Recruiting template
Employee Referral Email Templates
A referral email asks employees to recommend people for open roles, or passes a recommendation on to the hiring team. The six versions below cover every email in a referral programme: the reminder to all staff, a request for one role, the employee's referral, the first email to the referred candidate and the updates back to the referrer.
Fill in your details
Every version below updates as you type. A field left empty stays as a [placeholder] in the text you copy.
Email versions open straight in your email app with the subject and text filled in. You add the recipient there.
Your company and sender details are remembered, so the next template starts with them filled in.
Referral programme reminder email
When to use it: A regular email to all staff listing the roles you most need help with and reminding them how referrals work.
SubjectWho do you know? Roles we're hiring for at [Company name]
Referral request for a specific role
When to use it: You need help filling one role and want to ask the people most likely to know good candidates.
SubjectCan you help us find a [Job title]?
Employee referral email to a recruiter
When to use it: An employee recommends someone they know for an open role and introduces them to the hiring team.
SubjectReferral for the [Job title] role: [Referred candidate]
Email to a referred candidate
When to use it: The first email from the recruiter to someone an employee has referred.
Subject[Employee name] suggested we talk: [Job title] at [Company name]
Referral received: thank-you to the employee
When to use it: Straight after an employee submits a referral, so they know it arrived and what happens next.
SubjectThanks for referring [Referred candidate]
Referral status update to the employee
When to use it: Updating the referrer on how their referral is getting on, or closing the loop when it has ended.
SubjectUpdate on your referral: [Referred candidate]
How to use this template
- 1Pick the version for the step you are at: asking all staff, asking about one role, the referral itself, contacting the referred person, or updating the referrer.
- 2Fill in the fields above. Leave the referral bonus as written in your referral policy, with the same conditions, so the email and the policy never disagree.
- 3Say exactly what you need: the role, the team, and in a sentence the kind of person who would do well. Employees refer better people when they can picture the job.
- 4Ask employees to check with their contact before sharing their details, and contact referred candidates quickly so the employee is not left embarrassed.
- 5Update the referrer at each step and when the process ends. Referrers who hear nothing tend to stop referring.
Mistakes to avoid
- Sending a list of every open role with no indication of which ones matter most, so nobody reads past the first line.
- Leaving the bonus vague, or stating different conditions in the email from those in the referral policy.
- Contacting a referred candidate weeks later, or not at all.
- Telling the referrer how the candidate performed in interviews, which shares the candidate's personal information without their agreement.
- Treating referrals as a shortcut past the normal process, which is unfair to other applicants and can narrow the range of people you hire.
Questions
How do you write a referral email for a job?
Name the role and the person you are referring in the subject line, then say how you know them, why they would do well in the role and that they have agreed to be referred. Attach their CV or link to their profile and give their contact details.
What should an employee referral programme email include?
The roles you most need help with, a link to all open roles, how to refer someone, what the employee receives if the referral is hired and when, and who to ask about the programme. The full rules belong in the employee referral policy.
How do you ask employees for referrals?
Be specific. Ask named people about a named role, describe the kind of person you need and make referring easy: a name and a line on how they know them is enough to start.
How should you contact a referred candidate?
Mention the employee who referred them in the first line and the subject, explain the role briefly and suggest a short, no-commitment call. Contact them within a few days of the referral.
What can I tell an employee about the person they referred?
Where the referral is in the process and when it has ended. Keep interview feedback and the reasons for a decision between you and the candidate.
How often should I send referral programme emails?
Often enough that employees remember the programme. A short update when new priority roles open and a thank-you when a referral is hired keeps the programme in mind without repeating the same list every week.
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