[caydenm]

The strength of a referral, the proximity and seniority of the referrer and role fit all come into play.

A strong referral by a knowledgeable person often skips that person to the front of interview queue. I have hired a number of people based on referrals from team members, VCs and previous coworkers.

Many referral systems have a how good do you think this personal really is field and often an option for "I don't know this person that well I am just referring them to say I did".

If you are asking for a referral, make it as easy as possible for the referer to make you look great. They probably don't remember all your awesome work like you do, so make sure you give them simple impactful points.