Many people find work through someone who knows them. A good recommendation helps everyone: the employer knows that someone they trust knows the applicant, and the applicant's CV gets a careful read. But it's a responsibility, because your name goes with the application of the person you recommend.

When to recommend someone

  • Recommend people whose work you've seen yourself or worked alongside, not people you know only in passing.
  • Make sure the job suits their experience and qualifications, and read its requirements with them.
  • Ask them first whether they're interested before you mention their name to anyone.
  • Don't promise them the job: the employer decides after reviewing the applications and interviews.

How to recommend someone usefully

  • Send them the job's own link, with a sentence on why you think it suits them.
  • If you know someone at the organization, tell them who you recommended and what you've seen of their work, briefly and honestly.
  • Stay out of the hiring decision, and don't ask for special treatment for the person you recommended.

How to ask for a recommendation

  1. Choose someone who really knows your work: a former colleague, a manager, or a teacher who supervised your project.
  2. Send them the job link and your updated CV, and remind them of specific work you did together.
  3. Ask politely, and accept a no if they aren't comfortable recommending you.
  4. Tell them how it went and thank them, whether you got the job or not.

Recommendations and fairness

A recommendation introduces an applicant to the employer; it doesn't replace the requirements or the interview. A serious employer judges every applicant by the same standards. If someone asks you for money to recommend you or to “get you into” a job, it's a scam: don't pay, and report it. See also How to check a job advert and avoid recruitment scams.

On jobs.ly

On jobs applied for on jobs.ly, you get your own recommendation link from “Recommend someone you know” on the job page. If someone applies through it, the employer sees your name with their application, and the applicant can remove the recommendation before sending. The steps are in How do I recommend someone for a job?.