Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by janbernhart 4291 days ago
The scientific (though old) answer is that 1) referred candidates stay longer 2) referred candidates are better informed and so more likely to succeed at the interviews, which means less time waste for the employer 3) referring employees stay longer for they feel 'responsible' for the referred candidate for some time

(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Granovetter)

Adding the cost aspect, it's clear why companies like referral programs