Hi there!

1) No, there is no quota for referrals.

2) A referral can be a great instrument that helps you secure an interview invite.

However, it is not a 100% guarantee that you eventually get an offer,

But the question is: How much do you want to get the job? Without any doubt, it is better to provide yourself with a referral for the targeted firm. Otherwise, you can not even get invited.

Was it helpful?

GB

Hi there,

1) Not at all

2) Not at all. Referrals improve your odds, but do not at all gaurantee an interview. Other factors that affect your odds incl level of referer, strength of your application (resume, cover letter, etc.), office needs

Hi there,

there is no quota.

A referral is just a door opener such that the recruiting team will look through your application more thoroughly. Depending on the seniority, tenure and advocacy of the person referring you, you have a better chance of getting a first round interview. The more senior the person referring you is, the better. The longer the tenure of that person with the firm is, the better. 

The reason is that such voices carry more weight than referrals coming from super junior or brand new people. They typically know the HR folks better and have been involved in recruiting activities for a while so it is usually assumed that they have a good grasp of what types of candidates with which sets of qualifications the firm needs. But any referral is better than no referral.

Ideally, you get a referral from someone from the same office (or same country) you are applying to. But again, a referral from someone within the same firm but different country organization is still better than no referral.

A direct rejection after the CV screening stage can still happen - even with a referral. In that case the HR team usually provides some feedback to the person having given the referral. So you should follow up with them to better understand the rationale in case that happens. On the flipside, you can still get an interview invite when you just apply online without a referral - the probability is just lower on average.

And as always, factors such as economic conditions and headcount/budget planning of the individual firm also matter significantly in these decisions - but they are not within your control.

Best

Hello!

My thoughts:

1. Not at all!
2. Not at all, again! it only guarantees that HR will indeed have a look at your CV, instead of it being lost in the "CV black hole". After that, you are just another candidate.

Best,

Clara

There is no quota for referrals. Although a referral does not guarantee an interview, senior referrals (e.g from principals or esp. partners) do carry some weight in getting you that first interview. After that, it is completely dependent on your performance.

It may depend on the firm but at mckisney it's both a no. Frankly, who the referral has very little to do with whether one gets invited for an interview or not. MBBs are far more meritocratic than public belief.

No, there is no quota for referrals. 

Though some offices are getting a bit stricter about the criteria for giving a referral. That's mostly because consultants have a strong incentive to give a referral (they get a bonus if you actually get hired), but too many referrals destroy the whole purpose of using it as a signalling mechanism. 

One referral is enough. It's a question of either having one or not having any. More don't help. 

Sharing two articles on how to get referrals. Hope you'll find them helpful:

• Expert Guide: How To Handle Networking Calls and Get Referrals
• Expert Guide: How To Get Referrals Via LinkedIn? 

Best,
Cristian

No and No. There is no quota, companies are always looking for great people. And a referral does not guarantee an interview. If your profile just doesn't match, even a referral won't help.