Employee Referral Scheme: Email Contacting Referred Applicant

This is an email template to use when introducing yourself to an applicant who’s been referred by an employee. This template can help you make a brief introduction and schedule next steps.

Try speaking to applicants first:

If you like the sound of a referral and want to approach them, never forget that they have the power to rebuff a poor introduction, so proceed cautiously.

It is normally best to speak with them and you might say to them, <span class="is-speech">“You were recommended to me as I understand you’re great at your job and I’m always looking for talented people. If possible, I’d love the opportunity to discuss if our company may be a good fit for you. Is now a good time to talk?”</span>

Now you cover the three screening questions I recommend on page X.

<span class="grey-callout"><span class="text-color-purple">Important:</span> It’s useful to personalise the call and add value by mentioning the name of the person who referred them. But don’t assume it’s ok to do this without getting the referrer’s permission first.</span>

Send an email as a last resort

We recommend you only use this email template if you can’t speak with them.

Key points include:

• If the applicant sees a familiar name in subject line, they’re more likely to open the email and respond to it. So include the name of the employee who made the introduction.
• Use a friendly yet professional tone. It’s possible the applicant is already aware of the job, so you don’t need to be too formal.
• You want to briefly explain the role. Make them curious enough to start a conversation.
• Indicate what the next steps are. We normally recommend a call as it is more personal. We don’t recommend asking them to apply via a career page because it is often a lot of effort and too formal.

Email template for contacting a referred candidate

<div class="is-email"><p>Subject: [Referrer_Name] mentioned you</p><p>Hi [Applicant Name],</p><p>I work at [Company_Name]. We are currently looking to hire a [Job_Title] and [Referrer_Name] recommended you might be a good fit.</p><p>If possible I’d love the opportunity to discuss if our company may be a good fit for you. When would be a good time to talk?</p><p>[Email_Signature]</p></div>