Move over traditional workplace communication methods, there’s a new player in town: Enterprise social networks. And if you aren't leveraging them in your employee referral program, you could be missing out on one of the most powerful tools your company has in the battle to snag top talent.
Last year, Deloitte predicted that just over 90% of Fortune 500 companies would have partially or fully implemented an enterprise social network by the end of 2013. Incorporating hints of familiar platforms like Facebook and Twitter, enterprise social networks help your employees increase efficiency as well as stay engaged in their day-to-day activities.
Here's how to take your enterprise social network one step further: Use the platform — which is already a user-friendly interface that your workers are familiar with — in your employee referral program. Referrals are one of the top sources of hire, and can be revved up by incorporating them into an already-existing enterprise social network. In addition, many of these networks (Yammer, for example) are free, so utilizing them to boost your employee referrals is well worth your time.
Here are a few ways to leverage your existing enterprise social network with an employee referral program.

Image: Flickr, TEDxCanberra
Enterprise social networks are typically user-friendly, so it's important to maintain the platform's simplicity by integrating an employee referral program seamlessly. For example, placing single sign-ons, referrer tracking and job listings all in one place allows workers to refer candidates easily and also encourages participation, as workers already know how to navigate through the system.
Typically, employee referral programs include elements such as rewards or achievements, which can be automatically shared on enterprise social networks. Again, a major benefit of this is that users don’t have to go back and forth between systems; everything is housed in one place, which keeps users informed, allows for easy achievement tracking and heightens employee morale.
In addition, you can design your referral program to include gamification elements. Gamification, the use of game mechanics and game design techniques in non-game contexts, can boost the program even further. Simply having a leaderboard that shows the status of current referrers can nab the attention of your employees — this type of system encourages team members to get involved because they can see who’s doing what and determine who’s "winning," as well as devise ways to move up in the ranks.

Image: Flickr, Coal Miki
Mobile is the way of the workforce these days. In fact, 30 million Americans work remotely at least one day a week. If your enterprise social network doesn’t allow your workers to refer via a mobile device, you may be losing qualified leads.
For the best possible outcome of your employee referral program, make sure your enterprise social network gives your mobile workers the chance to participate. This may mean tweaking your system to include elements such as a mobile employee referral portal, or a mobile career site. Regardless, the more access you give your workforce — particularly those who are remote — the greater the chance you have to land the top talent.
Privacy is vital, especially when data collection is involved. This becomes particularly important when utilizing social recruiting, which allows you to use social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn to find great hires. To assuage your employees' fears of invasion of privacy, you'll need to communicate your commitment to protecting their personal information.
There a few ways to do this, including requiring a secure login, ensuring data collection will only occur with an employee's approval, and never asking employees for their passwords (which is a violation of privacy, as well as illegal in many places — not to mention that it discourages participation).
The number one goal in every employee referral program is high quality engagement. If you're using an enterprise social network, seamlessly weaving your employee referral program into it can have a substantially positive impact on your referral hires.
What are some ways your company leverages enterprise social networks in your employee referral program? Tell us in the comments.
The Mashable Job Board connects job seekers across the U.S. with unique career opportunities in the digital space. While we publish a wide range of job listings, we have selected a few job opportunities from the past several weeks to help get you started. Happy hunting!
Head of Telesales (Outbound Centers) at yp in Atlanta, Ga.
Big Data Sr. Engineer at American Express in New York, N.Y.
Social Media Marketing Manager at Caudalie in New York, N.Y.

Ziv Eliraz is the Founder and CEO of Zao, a social employee referral management platform. Connect with Ziv and Zao on Facebook, T...More