Employee Referral Form
Refers someone you know for an open role, with the reason it would work.
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Dear Sir / Madam,
I would like to refer [candidate name] for the [role] position.
[how you know them]
[why they would be good in this role]
They know that I am putting their name forward.
Happy to answer anything else that would help.
What is an Employee Referral?
An employee referral form records that you are recommending someone you know for an open role, and why it would work. It matters because a name passed over a coffee gets lost, and because referral bonus schemes need a dated record of who referred whom before the candidate applied. Without the form, two people claim the same referral, or the candidate applies directly and the referral is never credited at all.
Employees submit it when they know someone suited to a live vacancy — a former colleague, a contact from a professional group, a friend with the right certification. Recruiters use it as a source channel that usually converts better than job boards, and to route the candidate into the pipeline with context attached. Managers use it to fill hard roles where advertising has not worked. Some organisations also accept referrals for roles not yet advertised, holding the details until a vacancy opens, which needs a clear data retention position.
Two rules bite here and both vary. First, data protection: submitting someone's name, contact details and CV means processing their personal data, and under the UK and EU GDPR the candidate has to be told and the employer needs a lawful basis — several other jurisdictions have equivalent requirements. Get the candidate's agreement before you submit. Second, the referral bonus is usually taxable pay rather than a gift, and how it is taxed and reported differs by country and by whether it is paid through payroll. Check with payroll rather than assuming.
A referral is a recommendation, not a decision. It does not shortcut screening, interviews or background checks, and a referred candidate who fails an assessment is still rejected. It is not a reference — a reference speaks to someone's actual employment history and conduct, usually from a former employer, and carries different weight. Submitting the form does not entitle you to a bonus either: schemes almost always require the hire to complete a qualifying period, and they exclude certain roles and relationships. Read the rules before you promise anything.
What to put in an Employee Referral
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Issuing organisation | For example: Maple Grove Homeowners Association |
| Person you are referring | For example: Alicia Romero |
| Role you are referring them for | For example: Customer Success Associate |
| How you know them | For example: We worked together at Halbrook Studio for two years. |
| Why they would be good | For example: She ran the escalation queue single-handed through a platform migration and kept churn… |
| Their contact details optional | For example: alicia.romero@example.com · (614) 555-0142 |
| Issued to (full name) | For example: James Whitfield |
| Their address | For example: 588 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
How to write an Employee Referral
Ask the candidate before you submit
Confirm they want to be put forward, that they are available, and that you may share their CV and contact details. A referral submitted without asking produces an awkward call from a recruiter and, where data protection rules apply, a problem for your employer. It also protects you: a candidate who withdraws immediately looks like a referral made to chase a bonus.
Identify the exact vacancy
Give the job title and the requisition or reference number, not just the department. Large employers run several similar openings across sites and levels, and a referral filed against the wrong one is scored against the wrong hiring manager and often lost entirely. If no vacancy is currently open, say so explicitly and say which kind of role you have in mind.
State how long you have known them
‘Worked together at Meridian Logistics for three years; I was her team lead for the last eighteen months’ tells the recruiter how much weight your judgement should carry. ‘A friend’ does not. Disclose any relationship that the scheme rules treat as a conflict — family members, a business you both own — rather than leaving it to be discovered later.
Give evidence against the role requirements
Pick two or three requirements from the job description and say what the candidate has actually done against each. ‘Ran the goods-in process for a 40-person warehouse, including the cycle count the audit relied on’ is useful. ‘Would be a great cultural fit’ is not, and in some organisations that phrasing is discouraged because it invites bias into screening.
Attach the CV and check the scheme terms
Attach the CV or a link they have agreed you may share, and note anything time-sensitive — a notice period, a competing offer, a relocation date. Then read the scheme's qualifying conditions and note the date you submitted, since most schemes are decided by who filed first. Keep a copy of the confirmation email in case the claim is later queried.
Common mistakes
- Referring someone without telling them, which produces a cold call they were not expecting and can breach data protection rules on personal data.
- Filing against the wrong requisition number, so the referral is credited to a different role and the bonus claim fails at verification.
- Writing only that the person would be a good fit, giving the recruiter nothing to screen against and no reason to prioritise the CV.
- Referring a candidate who has already applied directly, which most schemes exclude and which can look like an attempt to capture a bonus.
- Failing to disclose a family or business relationship the scheme treats as a conflict, which can void the referral and raise a conduct question.
Frequently asked questions
How does an employee referral bonus work?
Most schemes pay when the referred candidate is hired and completes a qualifying period, often several months, and pay through payroll as taxable earnings. Amounts usually vary by how hard the role is to fill. The conditions matter more than the headline figure: check whether the bonus survives if you leave first, whether contractors count, and whether the candidate must not have applied recently.
Can I refer a friend or a family member?
Many schemes allow friends and exclude immediate family, and almost all require the relationship to be declared. Where the referred person would report to you, or you would sit on the interview panel, you should say so and step out of the decision. The rule you are looking for is in the scheme document, usually under conflicts of interest — read it before submitting, not after.
What if my referred candidate applies directly instead?
Most schemes credit the referral only if your form was submitted before the candidate applied, and some allow a short grace window. Tell the candidate to wait until you have filed and had confirmation. If they have already applied, say so honestly on the form; recruiters can see application dates, and a claim that does not match the record costs you more than the bonus is worth.
Does a referral guarantee an interview?
No. Most employers commit to reviewing referred CVs, and some guarantee a screening call, but the candidate still has to meet the requirements. Telling your contact they are through to interview before the recruiter has said so puts you in an awkward position and them in a worse one. Say you have referred them and that you do not control what happens next.
Is there a limit on how many people I can refer?
Schemes vary. Some cap the number of bonuses per employee per year, some cap referrals per vacancy, and some limit repeat referrals of the same candidate within a period. High-volume referring with little evidence attached also tends to get deprioritised by recruiters. Two well-evidenced referrals are worth more than ten names, both for the hire and for your own credibility.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.