Why we start with referrals
Referred applicants are about 5.5× more likely to get hired.
In CareerPlug's 2025 hiring data, referrals made up 2% of applicants but 11% of hires. Eleven divided by two is 5.5: a referred applicant was about 5.5 times as likely to be hired as the average applicant.
The numbers
2% of applicants came through a referral.
11% of people hired came through a referral.
CareerPlug puts it at about 10 times the hire rate of applicants from job boards.
Sources
- CareerPlug, 2025 Recruiting Metrics Report (PDF). Referrals were about 2% of applicants and 11% of hires. The data comes from employers using CareerPlug's hiring software, mostly small and mid-sized businesses, so treat the exact figure as a guide.
- Brown, Setren and Topa, "Do Informal Referrals Lead to Better Matches? Evidence from a Firm's Employee Referral System", Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Report 568, published in the Journal of Labor Economics (2016). Referred candidates were more likely to be hired, and stayed with the company longer.
How JobQue uses this
On your first day, we ask where your friends, family and former colleagues work, and we watch those companies first. Tell us who you know there, and when a role opens we'll remind you to ask them for a referral before you apply.