How to Get an EY Employee Referral

EY hires at enormous volume across service lines — which makes referrals less about access and more about speed. A referred application simply moves first.

Find Contacts Who Can Refer You

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Example result

Someone who works at EY

surfaced from your school or a past employer

🎓 Shared school · 💼 Shared past employer

“Hi — we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to EY before I apply…”

By the Numbers

~400K

EY people globally

Big Four

assurance, consulting, tax, strategy

Constant

hiring across service lines

EY is one of the Big Four professional-services networks, hiring tens of thousands of people a year across assurance (audit), consulting, tax, and strategy & transactions (including EY-Parthenon). Volume is the defining feature: reqs are plentiful, applicant pools are huge, and recruiting runs on process.

The referral program is formal, portal-based, and bonus-backed — and heavily used, because referred candidates are processed faster and flagged to the relevant practice recruiter. For experienced hires especially, a referral plus a precise practice match (e.g., "tech risk in financial services, Chicago") collapses the funnel dramatically.

How to Get a Referral: Step by Step

Find EY contacts in your target practice: Use FindWarmIntros to surface alumni at EY — with 400,000 people globally, nearly every school network reaches inside.
Pick service line and industry: Assurance, consulting (tech, people, risk), tax, and EY-Parthenon strategy are different firms in practice. Referrals must land in the right one.
Match level honestly: Staff/senior/manager mapping matters; your referrer can calibrate where your experience actually slots before you apply.
Time around busy season: Audit-side conversations stall January–April; consulting hires follow project demand. Ask your contact when their practice is actually staffing.
Apply with the referral attached: EY's portal links referrals at submission; coordinate so your contact submits before or as you apply.

Find Alumni Who Can Refer You

Tips That Make the Difference

EY-Parthenon is a separate game

The strategy arm recruits MBB-style — case interviews, tighter pipelines, distinct recruiters. A Parthenon referral is the valuable one for strategy candidates; a general EY referral does not reach it.

Experienced hires move fastest

Big Four lateral hiring is perpetual; certifications (CPA, CISA, cloud credentials) plus a referral routinely produce interviews within weeks.

Alumni boomerangs are welcomed

EY actively rehires alumni and their referrals; ex-EY contacts in your network are nearly as valuable as current employees for vouching purposes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does EY have an employee referral program?

Yes — formal and bonus-backed through the internal portal, spanning campus and experienced hiring. Referred candidates get expedited screening, and practice-level recruiters treat referrals as pre-vetted, which matters at Big Four application volumes.

Is it hard to get into EY?

Less about raw selectivity than fit and timing: the right service line, level, office, and season. Campus hiring is competitive at scale; experienced hiring is demand-driven — when a practice needs your skills, a referral converts very quickly.

What is the difference between EY consulting and EY-Parthenon?

EY consulting covers technology, risk, and people-focused transformation at scale; EY-Parthenon is the strategy boutique inside EY handling corporate strategy and deals work, recruited via case interviews with MBB-adjacent expectations and pay.