Having someone refer you into their company can be a great boost to getting "your foot in the door". But make sure to ask the right questions before doing this to prevent this well-intentioned act from hurting your chances. You don't want to be associating yourself with the wrong person.

Answer these questions before deciding to let someone refer you into a company:

• How well do you know the referrer? The most important thing here is to make sure this is a person you know well and feel confident that they have a positive reputation and strong track record at this company. If the person referring you turns out to be a problem employee or an underachiever, you will suffer the assimilation effect by virtue of being an acquaintance of theirs. Don't let just anybody refer you into a job. It's seems like an innocent enough thing to do but if you choose the wrong person, it can end up being tantamount to wearing an "I'm with stupid" t-shirt.
  
• What is your relationship to the referrer? With most referral programs, the referrer will be asked how they know you. If you two are past colleagues or professional contacts, that will be the type of relationship that most companies will find highly desirable. However, if you are being referred by a direct family member, spouse, partner or best friend, this could end up being something the company wants to avoid. Some companies have unwritten rules about hiring people who know each other too well while other companies may actually encourage this. Find out where the company stands on this topic so you can best position yourself.
  
• What level person is the referrer? Is the person that's referring you a Customer Service Representative or the VP of Finance? All internal referrals will get some level of special consideration. However, there is no doubt that being referred by someone that is higher up will solicit far more attention. I'm not saying don't bother, if you're friend referring you is a low level employee. What I am saying is that you may want to see if they can speak with their boss to make the referral.
  
• How long has the referrer worked there? Has the person referring you been there for 3 months or 3 years. Think about it, how much stock is a newly employed person going to carry in enhancing your candidacy? Probably not much. The most you'll get out of that referral is that your resume might get pushed up a little further on the pile. Conversely, a highly tenured person will get your resume a lot more attention. Again, climb the ladder if at all possible.
  
• What will the referrer do to guarantee you an interview? This is a really important question also. And the answer should be a balanced approach. You don't want someone simply clicking a button on their Employee Referral System and crossing their fingers for you. On the flip side, you also don't want them hounding the Hiring Manager everyday until they give you an interview. Discuss this with the person referring you and ask them if they would be willing to do three things to help you:

1. Submit you online as an employee referral
   
2. Do some legwork to find out who the position directly reports to
   
3. Put out a quick phone call/ email to that Hiring Manager to introduce you to them and explain why they feel you would be a good fit. You could even offer to write this letter for them to save them time.

Referrals will not get you the job, they will only help in getting your resume noticed more quickly and potentially speed up getting you an interview. Don't overestimate the overall value of a referral. It certainly can help if is well orchestrated. But if it is poorly arranged, it can actually kill your chances. So make sure you act wisely when it comes to leveraging this to your advantage.