You are filling out a civilian job application. You hit a box that says "Referred by." Maybe it sits next to a question like "How did you hear about us?" You stare at it. Do you leave it blank? Do you put the job board name? Do you make something up?

This trips up a lot of transitioning service members. The military does not work this way. You did not need a name to get a billet. Federal hiring does not work this way either. So the first time you see a "Referred by" field, it feels like a trick question.

It is not a trick. It is one of the most useful boxes on the whole application. Filling it in right can move your resume to the top of the pile. Leaving it blank when you had a real contact is a missed shot. This guide breaks down what the field means, who to list, how to get someone to refer you, and what to do when you do not know a soul at the company yet.

What does referred by mean on a job application?

"Referred by" asks one simple thing. Who pointed you toward this job? It is the name of a person or source that sent you to the opening.

Most of the time, companies want the name of a current employee who told you to apply. That is an employee referral. It tells the company that someone inside already vouches for you.

Sometimes the field is broader. It might be part of a "How did you hear about us?" dropdown. In that case you can pick things like a job board, a career fair, a recruiter, or a friend. Read the field carefully. A box that says "Referred by (employee name)" wants a person. A box that says "Source" wants a channel.

Here is why it matters. When you list a real employee, the company often routes your application differently. That employee may get an alert. HR may flag your file. A referral does not get you the job. But it gets human eyes on your resume faster. In civilian hiring, getting seen is half the battle.

Why does a referral matter so much in civilian hiring?

Civilian hiring runs on who knows you. This is the part that catches a lot of vets off guard. In the military, the process was set. You qualified, you got the slot. Nobody asked who sent you.

The civilian side is different. Companies get hundreds of applicants for one role. They trust their own people. A name in that "Referred by" box is a small signal. It says you are a known quantity, not a stranger off the internet.

It also saves the company time and risk. A bad hire costs them money. A referral from a current employee lowers that risk. So they move referred applicants to the front of the line. That is not favoritism. It is how companies protect themselves.

When I left the Navy, I went into private-sector tech sales for a while. That was my first real look at how the civilian world hires. The thing that surprised me was how much ran on relationships. Cold applicants got ignored. The ones who came in through a referral got a callback the same week. Same resume. Different door.

The government tracks this too. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts asking friends, relatives, and your social network as a real way people look for work. It is one of the active job search methods they measure. Asking your contacts is not a backup plan. It is a recognized way to land a job.

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— Dominic, E-7, Marines

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Who should you list in the referred by field?

List the person who actually pointed you to the job. The closer they are to the role, the more weight the name carries.

Rank your options like this. A current employee at the company is best. A former coworker who now works there is just as good. A hiring manager or recruiter you met in person comes next. A friend of a friend who works there still counts, but ask them first.

One rule. Only list someone who knows you are using their name. Do not drop a stranger's name in the box because you found them on LinkedIn. If the company checks, and they do, you want that person to say "Yes, I know them" not "Who?"

How do you ask someone to refer you?

This is where vets freeze. Asking for a referral feels like asking for a favor. It is not. You are giving that person a shot at a referral bonus and a stronger team. Most are glad to help.

Keep the ask short and easy to say yes to. Do not send a wall of text. Send the job link, a one-line reason you fit, and a clear request. Make it simple for them to forward you up the chain.

Here is a message you can copy. "Hey [Name], I saw [Company] is hiring a [Role]. I spent [X years] doing [related work] in the [branch] and it lines up well. Would you be open to referring me, or pointing me to the right person? I can send my resume in whatever format helps." That is it. Short, specific, respectful of their time.

Notice the difference. The strong version names the role, gives one proof point, and asks one clear thing. The weak one makes the other person do all the work. If you need help building the network in the first place, start with our guide on building a professional network from zero.

What do you put if you were not referred by anyone?

Be honest. If nobody sent you, do not invent a name. A fake referral falls apart the second someone checks. And they do check.

If the field is required and you found the job yourself, use the real source. Put the job board name. Put "Company website." Put "LinkedIn" if that is where you saw it. Pick the option that is true.

If the field is optional and you have no contact, leave it blank. An empty optional field does not hurt you. A made-up name does.

But do not stop there. No contact today does not mean no contact this week. You can build one fast. Search the company on LinkedIn. Look for veterans already working there. Many companies have veteran hiring groups and employee resource groups. A two-line message to a fellow vet often turns into a referral within days. Our guide on writing a LinkedIn headline that gets you found helps people find you too.

What about "were you referred by a staffing or workforce agency?"

Some applications ask a sharper version of this. "Were you referred by a community workforce agency or other staffing agency for this job?" This one is not about employee referrals at all.

This question is about whether a third party sent you. Think state workforce centers, veteran employment programs, or staffing firms. Some employers get tax credits or track hires that come through these programs. So they ask up front.

Answer it straight. If a recruiter at a staffing agency sent you the role, say yes and name the agency. If you found it on your own, say no. Do not guess. Getting this wrong does not sink you, but a clean answer keeps the file simple.

This matters for vets in a specific way. The Department of Labor Veterans' Employment and Training Service runs programs that connect vets to employers. State workforce centers and veteran employment reps fall under this. If you came through one of those programs, that is a legit yes. Name the program if the form lets you.

A staffing agency referral works differently from a recruiter you hire to job-hunt for you. We break down that difference in our guide on how to work with a recruiter as a veteran.

How do you turn a referral into an interview?

A referral opens the door. Your resume has to walk through it. This is the step people skip. They get the referral, then send a generic resume that says nothing.

Tailor the resume to the exact job. Match the words in the posting. If the role wants "inventory management," and you did exactly that, use those words. A recruiter scans a resume in about six seconds. Make those six seconds count. We cover this in our guide on passing the 6-second recruiter test.

Then follow the steps below. They turn a name in a box into a real conversation.

Want to meet people who can refer you in the first place? In-person events still beat cold applying. Our roundup of veteran networking events where you can meet hiring managers is a good place to start.

What should you do next?

The "Referred by" field is small, but it punches above its weight. Treat it like a tool, not a hurdle. List a real contact when you have one. Use the true source when you do not. Never make up a name.

The bigger lesson is this. Civilian hiring rewards connection. You do not have to know everyone. You need one warm contact at the company you want. Build that one connection, ask the right way, and back it up with a resume that fits the job.

That last part is where BMR helps. Paste the job posting, and the Resume Builder tailors your resume to that exact role and handles the military-to-civilian translation. Veterans and military spouses get two tailored resumes and two cover letters free. A referral gets you seen. A tailored resume gets you the interview. Use both together brother.