Employee Referral Guide
The Employee Referral Guide shows employees how to assess a candidate against a current opening, get permission, and submit through that opening’s authorized recruiting route. It clarifies what happens next without promising an interview or outcome.
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Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
Built for: Manufacturing · Logistics and distribution · Professional services
Overview
The Employee Referral Guide is an employee-facing page for making a thoughtful, consent-based introduction to recruiting. Its fictional Northstar Works example starts with a current opening on the Job Board, explains how to connect a candidate’s experience to the role, and sets out the steps for discussing the opportunity, obtaining permission, preparing a brief introduction, and submitting through the route attached to that opening.
The page includes a Job Listings section configured to show up to eight openings, practical guidance on what makes a useful referral, an ordered submission process, and a checklist-style callout reinforcing the authorized route. A final section explains that recruiting assesses candidates and handles communications, while referral timing and next steps depend on the organization’s process. It also identifies Talent and Learning as the fictional example’s content owner and points readers to the established recruiting help route for corrections or questions.
Use this page when employees need clear instructions for referring someone to a current vacancy and a safe fallback when an opening does not show a usable submission route. Connect the job listings to the organization’s actual source and confirm that each opening has its correct recruiting destination before publishing. This is a guide, not a referral form, application system, or promise of an interview. Do not use it as a substitute for official eligibility rules, local hiring requirements, or a separate referral-incentive policy; link to authoritative guidance where those topics apply.
Standards & compliance context
- Obtain the candidate’s permission before sharing contact details, a profile, a résumé, or other personal information with recruiting.
- Follow the organization’s applicable privacy, records-retention, and recruiting policies; this template does not establish legal requirements or replace policy advice.
- Use only the authorized recruiting route attached to the specific opening, and do not send candidate information through an unverified channel.
- Present referrals as introductions rather than promises of interview, selection, or response timing, and leave assessment and candidate communications to recruiting.
- Check the published page for WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility, including readable headings, descriptive link labels, keyboard access, and accessible job-listing content.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
What's inside this template
Recommend a candidate for a current opening
This opening guidance establishes the sequence: start from a current Job Board role, discuss it with the candidate, obtain permission, and use that opening’s recruiting route.
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Northstar Works is a fictional multi-site organization; its roles and example workflow are illustrative. Start with an opening on the Job Board, discuss the role with the candidate, get their permission before sharing any details, and use the recruiting submission route provided for that opening. Recruiting assesses candidates and manages the hiring process.
Review current openings
The connected listings help employees begin with an actual vacancy rather than recommending someone for a role that may not be open.
What makes a useful referral?
These criteria keep an introduction relevant to the published role and clarify that a referral is not a hiring decision.
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Connect what you know about the candidate to the requirements in the published opening. Relevant experience Point to specific experience or skills that appear to match the role description. For example, mention inventory planning across distribution sites when recommending someone for a distribution-planning role. A clear reason for the introduction Tell the candidate which opening you have in mind and why it may be relevant. Let them decide whether they want to learn more. A consent-based introduction Share a profile, résumé, or contact details only after the candidate has agreed to that specific introduction. Recruiting makes the assessment A referral is an introduction, not a promise of an interview or outcome. Recruiting evaluates candidates against the opening.
Prepare and submit your referral
The ordered steps turn candidate discussion and consent into a concise introduction sent through the opening’s authorized route.
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Follow the route shown for the selected opening. Illustrative example: “Jordan has led inventory planning across two distribution sites. They agreed that I could share their profile for the Distribution Planner opening.” The example describes a consent-based introduction; it does not indicate a real employee, vacancy, or submission. Choose an opening Read the current role description on the Job Board. Use the opening's own instructions to identify its recruiting submission route. Discuss the role Share the opening with the candidate and explain why you think it may be relevant. Do not present a referral as a guarantee of selection. Get permission Ask the candidate before sharing their contact details, profile, or other information with recruiting. Write a brief introduction Name the opening and describe the candidate's relevant experience in a few specific, role-related sentences. Submit through the opening's authorized route Use only the recruiting destination provided with that opening. If no route is shown, ask the recruiting help route supplied by your organization where to submit; do not send candidate details through an unverified channel.
Use the route attached to the opening
This checklist highlights the checks to complete before submission and what to do when a route is missing.
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Submit through the authorized recruiting destination provided for the specific Job Board opening. If the opening does not provide a usable route, contact your organization's recruiting help route before sharing candidate information. This guide does not submit a referral or create a submission link. Opening selected Candidate has agreed to the introduction Relevant, concise introduction prepared Submission made through the opening's authorized recruiting route
What happens after submission?
This section sets expectations for recruiting-owned assessment and follow-up while directing questions and corrections to the established help route.
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Recruiting reviews the referral and manages candidate communications. The timing and next steps depend on the organization's process and the opening; do not promise a response timeframe, interview, or hiring decision. If you have a question about your referral, use the recruiting help route provided by your organization. Do not ask the candidate for confidential recruiting updates or share information they have not agreed to disclose. Content owner: Talent and Learning owns this fictional example guide. Send a correction or referral-process question through the established recruiting help route.
How to use this template
- Replace the fictional Northstar Works copy with confirmed organizational referral guidance, the responsible content owner, and the established recruiting help route.
- Connect the Review current openings section to the current Job Board and verify that each opening shows its authorized recruiting submission destination.
- Assign Talent and Learning or the appropriate recruiting-content owner to check the page whenever the submission process, help route, or Job Board source changes.
- Ask the candidate whether they want to be introduced for the specific opening before collecting or sharing their profile, résumé, or contact information.
- Prepare a concise introduction that names the opening and identifies relevant experience, then submit it only through that opening’s authorized route.
- Direct questions about referral status to the established recruiting help route and leave candidate assessment and communications to recruiting.
Best practices
- Keep the Job Board connected to current openings and confirm that the displayed recruiting route belongs to each specific opening.
- Tell candidates which role you have in mind and why their experience may fit before asking whether they agree to an introduction.
- Record or confirm the candidate’s permission for the specific information you plan to share before sending it to recruiting.
- Describe role-related experience with concrete examples rather than broad praise or assumptions about the candidate.
- Use the opening’s authorized recruiting route and stop if it is missing or unclear; ask the established recruiting help route instead.
- Keep the sample referral visibly illustrative and replace it with fictional or approved wording that does not imply a real vacancy or submission.
- Review the page when the Job Board, recruiting route, consent guidance, or ownership changes so employees do not follow stale instructions.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
Frequently asked questions
Who should use this employee referral guide?
It is for employees considering introducing someone for a current opening. The guide asks them to connect the candidate’s relevant experience to the published role description and to obtain permission before sharing information. Recruiting, not the referring employee, assesses candidates and manages hiring.
Does the guide apply to every job opening or location?
The example directs employees to the current Job Board opening and the submission route provided with that specific opening. Any location, eligibility, or role-specific rules should come from the organization’s published opening and referral process. Do not assume this guide establishes referral eligibility or applies the same way everywhere.
When should employees use the guide?
Use it when considering a referral for an opening that is currently listed. Check the Job Board at the time you plan to make the introduction, since openings and their submission routes can change. The guide does not specify a recurring review cadence; the content owner should revisit it when the referral process or Job Board route changes.
What is the correct way to submit a referral?
Use only the recruiting destination provided with the selected opening. If no usable route appears, ask the organization’s established recruiting help route where to submit before sharing candidate information. This page itself does not submit referrals or create submission links.
What consent is needed before sharing a candidate’s details?
Ask the candidate before sharing their contact details, profile, résumé, or other information with recruiting. Make clear which opening the introduction concerns and let the candidate decide whether to proceed. Share only information they have agreed to disclose.
Does a referral guarantee an interview or a response by a certain date?
No. The template explicitly distinguishes an introduction from a hiring decision or promise of selection. Recruiting assesses candidates against the opening and manages candidate communications; timing and next steps depend on the organization’s process and the role.
How should organizations customize this template?
Connect the Job Board section to the organization’s current openings and make sure each opening displays its correct recruiting submission route. Replace the fictional Northstar Works example with confirmed organizational guidance, including the established recruiting help route and content owner. Do not add unverified eligibility rules, response times, or guarantees.
What should employees do if the opening has no submission link or route?
They should pause and contact the established recruiting help route before sending candidate information. They should not guess an email address, use an unverified channel, or treat this guide as a submission form. This prevents personal details from being sent to an unapproved destination.
How is this guide different from an informal referral message?
It provides a repeatable sequence: select a current opening, discuss it with the candidate, obtain specific permission, write a concise role-related introduction, and submit through the opening’s authorized route. An informal message can skip consent or use an unsuitable channel. The guide also sets expectations that recruiting owns assessment and follow-up.
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Rolled out to every employee at AutoZone (125,000), PetSmart (50,000+), A.S. Watson and Raley's (20,000) — and at larger retailers we are not permitted to name.
