{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What is an employee referral program?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "A structured system where current employees recommend qualified candidates from their network for open roles — typically supported by incentives for successful hires. It's one of the most cost-effective and high-quality sourcing methods in recruitment."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What makes an employee referral program effective?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Clear communication, a simple referral process, meaningful incentives, and consistent promotion. Programs that are hard to participate in or slow to reward referrers lose momentum quickly."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What are the benefits of an employee referral program?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Faster hiring, lower cost per hire, higher quality of hire, stronger cultural fit, and improved employee engagement. Referred employees also tend to have better retention rates than those sourced through other channels."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How should referral bonuses be structured?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Align incentives with company culture and the effort involved. Monetary bonuses are common, but non-cash rewards — additional leave, experience vouchers, public recognition — can be equally or more motivating depending on your workforce."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "What are the biggest challenges with employee referral programs?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Referral bias and reduced diversity are the most common risks. Counter them with structured screening processes and supplementary diversity-focused sourcing. Keeping long-term participation high also requires regular re-promotion — not a one-time launch."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How is an employee referral program different from a customer referral program?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Employee referral programs source job candidates through staff networks and sit within HR and recruitment strategy. Customer referral programs acquire new customers through client advocacy and sit within sales and marketing strategy. Both use incentives and word-of-mouth — but serve entirely different business goals."
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "How do I track the success of a referral program?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Monitor key metrics including number of referrals submitted, referral-to-hire conversion rate, cost per hire from referrals, time-to-fill for referred roles, and retention rates of referred hires. An ATS with referral tracking features makes this straightforward to manage."
      }
    }
  ]
}