I love referring folks to where I work. I consider it part of my job to help recruit. Many people have reached out to me to be referred, but it’s not always clear how to ask for a referral.

Here’s how you can help me refer you:

Write me an email listing the roles (no more than three) you are interested in. Include a paragraph on why you are interested in my company. Attach your resume to the email.

I can simply forward your email to the hiring manager or recruiter. If I don’t know the recruiter, I can submit your resume to the jobs on our internal referral website.

Here’s why this would help me (and you):

At many companies, especially medium-to-large companies, employees get referral bonuses. I would love a bonus if I refer you. If you apply through our career website, I don’t get credit. Why should you care? You’re going to get looked at if you apply through a referral; your chances are slimmer if you apply via a career website.
It shows you’ve done your homework. If you can state succinctly and clearly why this company is a great fit for you, the hiring manager will see that from the email. If I can't forward that email, I can often include share why you'd be a stellar teammate in the referral portal.
I can’t refer you if I don’t know what roles you’re interested in. I won’t know which hiring manager or recruiter to send your resume to. If you don’t know if you want to be in marketing or BI, then what you need is introspection, not a referral. I can’t tell you what work you should be doing; that’s something you’ll need to decide on your own. Maybe read What Color is Your Parachute?
Your resume will be viewed, so it should be ready to be viewed by the hiring manager. By the time you’re reaching out for referrals, your resume should have been reviewed by multiple people. With referrals, your resume is going to be viewed, so it should be crisp and ready to go.

I have no problem taking a quick phone call about my company and telling you why I love it. But submitting you as a referral requires research, time and work. If you can appreciate that and do the preliminary research and legwork, I’ll be more than happy to refer you.