Notes on referral process

Author(s): Anuar

Last updated of: 17 March 2022

Introduction

First of all I want to say that expressed opinions are my own and I am just delegating the information already known from the Internet, however it still may be useful for students who consider asking for a referral. Referrals are a common practice in tech companies for hiring new people. Here I will briefly explain about referrals in Google, however some of the advice also can apply to other companies as well.

FAQ

Q. What is referral?

A. In simple words, it is just a recommendation for hiring a certain candidate. People who know you well, might refer you to their recruiters, so that recruiters might get more interest in your application, then if you just applied by yourself.

Q. Why referral is important?

A. Actually it is not that important, because you will still go standard procedures of hiring aka - interviews, onsites, surveys and etc. BUT it is a sure way that your resume will be considered at least. Companies have to deal with a HUGE number of resumes coming each year and the number is growing. It was said that recruiters spend around 6 seconds on your resume. So, it is very hard to stand out (almost impossible), and getting referral just maximizes the chances that your resume will be given more than 6 seconds.

Q. Whom can I get referral from?

A. In Google, referral can be taken from any full-time worker, even from an intern. You can even take referral from an employee who is in different office from the one that you are applying for.

Q. From whom should I get a referral?

A. This question is a bit different from the above one. You can get referral from any Google employee but the question is: From whom should I get a referral, to maximize my chances? As a rule of thumb, you should take a referral from an employee who know you well - better if they worked with you directly. If you have several such connections, then you are lucky enough to choose. In this case, I would suggest to take a referral from a person who is higher up in corporate ladder, ex: it's better to take referral from senior engineer than an intern.

Q. What is the process of referral?

A. In Google process of referral is simple:

1. Your acquitance at Google fills a survey in an internal system about you, describing you and your strengths. One might need a personal data about you like your resume, your email and your name.
2. You get an email invitation that you calls you to apply to positions at Google. You have 30 days to accept the invitation.
3. When you accept an invitation, you have another 30 days to apply to atmost 3 positions at Google Careers website. Note that you just need to apply without doing any extra steps - referral will be automatically activated once you accept the invitation.

Q. What's next?

A. Wait for the reply! If you are called for an interview - Congratulations! you passed the resume screening. If not, don't worry, it is ok to get rejected. Speaking from personal experience, I myself haven't entered from the first try.