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.
Free · No sign-up · See results in ~10 seconds
✍️ Ready-to-send intro“Hi - we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to EY before I apply…”
… plus everyone else in your network who can put in a good word.
See who can refer you in - pick your target company:
Quick answer
Yes, EY takes employee referrals: an employee puts your name in internally, usually before you apply, and about 50% of hires come through referrals. You do not need to already know someone there. You need an employee you share a school or a past employer with, and a short conversation.
- Find EY employees who share your school or a past employer (the free search above).
- Ask for a 15 minute chat about their team, not for a job.
- If it goes well, ask them to submit your referral before you apply.
Referral bonuses at large companies typically run $1,000 to $10,000, paid to the employee who refers you, never to the candidate. See reported referral bonus amounts by company.
By the Numbers
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.
Don't already know someone at EY? You don't have to.
The steps below all start the same way - finding an insider willing to refer you. FindWarmIntros does that part for you: it surfaces the EY employees who already share your school or a past employer (the people most likely to say yes) and drafts the intro. Free, no sign-up, ~10 seconds.
Show me who can refer me at EY →Or read the manual version first - it's right below.
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.
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.