Job application form template with CV upload
A free job application form with CV upload, screening questions and a job board tracker. Candidates apply from any phone, with no account needed.
17 questions on 4 pages
Employee referral form template (free)
Most good hires start with a quick "you should meet my friend" by the coffee machine. Then the name gets lost in a chat thread. This employee referral form template gives every referral the same shape. Your teammate says who they're referring, for which role and how they know them, then explains why the person would do well with you. They can add a LinkedIn or portfolio link and attach a CV. One question asks whether the candidate has agreed to be referred, and if not, when you can get in touch. Another lets the referrer choose whether you mention their name when you contact the candidate. Sign up for free, open the template and swap the four sample roles for the jobs you're hiring for.
Free plan, free forever. Sign up and the template opens in your workspace.
What's in this form
12 questions on one page. Every question, in order:
Page 1: Know someone good?
| No. | Question | Answer type | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Your nameShort answer, Required | Short answer | Required |
| 2 | Your teamShort answer, Optional | Short answer | Optional |
| 3 | Who are you referring?Short answer, Required | Short answer | Required |
| 4 | Their emailEmail, Required | Required | |
| 5 | Their LinkedIn or portfolioLink, Optional | Link | Optional |
| 6 | Which role are you referring them for?Dropdown, RequiredChoices: Software engineer, Product designer, Customer success manager, Account executive, Not sure, open to suggestions | Dropdown | Required |
| 7 | How do you know them?Dropdown, RequiredChoices: We worked together, We studied together, Friend or family, Someone I know professionally, Other | Dropdown | Required |
| 8 | Why would they be great here?Long answer, Required | Long answer | Required |
| 9 | Have they agreed to be referred?Multiple choice, RequiredChoices: Yes, No, please wait before contacting them | Multiple choice | Required |
| 10 | When can we get in touch?Short answer, Optional | Short answer | Optional |
| 11 | May we mention that you referred them?Multiple choice, OptionalChoices: Yes, Please keep my name out of it | Multiple choice | Optional |
| 12 | Their CVFile upload, OptionalOptional. PDF or Word document, up to 10 MB. | File upload | Optional |
How the logic works
- Shows “When can we get in touch?” when “Have they agreed to be referred?” is “No, please wait before contacting them”
- Shows the note “Understood. We'll reach out without saying where the...” when “May we mention that you referred them?” is “Please keep my name out of it”
What people see after sending
Referral received
The talent team will take a look and keep you posted on where it goes.
Built in
- Conditional logic
- File upload
Who it's for
- Founders and office managers who hire through their team's own networks
- HR leads who want every referral in one list instead of scattered DMs
- Hiring managers with several open roles who need to know which job each name is for
- Small agencies and studios where most hires are someone's former colleague
When to use it
- When you open a new role and ask the team who they know
- As a standing link in your handbook or team chat, so referrals can arrive any week
- When a teammate mentions a friend in passing and you want the details written down
- Between hiring rounds, to collect names for roles you plan to open later
Make it yours
- Replace the sample roles in "Which role are you referring them for?" with your open jobs. Keep "Not sure, open to suggestions" at the bottom. People often know someone great before you post the right job, and that choice keeps the name from getting lost.
- Check where emails go before you switch on a confirmation email. The only email question in this template asks for the candidate's address, so a confirmation would land in their inbox, not the referrer's. Add a "Your email" question first and pick it in the notification settings. Then each referrer gets a thank-you written in your own words.
- Read the consent answer before anyone writes to the candidate. When a referrer picks "No, please wait before contacting them", the form asks when you can get in touch. A cold message about a job they haven't heard of can sour a good referral, and it puts the referrer in an awkward spot.
- Treat "Please keep my name out of it" as a note about the first conversation with the candidate. It tells whoever reaches out not to say who suggested them. The referrer's name stays on the response, and anyone with a role in your workspace can read every response in it.
- If you pay a referral bonus, add a short note at the top of the form with your rules, or a link to them, so people know the deal before they refer. Each response keeps the date it arrived, which helps when two people put forward the same candidate.
- Connect Google Sheets, free on every plan, and each referral becomes a row with the role, the referrer and the candidate. Add your own columns for interview dates and outcomes, and you have a simple referral log without a recruiting tool.
Print it or edit it offline
The same questions, ready to print or edit.
Where the answers go
Every response lands in your HornetForms inbox. From there, send it wherever your team already works.
- Turn on an email to yourself for each new response, on every plan
- A confirmation email to the person who filled it in, when the form asks for their email
- A new row in Google Sheets, a message in Slack or Discord, or a page in Notion, free on every plan
- Connect with Zapier, or send signed webhooks to n8n, Make or your own app
- CSV export on every plan, and Excel export on Pro and Business
Questions people ask
What is an employee referral form?
It's a short form your staff fill in to put someone they know forward for a job. This one collects the referrer's name and team, the candidate's name, email and LinkedIn or portfolio, the role, how they know each other, why they'd do well here and an optional CV.
Is there a free employee referral form template in Word or PDF?
Yes. Download a printable PDF in US Letter or A4, or a Word file you can edit. The online version is free on every plan, including Free, and referrers fill it in on a phone or laptop without making an account.
How do I refer someone for a job at my company?
Ask them first. Check that they'd like to be put forward and that the role fits what they want. Then fill in the form with their email, a link to their LinkedIn or portfolio and a few lines on why they'd be good. Attach their CV if they sent you one.
Can I use this form for a referral bonus program?
Yes, as the record of who referred whom, for which role and when. Connect Google Sheets and add columns for the hire date and bonus status. Your payroll or finance team still pays the bonus, so write your rules in a note at the top of the form.
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Further reading
Employee referral program: rules, rewards and a free policy
How to run an employee referral program: who can refer, rewards, when to pay, keeping referrers updated, plus a free policy template and tracker.
Published10 min read- hr
- guides
Start from a template, finish with your form
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