What to Send With a Referral Request
Most referral asks stall because the person wants to help but you made it work. Hand them a finished packet and saying yes becomes a two-minute favor.
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✍️ Ready-to-send intro“Hi - we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to a company you are targeting before I apply…”
… plus everyone else in your network who can put in a good word.
See who can refer you in - pick your target company:
Why a good packet beats a good relationship
A referral is not a character reference, it is a form your contact fills out at your company. Recruiters read the referrer's blurb, so whatever your contact writes becomes your first impression. If you leave that blank, they either stall or write something vague like 'seems sharp, worth a look.'
The fix is to write the blurb for them. When your words are already in their inbox, ready to paste, the favor drops from 'draft a recommendation' to 'hit submit.' That difference is the whole game.
The four things to attach
Keep it to one message with everything below. No back-and-forth, no 'let me know what you need.'
- A paste-ready blurb. Two or three sentences in their voice: how you know them (or what you share), what you do, and one specific result. They should be able to copy it straight into the referral field.
- Your resume as a PDF. Named clearly, like Jordan-Lee-Resume.pdf, not resume-final-v3. Tailor the top third to the role so the referrer can see the fit at a glance.
- The exact job link and req ID. Big companies post the same title in ten locations. The requisition number tells the system which one to attach you to, and saves your contact a search.
- One line on why this team. Not 'I need a job,' but 'your team's work on X maps to the Y I built at Z.' It gives the referrer something honest to stand behind.
How to find the right person to send it to
A perfect packet sent to a stranger is still a cold ask. Referrals convert when they go to someone who already has a reason to vouch for you, a former classmate, a past coworker, someone from a company you both passed through.
This is the part FindWarmIntros handles: you name a target company and it surfaces the real people there who share a school or an employer with you, ranked by how strong that connection is, then drafts the intro so you are not staring at a blank message. You still send the packet above, you just send it to someone who is inclined to say yes.