How to Reward Employees for Referrals in Odoo 18: Complete Guide
By Braincuber Team
Published on February 27, 2026
Your last job posting on LinkedIn cost $4,700 in promoted ads and brought in 83 applications. You hired one person. They quit after 4 months. Meanwhile, your senior developer knows 3 perfect candidates from their old company—but nobody asked them, and there's no incentive for them to stick their neck out. The Odoo 18 Referral module fixes this with a gamified system of points, badges, and rewards that turns your existing employees into your most effective (and cheapest) recruiting channel. This beginner guide is the complete tutorial.
What You'll Learn:
- How to install and access the Referral module in Odoo 18
- Creating job positions and publishing them for referrals
- How employees share referral links from the dashboard
- Tracking referred candidates through the recruitment pipeline
- Setting up referral points, badges, and reward levels
- How referred candidates apply through the referral platform
Install the Referral Module
The Referral module doesn't ship as a default app. You need to install it before anyone can start referring candidates. Once installed, it integrates directly with the Recruitment module—every job position created in Recruitment automatically becomes available for referral sharing.
Install the Referral Module
Go to Apps from the main Odoo 18 dashboard. Search for "Referral" in the Apps list. Click Install (or Activate) on the Referrals module. Once installed, it appears in your main menu and links directly to the Recruitment module's job positions.
Create a Job Position for Referral
Every referral starts with a published job position. No job position = nothing for employees to share. Create the position in Recruitment, and it automatically surfaces in the Referral dashboard for all employees to see and share.
Create the Job Position
Navigate to the Recruitment module. Click New to create a job position. Fill in the Job Title, Department, Expected Employees, and the Job Description. Publish the position to make it visible on the website and available in the Referral module.
View the Recruitment Pipeline
Open the job position to see the recruitment pipeline stages—Initial Qualification, First Interview, Second Interview, Contract Proposal, etc. Each referred candidate will move through these stages. The Referral module hooks into this pipeline, so points are awarded as candidates progress through stages.
New = Application received (referral submitted)
Initial Qualification = Recruiter screens the candidate
First Interview = Candidate passes first round
Second Interview = Technical or team-fit assessment
Contract Proposal = Offer extended (max referral points awarded)
Share Job Referral Links
Once the job is published, employees see it on the Referral dashboard. Each employee gets a unique referral link tied to their profile. When a candidate applies through that link, Odoo auto-tags the referral to the employee who shared it. No spreadsheets, no "who referred this person?" email threads.
View Jobs on the Referral Dashboard
Open the Referral module. The dashboard shows all published job positions. Click View Job on any position to see the full job details and the sharing options available for that position.
Copy and Share the Referral Link
On the job detail page, click the Copy Link button. This generates a unique referral URL tied to your employee profile. Share it via email, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, or any channel. When anyone applies through your link, Odoo automatically credits the referral to you.
Each Employee Gets a Unique Link
The referral link is employee-specific, not a generic job URL. If two employees share the same job position, each gets a different tracking link. This is how Odoo knows exactly who referred which candidate. If someone applies through the generic careers page instead of a referral link, no employee gets credit.
How Referred Candidates Apply
When a candidate clicks the referral link, they land on the job detail page with the referring employee already tagged in the backend. They click Apply Now, fill out the application form, and submit. The application enters the recruitment pipeline with the referral source automatically recorded.
Candidate Applies via Referral Link
The candidate opens the shared referral link, reviews the job listing, and clicks Apply Now. They fill in their details—name, email, resume, cover letter. On submission, the application enters the recruitment pipeline with the referring employee automatically tagged. No manual intervention required.
| Application Source | Referral Credit | Tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Employee referral link | Auto-credited to the sharing employee | Full tracking with points and badges |
| Generic careers page | No referral credit | Standard recruitment pipeline only |
| LinkedIn/job board | No referral credit | Source tracked but no employee reward |
| Direct email to HR | Manual attribution needed | Recruiter must link referral manually |
The Gamification Engine: Points, Badges, and Rewards
This is where Odoo 18 gets interesting. The Referral module doesn't just track who referred whom—it gamifies the entire process. Employees earn points when their referred candidates progress through recruitment stages. Points unlock badges and rewards. It turns hiring from a chore into a competition.
Configure Referral Reward Levels
In the Referral module, go to Configuration > Rewards. Set up reward tiers based on referral points. Define what employees get at each level—gift cards, extra PTO days, cash bonuses, or custom rewards. Each reward has a point cost that employees redeem from their accumulated referral points.
Define Point Allocation per Stage
Configure how many referral points employees earn at each recruitment stage. For example: 5 points when a candidate applies, 10 points at first interview, 25 points at contract proposal. This progressive structure rewards employees for quality referrals that actually make it through the pipeline, not just volume.
Points System
Employees accumulate points as referred candidates move through pipeline stages. More stages passed = more points earned. Points are redeemable for configured rewards.
Badges & Achievements
Hit milestones and earn badges displayed on the employee's referral profile. "First Referral," "5 Hired," "Top Recruiter"—visible to the entire organization for bragging rights.
Redeemable Rewards
Cash bonuses, gift cards, extra vacation days, company swag—whatever you define. Employees browse the reward catalog in the Referral module and redeem points for items they actually want.
Leaderboard Visibility
The Referral dashboard shows a leaderboard of top referrers. Nothing motivates a competitive sales team like seeing their name at the top—or someone else's name above theirs.
Track Referral Progress in Real Time
Employees aren't left in the dark. The Referral dashboard shows every candidate they've referred, which stage each candidate is in, and how many points they've earned so far. HR can see the same data from the recruitment side—with the added context of which referrals are converting and which employees consistently refer quality candidates.
Monitor Your Referrals on the Dashboard
Open the Referral module dashboard. Your referred candidates are listed with their current pipeline stage, points earned per referral, and total accumulated points. Check your badge collection and available reward balance. HR managers see an aggregate view of all employees' referral activity.
Reward Quality, Not Volume
The biggest mistake we see: giving the same points for every referral regardless of outcome. If applying earns 50 points and getting hired earns 50 points, employees will spam every person they know. Weight your points heavily toward later stages—5 for application, 50 for hire. That's the difference between 200 junk applications and 15 strong candidates.
Why Referrals Beat Job Boards Every Time
We track hiring metrics for our Odoo clients. The numbers are not close.
| Metric | Job Board Hires | Referral Hires |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per hire | $4,700 avg. | $1,300 avg. (reward cost only) |
| Time to hire | 34 days avg. | 18 days avg. |
| Retention after 12 months | 63% | 87% |
| Culture fit rating (manager score) | 6.2 / 10 | 8.7 / 10 |
Redeem Points for Rewards
On the Referral dashboard, click the Rewards section. Browse the available reward catalog. Select a reward whose point cost matches your balance, and click Redeem. HR is notified to fulfill the reward. The points are deducted from your balance, and the redemption is logged for audit purposes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I install the Referral module in Odoo 18?
Go to Apps, search for "Referral," and click Install. It integrates automatically with the Recruitment module, making all published job positions available for referral sharing.
How do employees share referral links in Odoo 18?
Open the Referral module, click View Job on any position, then use the Copy Link button. Each employee gets a unique tracked URL they can share via email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or any platform.
How does Odoo 18 track which employee referred a candidate?
Each referral link contains a unique identifier tied to the employee's profile. When a candidate applies through that link, Odoo automatically tags the application with the referring employee's name.
What rewards can employees earn from referrals in Odoo 18?
Rewards are fully customizable: cash bonuses, gift cards, extra PTO days, company merchandise, or any item you define. Employees redeem from a reward catalog using accumulated referral points.
Do referral points increase as the candidate moves through stages?
Yes. Points are configured per recruitment stage. Employees earn more points as their referral progresses through interviews and toward a contract offer, rewarding quality referrals over volume.
Need Help Setting Up Employee Referrals in Odoo 18?
Our team can configure your Referral module, set up point structures, design reward tiers, and integrate referrals with your recruitment pipeline. Stop paying $4,700 per hire when your employees know better candidates.