Meta specific question for referrals

The first one gauges if you really have grounds to refer them based on first-hand information or not. If you barely know someone, or only vaguely, you probably aren’t a great source for them being a fit. At best it’s then what I would consider a “sourcing” referral, you pointed them at a potential candidate.

If you actually know their work, the second is your opportunity to highlight why you are willing to (in a small way) vouch for them at tiny risk to your credibility. People bomb interviews all the time, but if you regularly refer people that are duds and can’t clear a phone screen this will discredit you. It may not show up in a review, but I prefer recruiting friends to like me. So this question is basically like… this person led this effort and overcame this adversity. Maybe not full STAR, but a mini version.

For some companies, the answer to the first question decides if you will get referral bonus $$$. If it's "never worked together", it considered a relatively low value referral and can't enjoy bonus. Since it's Meta specific, you should look for the fine prints or ask around to find out.

The overall point of these questions is to evaluate the quality and conviction of your referral. Meta has so many people that thousands of referrals come in every month: Recruiters need to figure out which ones to prioritize. In particular, they'll want referrals who:

1. Are actually well-known by the employee referring them
2. Have the referring employee actually go to bat for them

On the other end, you have the "sourcing" referral as other folks here have mentioned where you're being nice to a stranger and have 0 idea if they might actually suck. These are very risky for recruiters to take on as it's the same quality as a cold application candidate from LinkedIn (i.e. pretty garbage with low EV).

On your end, just be truthful. If you know them well, say that. If you think they're actually a rockstar, say that. If it's some random person you're referring out of kindness, say that and admit that you don't know why they should be hired.