.”

Because of the growth opportunity she has found, Theresa readily recommends Emory to everyone she knows. “I tell people that even though you may start out with a little lower pay, you can quickly catch up,” she said. “There are so many opportunities here—opportunities to advance, opportunities to increase your income.”

Indeed, it was growth opportunity—and word of mouth—that brought Tangy Toliver here just a year ago. By referring Toliver, Simmons pocketed nearly $250 and helped Emory find an original.

“Theresa’s sister and I were roommates,” Toliver said. “At the time, I was temping at another company where I was about to accept a full-time position when Theresa told me about Emory. She introduced me to Donna Crabb, [program development coordinator in employment]. There were several opportunities for which I qualified, but the one I was most interested in was a secretarial position with information technologies services in the School of Medicine.

“Three days after my interview, I was offered the job,” Toliver continued. “On my first day, I walked into a department that had only a telephone and one computer. There was no ‘staff’—just me, my boss and one director. Since then, we’ve grown from four to 20 in just a year! It’s provided a wonderful environment for me to enhance my IT skills. I’ve chosen desktop support, which is the first of many paths I want to explore.”

The referral process is easy. Look for posters featuring the referral forms that must be completed and stapled to an applicant’s resume or application. The forms also are available in Human Resources.
The guidelines are straightforward:

• If you refer a candidate, you will receive $250 (before applicable taxes) if the candidate is hired and remains in the position for at least 90 days.

• Select clinical positions and/or position categories carry a $500 (before applicable taxes) referral bonus if the candidate is hired. These include registered nurses (all job classes), pharmacists (all job classes), clinical nutritionists, laboratory technologists, Cyto techs, radiology technologists, nuclear cardiology, cardiac cath techs, medical records coders and respiratory therapists.

“Employees are a great source for identifying good candidates—many of our best candidates heard about us from an Emory employee,” said Del King, director of employment services. “Offering a referral bonus is our way of showing appreciation.”

An employee can refer as many qualified applicants as he or she likes. In fact, Simmons soon will be collecting another bonus for referring her sister, who recently joined Emory.

“I feel like I’ve led a charmed life here at Emory, so it’s easy for me to refer friends and family,” Simmons said. “ I simply give them an application with a referral form already attached. That way they can fill it out along with their application and submit everything at one time. Once they come on board and stay for 90 days, I receive the money. But really, I’d recommend Emory with or without the reward.”

Universities employees wishing to learn more about the referral program should visit http://emory.hr.emory.edu/HR/employment.nsf or call 404-727-7611.

Employees of the hospitals, Emory Clinic, Wesley Woods or the Emory Children’s Center should contact their human resources representative.