Alumni program or Boomerang Recruiting

Crisis time, economic downturn is all we hear these days. Many companies are less occupied recruiting and more involved with mobility management in order to make sure the best people are staying at the right place in the organization. Are we still thinking about a future comeback of the market. Preventing real talent from leaving has become a bigger concern these days. Unfortunately not all companies can escape this tycoon and people made redundant seems to be unavoidable. Good employers arrange for outplacement possibilities and redundancy packages, however do they also think about the future? Of course not! That is, I expect that the majority of companies don’t. We are having problems now and so we act accordingly, now. Mostly without thinking about the future or at least not over a term of more than 1 or 2 years. After all there is a crisis going on and it is hectic! Jobs that have to be made redundant within a company in a free-fall economy are like lead in a sinking ship. Clean up now and patch up later.
However it would be wise (of course) to take time and set up a good re-hire or alumni program (a.k.a. ‘boomerang recruitment’). After rain there will be sunshine and the market will make a come back eventually. Whether it will be in 2009, 2010 or even later it does not matter. The past few years most companies have invested in recruiting campagnes and a ‘company brand’ in order to attract most current employees. When companies are now at the eve of massive layoffs or are already in the middle of it, they must consider the wasted money invested in these same employees. A good alumni program can ensure that these investments do not go to waste completely. It gives the opportunity to re-hire employees that have had to leave your company.

What is the purpose of an Alumni program?
This kind of program allows management to consciously think about and consider investments made in employees that will leave the company. The goal is to establish a relationship with these people or better to continue your relationship with these people in order to re-hire them when the time is right. This requires time and effort to set up with quality, however the returns are immediately visible when the market comes back.
The second goal is to keep a positive brand recognition as an employer. Even after it is forced into massive layoffs.
With today’s technology it is easier to set up a kind of program and achieve an ROI. Or even better without the current technology, Social Media, you should not even try. Even you would really like to take this ahead you can set up a website specifically for your company’s alumni and present a full program. This may include:

• the latest developments of the company


• the status of the recruitment and hiring policy


• events at which ex-employees could be involved


• industrial developments


• innovations in specific products, industry or business processes, provided this can be release on this format


• benchmarking and best practices


• portals with opportunities for updating work experience and education on a personal profile as well as a vacancy overview when you start hiring again.

Other benefits
Many employees remain within the same industry or within the same corporate chain. By maintaining good contacts, these people serve as ambassadors or prospect anchors for your existing business. The creation of a strategic partnerships page within the alumni support program may even give additional benefits.

Key differentiators for success
A few key items of importance in the set up of an Alumni program are:

• to use technology and social media


• create a strong business case. It should be an initiative with a business approach (ROI) and not just an interpretation of an HR trend.


• regularly evaluate on the basis of statistics and key indicators


• ensure a full program and in depth content for your target group otherwise you are doomed to fail.

As you can tell a farewell does not have to be permanent. With good policies and a structured program it can actually bear fruit. PeopleXS can always give advice or help you develop a plan. If needed in collaboration with one of our communication partners.

(source: ERE)