When friends become colleagues – Jobs for Friends at GEZE

Simon Deimling © GEZE GmbH

When Simon Deimling used the Jobs for Friends programme, he gained a new colleague by welcoming his friend Eric Baufeld to the company. A little time later, Eric Baufeld made use of J4F himself, bringing his brother Sven on board as part of the GEZE team. In this interview, the trio tell us about the benefits of this modern recruitment initiative.

You’ve all had experience of the J4F programme, either by referring someone or by being referred. What do you think are the benefits of the programme?

Simon Deimling: GEZE employees know their own private and professional networks better than anyone else, so they know who would be an ideal fit for a vacancy. It’s a clear win-win situation: the employee gets a bonus and GEZE gets a suitable applicant. Another major benefit is the fact that existing employees can provide far more detailed and authentic information about the company and specific departments than classic job descriptions or portals. They often just contain very general statements.

Eric Baufeld: Exactly. As a potential applicant, you have access to information first-hand that might not necessarily be listed on the website. This means you can get a better idea of the role and the company in advance. Plus, joining the company through the referral programme means you already know some employees as soon as you start work, so you have a contact you trust. In addition, J4F really covers all roles, not just the positions that are difficult to fill – no matter how long the vacancy has been listed.

Sven Baufeld: For me, another major benefit is that you already know each other and get along well. That strengthens team spirit at work.

Eric Baufeld © Karin Fiedler / GEZE GmbH

Was there anything that went particularly well?

Simon Deimling: Eric and I already knew each other outside of work, so now we’re even more closely connected professionally. It’s brought us closer together. Sometimes colleagues become friends, and sometimes friends become colleagues.

Sven Baufeld: I got a great new job without having to put in a massive amount of extra work. I trust Eric, which made it much easier to settle in and find my feet here.

Do you think the programme has any drawbacks? If yes, what are they?

Eric Baufeld: No, because the ultimate responsibility lies with the managers and HR. A few of my colleagues in my team have also used J4F in the past and so far our experiences have been only positive.

Did you experience any hurdles, problems or concerns? If so, how did you manage to counter or handle them?

Sven Baufeld: No, there weren’t any. I was happy to move to North Rhine-Westphalia for the position at GEZE.

Simon Deimling: I didn’t have any concerns because I was convinced about the referral. GEZE is an economically stable company, so I can say that potential applicants have nothing to fear when it comes to changing jobs and becoming part of the GEZE team.

Eric Baufeld: No, I trust the structures within the company. But I can imagine that there could be a certain degree of inhibition, because if you only know someone privately then you don’t know how they act at work. However, the fear that this would come back to affect you negatively is unfounded. As I mentioned before, it’s other people who make the final decision about recruitment.