Human Resources
Want More Women Candidates? Ask Employees for More Referrals
Knowledge at WhartonAugust 22, 20263 min read
Executive Take
Referral quotas are a hiring lever, not just a headcount tool. Set higher referral targets and you get a more diverse candidate pool without new recruiting spend.
Executive Summary
A Wharton study found that raising employee referral targets pushed workers to think past their first, usual picks. This wider search brought more women into company recruitment pipelines.
Why It Matters
HR leaders should care because this is a low-cost, evidence-backed fix for referral programs that usually reinforce sameness in hiring. It works by changing behavior, not by adding new sourcing budget.
Bizquad Perspective
Most HR teams treat referral bonuses as a cost lever, missing that the target number itself, not the reward size, is what actually shapes who gets nominated.