Mr. Refs

: rewiring human resources industry to win digital disruption : integrating crowd and referrals in recruitment processes

Abstract

The main objective of the present dissertation, written in the form of case study, is to demonstrate the possibility to revolutionize the human resources industry by allowing everyone to be integrated in any recruitment process, creating a network effect much appreciated by companies and allowing them to source candidates through this system. This way, we present and analyze the story of Mr. Refs, a crowd recruitment platform based on referrals located in Lisbon, Portugal. Mr. Refs has managed to have more than 15.000 Refers (people that refer family and friends for job opportunities), 100 companies recruiting through the platform and aims to expand to other markets such as Brazil, Spain and UK. The main question addressed was the possibility of creating a sustainable business around Crowdhunting. First, we present the reader with the main insights in the literature review, intending to provide an overview on the referrals’ importance for recruiters and the benefits for companies on having a crowd referring. Moreover, the case study tells the story behind the creation of the company and describes its activities, analysis the business model and relevant markets to expand. Finally, we make an analysis on the key success factors and suggestions that can be considered for anyone that has the intention of replicating Mr. Refs. We conclude with final remarks and limitations of the study.

Date of Award	11 May 2016
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Rute Xavier (Supervisor)