How do you know someone followed up on a referral?

Hi there,

Q: Are you supposed to receive an email after the referral has been made?

It depends on the country and company.

In some cases, HR might send you a link following the referral for you to use when applying. In other cases, they will ask you to apply and to mention the name of the person who referred you in the application. In yet other cases, they might simply call you to invite you for interviews.

As mentioned by Dennis and Ian, if you have a good connection with the person referring you, you could also check with them specifically if any further step is needed from your side.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

In many instances you should, but in others you won't. It truly depends on the company/region.

If the referrer specifically sent you an email/message saying “I have submitted your referral”, then you're good to go.

If, however, they have said “I will submit your referral”, then it's perfectly reasonable to reach out a week or so later and say “just checking. Anything you need from my end or a need to do?”

Hi there!

It depends on the office. 

For most of the big offices, the referral system is automated and you receive an email from the system saying that a referral has been submitted in your name and that now you are invited to apply. 

It doesn't work like that everywhere though. So if you haven't received anything like that, don't assume that the referral didn't go through. Just follow-up with your referrer or HR.

Best,
Cristian

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Hello,

Once it gets close to application time, you usually receive an email from the firm saying that someone referred you and providing a bespoke link which you can use to apply. This is the general process, but it can differ by firm, so I'd recommend checking this with HR at the specific firm you are getting a referral for to confirm.

Hi,

it is often an internal process where the referrer submits something to HR either via email or a specific portal. The person being referred doesn’t necessarily receive an update about this step. So it’s best to check in with the person who offered you a referral to get a status on the process and to see if anything still needs to be done from your end.

Best of luck 

Hi,

During my time at BCG, you would only know if the referral was successful and you were invited to the interview. 

I would suggest following-up politely just to check, beyond that it's pretty much out of your hands.

All the best!