The basics of referral emails

You can use emails to promote your employee referral program or announce a new job opening. The core structure of a referral email typically consists of:

• Subject line
• Job duties and other details
• Skills and abilities
• Link to the job description
• Encouragement for employees to refer prospective applicants

While you don’t necessarily need a formal employee referral program to solicit referrals, offering incentives may motivate employees to participate. If your program offers cash bonuses or other incentives for employee referrals, consider including the following details:

• What you define as a successful referral (e.g., if the candidate is hired and stays employed for a certain number of months)
• What the reward is for a successful referral
• Any exclusions that may apply (e.g., previous employment with the company)
• Bonus amount, if applicable

Benefits of employee referrals

Having a current employee refer a job candidate is less expensive than sourcing candidates via other methods. Employees already understand your company culture and expectations, so they can refer applicants who are likely to enjoy working in such an environment.

Employee referrals can also save you time. If someone applies after receiving a referral from an existing employee, you can immediately schedule a screening call or job interview. You spend less time reviewing applications and matching skills to roles.

How to write a referral email

Here are some steps you can follow when writing a referral-related email to employees:

1. Create a recipient list

Choose recipients based on the type of role you’re filling. A companywide email could be appropriate for positions requiring broadly applicable skills, while a targeted message may work better for a specialized opening.

For example, if you’re hiring a content manager, employees in marketing, communications and sales may be more likely to know people with relevant experience. Matching the audience to the role can increase the likelihood of receiving useful referrals without sending unnecessary messages to the entire company.

2. Create a reusable referral email template

Develop a standard template that you can update whenever a new role opens. A reusable format makes the process easier to scale and helps ensure each message contains the same essential information.

Include placeholders for the job title, primary responsibilities, required skills and a link to the job posting. You can also add fields for the submission deadline, contact person and referral instructions.

3. Make the referral process easy to follow

Clearly explain how employees should submit referrals. For example, you might ask them to complete an online form, email the candidate’s contact information to HR or direct the candidate to apply through your careers page.

Keep the number of steps to a minimum so employees can complete the process quickly. You can also explain what happens after submission, such as whether HR will contact the candidate, how employees can track the referral and when they can expect an update.

4. Proofread your referral email

Before sending your email, read it a few times to ensure it makes sense. You’ll also want to correct spelling and grammar errors, confirm job titles and verify all links are working.

How to make employee referral emails more noticeable

A well-written referral email can only produce results if employees notice and open it. Use a clear subject line and reinforce the message through the internal communication channels your team checks regularly.

When you’re offering an incentive, write a subject line that names the role and summarizes the reward. For example:

Referral request: Senior application developer — earn a $100 bonus

You can also draw attention to the email by posting a short message on Slack, Microsoft Teams or another internal channel. Here’s an example:

“Hello!

We’re hiring a new marketing manager and would appreciate your help finding one. I just sent an email with the details. There’s a referral bonus detailed in the email.

Thank you!”

Tips for avoiding employee referral bias

As employees respond to your referral emails and submit potential candidates, keep fairness and consistency at the center of your hiring process.

Employee referral bias occurs when a hiring manager or business owner gives preference to a candidate because an existing employee referred them. This can cause qualified applicants from outside employee networks to receive less consideration.

Use these practices to reduce referral bias:

• Mask referral information during initial screening. Ask HR to remove the referrer’s name before sending applications to hiring managers. An applicant-tracking system may also allow you to hide candidate sources during the first review.
• Use standardized assessments. Evaluate referred and non-referred candidates with the same skills tests, work samples and scoring rubrics. Objective criteria help teams focus on job-related abilities instead of personal connections.
• Conduct structured interviews. Ask every candidate the same core questions and use a consistent rating system. This makes responses easier to compare and reduces the influence of familiarity.
• Train hiring managers. Explain how referral bias can affect decisions and remind interviewers that a referral does not replace evidence of the candidate’s qualifications.
• Review referral outcomes. Compare interview, offer and hiring rates for referred and non-referred candidates. Significant differences may indicate that you need to adjust your evaluation process.

Referral template email

Once you have a clear submission process and safeguards against referral bias, you’re ready to create your message. Use this template as a guide:

Email subject line: [Introduce the employee referral program]

[Greeting],

[Opening statement about expanding the company]

[A few sentences detailing the position that’s open along with job responsibilities] [Ask employees to refer one of their contacts] [Link to job posting]

[Call to action, such as having the prospective employee submit an application on your website]

[Next steps in referral process]

[If applicable, provide details about the reward employees will receive for successful referrals]

[Closing]

[Your name]

[Your signature]

Sample referral emails for employees

Referral template email 1

Subject: Refer a senior app developer, earn a bonus

Hi all,

Fiesta Burger is ready to launch a mobile app, and we’re hiring a senior application developer to help us do it.

If you know someone who might like the job and our company culture overall, please refer them to us. You can have them email Belinda Piccio directly or submit an application on our careers page.

We’ll take care of the rest. If we end up hiring them and they stay on as an employee for three months, you’ll get a $100 bonus!

You’re also welcome to make referrals for other open positions. If you have any questions regarding the process, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks!

Marcus Tallis

Referral template email 2

Subject: $300 bonus to help us find a full-time copywriter

Hi, team!

Our marketing team is looking for help writing promotional emails and sharing what we offer. We’re currently hiring a copywriter to report to our marketing manager, Joseph Keever. This is a full-time, salaried position. If you know someone who’d be a strong match for the role and our company, let us know.

If we hire the candidate you referred and they remain at our company for six months, you’ll earn a $300 bonus! We only ask that they not be a previous employee.

Have them apply to the job on our careers page. We’ll watch for updates! If you have any questions regarding the process, don’t hesitate to ask.

Thanks!

Ellen Lu

Downloadable email templates for PDF and Word

Consider using our downloadable templates as a guide for your employee referral emails.

*Indeed provides these examples as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your HR or legal adviser, and none of these documents reflect current labor or employment regulations.