Employee Referrals are regarded as one of the best ways to get quality applicants. Whether you chose to build a program through email, social media, or by simply posting flyers in your office to solicit them, there are some general guidelines you should follow to ensure that you continue to get them.

1. You must respond to all of your referrals. These are your employees’ friends and connections – don’t abuse them, and don’t waste them. Otherwise, your employees won’t refer any more candidates to you. It would also reflect poorly on you, your business, and the person making the referral – actually creating an un-referral, where the person who received the referral highlights their poor experience with your company to their peers. Although it’s a good practice to give every candidate a great experience, it is more important to respond to referrals than ordinary applicants.
2. Keep your employees involved in the process. Notify them of each step in the hiring process so they know if you're collecting applications for a week, starting phone screens in two weeks, and interviewing in three. Let your employees know if their contact has (or has not) expressed interest in the job.
3. If your employees refer someone that’s not a great fit, help them understand, more clearly, what you’re looking for so they can help you find better matches in the future. They can't help you out if they don't know what you're looking for.