Interviews present a puzzle: Research suggests they are of little value in screening hires, and yet they remain pervasive. Using a longitudinal dataset from a large call center company, we find that interviewers vary in quality along three dimensions of performance: making offers, convincing...

Referrals can impact screening and self-selection of applicants during the hiring process. We model and estimate how referral information affects the selection of employees through job offers, acceptances, and turnover. Using rich data from a call center company, we show that referrals help...