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What do you call a formal (or, perhaps, informal) endorsement of a person, not currently employed by some company, by a current employee of that company? For some reason, I thought it's called a "referral", but I checked a few dictionaries, and it no longer seems so to me

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    You may be thinking of reference.
    – Kate Bunting
    Dec 22, 2022 at 9:14
  • You could use "referral", but "refer" has a much more general meaning of "send or direct for treatment, aid, information, or decision", and applies to objects, ideas, decisions, etc, as well as people. A reference or recommendation are other words for formal or informal acts of endorsing someone.
    – Stuart F
    Dec 22, 2022 at 10:45
  • @StuartF "reference" and "recommendation" seem to me too broad and generic
    – Sergey Zolotarev
    Dec 22, 2022 at 11:03
  • You could try asking it in workplace.stackexchange.com
    – Levente
    Jan 22 at 17:20

2 Answers 2

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The word you are looking for is reference.
Definition B2

a letter that is written by someone who knows you, to describe you and say if you are suitable for a job, course, etc.:
"My old headteacher said he would write/give me a glowing (= very good) reference."

Referral, on the other hand, is

the act of directing someone to a different place or person for information, help, or action often to a person or group with more knowledge or power:
"The doctor gave him a referral to (= arranged for him to see) the consultant."

Recommendation could be a generic term, but is not the one commonly used in the job market.

The thing about a 'reference' is it is not guaranteed to be positive, but can often be a formal/compulsory requirement in order to secure a new job.

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  • This answer is misleading. You've confused the different uses of the word "reference". A reference can be something compulsorily required from a previous employer, which I suppose could be negative. But no person working for an organisation is going to 'refer' someone bad. They just wouldn't mention them.
    – Astralbee
    Dec 22, 2022 at 22:41
  • @Astralbee - To the first part of your comment - no I haven't. If an employer asks for a reference & none is forthcoming, that's the same as a negative. Most HR departments send non-committal 'boiler-plate' letters unless someone was, for instance, dismissed for misconduct. The second part of your objection makes no sense. A reference doesn't come from just anybody in a company, it comes from HR, or suitable senior. If someone was just asking Bob from the post room, that's when 'recommendation' could be used, but not in formal circumstances.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Dec 23, 2022 at 8:27
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If the person being suggested for a position is known to the employee, you might call them a recommendation or a referral.

Although both these words refer to the act of making such a suggestion, it is common to use these to refer to the person being recommended or referred.

For example:

  • I made a recommendation of [name].
  • [Name] was a recommendation.#

Webster's dictionary makes the same distinction:

re·​fer·​ral
1 : the act, action, or an instance of referring gave the patient a referral to a specialist
2 : one that is referred

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  • Recommendation could work, though it is not the word commonly used in the job market. Referral is just wrong.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Dec 22, 2022 at 18:37
  • @Tetsujin It is the word I use in my experience as an employer, and as you can see from my reference, the dictionary agrees.
    – Astralbee
    Dec 22, 2022 at 22:39
  • The dictionary disagrees. You even copied it out for me to see it disagrees.
    – DoneWithThis.
    Dec 23, 2022 at 8:29

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