The referral form (vouching)
Last updated: June 19, 2026
Someone who knows a candidate submits a referral on their behalf. This is the vouch form.
When this path is used. A referrer clicks Vouch for someone on the job page or follows an employee/referral link. The referrer is not the candidate — they're vouching for someone else, which is why the form collects the candidate's details and a reason they're a good fit.
Form header: "Creating a referral for [job title] at [company]."
The form reveals fields progressively as each section is completed.
Why it's progressive. The referrer sees one decision at a time instead of a wall of fields. It keeps a quick favour feeling quick — most of the steps below appear only when they're relevant (rewards, contact details, and aliases all depend on earlier choices).
Step 1 — Candidate name
Enter the candidate's First name and Last name.
Step 2 — Why they're a good fit
Heading: A question prompt, e.g. "Why is [name] a good fit for this role?" — the exact wording is set by the recruiter (or uses a built-in rotating set of questions).
Click Rephrase question to cycle through alternative phrasings.
A rich text editor collects the response. A rating indicates response quality as the referrer types:
| Length | Rating |
|---|---|
| Up to roughly 50 characters | Just a little bit more |
| More than roughly 50 characters | Good |
| More than roughly 100 characters | Fantastic |
| More than roughly 300 characters | Amazing |
Notes: "Visible to company and candidate" · "Editable after sending"
Why the rating is there. A two-word "great guy" referral tells you nothing; a few specific sentences are gold for screening. The live rating nudges referrers from Just a little bit more toward Amazing without forcing a length on them. Because the note is Visible to company and candidate and Editable after sending, referrers tend to write more thoughtfully — and can come back to improve it.
Step 3 — Reward (if applicable)
If the job listing has a referral reward set, a card appears:
"If [candidate name] lands the position via your referral, you are rewarded with [reward]."
The referrer can optionally pledge to:
- Share with a charity
- Split with the candidate
The exact split is decided after the candidate is hired. Pledges are optional.
Good to know. This card only shows when the job has a reward configured (set on the job, or overridden per channel — see Channels & sourcing). The two pledges are purely the referrer's choice and don't change what you pay; they're there because letting referrers share the upside tends to lift participation.
Step 4 — How should [candidate] be notified?
Three options:
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Contact [name] myself | You get a private sharing link. The candidate is only visible to the company if they accept the referral. |
| The company should contact [name] | Vouch sends the referral to the candidate on your behalf. The candidate's details are visible to the company immediately when you submit. |
| Vouch anonymously | Same as company-sends, but your identity is hidden behind an alias. Warning: "Vouching anonymously results in a 60% lower acceptance rate. Are you sure?" |
How to choose. This is the single most important choice on the form, because it decides who reaches out and when the candidate becomes visible to you:
- Contact [name] myself keeps it personal and private — nothing reaches your pipeline until the candidate accepts. Best when the referrer wants to give the candidate a heads-up first.
- The company should contact [name] hands the outreach to you immediately, so the candidate surfaces in your pipeline right away. Best when speed matters.
- Vouch anonymously exists for sensitive referrals, but the product is honest about the cost: a 60% lower acceptance rate, because a name the candidate recognises is what makes a vouch work. Use it only when the referrer truly can't be named.
Step 5 — Candidate contact details (viaVouch and anonymous flows)
If the company sends the referral or if vouching anonymously:
- Candidate's phone number
- Candidate's email address
- Candidate's LinkedIn URL
At least one contact method is required.
These appear only when Vouch (rather than the referrer) will reach the candidate — the self-share path skips this step entirely, because the referrer is doing the contacting.
Step 6 — Alias (anonymous only)
Choose an alias to appear instead of your name.
Authentication and submit
The final step requires the referrer to connect or create a Vouch account:
Prompt: "Connect an account to share the referral."
- selfShare flow — button reads "Get sharing link" — you receive a link to share with the candidate.
- viaVouch / anonymous flow — button reads "Send vouch" — Vouch contacts the candidate.
The account step ties the referral to a real person so the referrer can track its status (and be matched to a reward later). The button label is your cue to which path the referrer picked: Get sharing link = they'll deliver it; Send vouch = Vouch delivers it.
After submitting a referral
selfShare: You receive a URL to share with the candidate. The candidate only becomes visible to the company after they accept.
viaVouch / anonymous:
"Thanks for the Vouch!"
"You can come back and login with your email to check the status of your recommendations at anytime. Thanks again for helping your friend!"
A "View your vouch" button appears.
If enablePrescreening is on for the job, additional questions for the referrer appear after submitting — they can answer immediately or skip and come back later.
Troubleshooting — "I sent a vouch but nothing shows on the company side." That's expected for the self-share path: a self-shared candidate is invisible to you until they accept the referral. If you need referred candidates to land in your pipeline immediately, ask referrers to choose The company should contact [name] instead.