How to Get a Referral at Grammarly in 2026
Grammarly builds AI writing assistance used by millions across apps and the browser. A referral helps you surface and signals fit for its applied-AI, craft-focused product work. This page is the full playbook: how to find a real referrer at Grammarly, what to say that lands at this company specifically, and what to expect from the hiring process when the referral comes through.
By Kshitiz Singh · 9 min read · Last updated May 2026
Grammarly at a glance
| Industry | AI writing assistance |
| HQ | San Francisco, CA |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headcount | ~1,000 employees |
| ATS | Greenhouse |
| Remote policy | Hybrid · Remote-first hybrid for many roles, with periodic in-person collaboration; some location constraints apply |
| Top roles | Software Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, Product Manager, Designer, Data Scientist, Applied Research |
| Careers page | www.grammarly.com/jobs |
Why a referral matters at Grammarly
Grammarly hires for people who can build reliable applied-AI product experiences at scale, against a broad funnel. A referral gives recruiters a trusted signal and helps route you to the right org, the NLP and ML core, the product surfaces and integrations, or the enterprise tier.
The general numbers behind referrals: referred candidates are interviewed at roughly 4× the rate of cold applicants, account for 30-40% of new hires at most large tech companies despite being only ~10% of applicants, and clear the initial recruiter screen at roughly 8× the rate of cold submissions. At Grammarly specifically, the lift is shaped by the hiring patterns described below.
How Grammarly actually hires
Engineering loops cover coding and system design; ML and applied-research roles test NLP and modeling depth; product and design test craft and judgment around writing experiences. Grammarly weights craft and rigor alongside technical depth. Give it a few weeks start to finish.
The implication for your outreach: framing your background in the vocabulary Grammarly uses internally, not just the language a generic recruiter would recognise, meaningfully changes the response rate. Your referrer’s job becomes easier when your message can be forwarded internally without translation.
How to find a referrer at Grammarly
The four-step framework, adapted to Grammarly specifically:
- Identify a credible referrer inside Grammarly. Look for mid-level ICs (2-5 years tenure) or one-level-above on the team you're targeting at Grammarly. Recruiters are the wrong default ask, they're paid to find candidates, not vouch for them. Senior engineers and managers receive too many referral asks to consider yours seriously. The mid-level IC sweet spot is the highest-conversion path.
- Surface a specific mutual signal. Find one credible mutual datapoint, a shared previous employer, mutual connection, common university, conference attendance, or specific work of theirs you can reference. Generic "I admire Grammarly" messages convert at 1-3%. Messages anchored on a specific signal convert at 15-30%.
- Send a short, Grammarly-specific message. Three paragraphs maximum, under 150 words. Open with the mutual signal. State the role you're targeting and why it fits Grammarly specifically, reference a specific Grammarly area like its NLP and language models, the cross-app integration layer, or its generative-AI features, not just the company brand. End with one concrete ask: a 15-minute call or a yes/no on whether the team is hiring above what's posted publicly.
- Follow up twice, then move to a different contact. Wait five business days for the first follow-up, ten more days for the second. Don't follow up a third time, at that point you've signaled that they're not replying, and a third message reads as pressuring. The right move is to find a different Grammarly contact, not to keep messaging the same one.
For the full general playbook including the four-quadrant framework for who to ask, common follow-up patterns, and the data behind why this works, see our complete guide to finding job referrals in 2026.
What lands in a Grammarly outreach message
Reference a specific Grammarly area, its NLP and language models, the cross-app integration layer, the generative-AI features, or the enterprise product, and connect your experience to it. Showing you understand applied-AI product problems is what actually earns a reply.
Sample message you can adapt
Hi [Name],
We both went to [shared school / worked at shared company / share a connection in [mutual connection]], and I noticed your work at Grammarly, particularly a specific Grammarly area like its NLP and language models, the cross-app integration layer, or its generative-AI features.
I’m a [your current role] currently exploring [target role at Grammarly]. Background: [one specific accomplishment that maps to Grammarly’s work, keep to one sentence].
Would you be open to a 15-minute call this or next week? Even if a referral isn’t a fit, your read on the team would be useful.
Thanks,
[Your name]
The structure above is what works most consistently at Grammarly: one specific mutual signal, one specific product/team reference (a specific Grammarly area like its NLP and language models, the cross-app integration layer, or its generative-AI features), one concrete ask. Under 150 words. Don’t over-pitch your background, the goal of the first message is a reply, not a job.
Finding a referrer faster with ResumesTailor
The slow part of this workflow is finding the right person. LinkedIn surfaces 1st-degree connections clearly but 2nd-degree contacts only via search-and-filter, you spend 30+ minutes per company identifying realistic asks.
ResumesTailor surfaces referral contacts inside Grammarly ranked by reachability (mutual connections, shared employers, common education), then drafts the outreach message in your voice, using the specific mutual signal that connects you to the recipient. For Grammarly specifically, this typically returns a sorted list of 10-30 candidates plus the message templates calibrated to Grammarly’s culture. Pro tier and above includes referral discovery; the free tier covers resume tailoring and the portfolio surface.
Frequently asked questions about Grammarly referrals
Is Grammarly remote-friendly?
Grammarly operates a remote-first hybrid model for many roles, with periodic in-person collaboration and some location constraints. Confirm the eligible locations on each posting at grammarly.com/jobs.
What's the Grammarly interview process like?
Typically a recruiter screen, a hiring-manager call, and a role-specific loop covering coding and system design for engineering, NLP and modeling rounds for ML and applied research, and craft rounds for product and design. Expect a few weeks end to end.
What does Grammarly look for in candidates?
Strong fundamentals plus the ability to build reliable applied-AI product experiences at scale. NLP and modeling depth matter for ML roles; craft and judgment matter for product and design.
Does a referral help at Grammarly?
Yes, it gets your application recruiter attention and helps route you to the right org. A referrer who can vouch for your applied-AI or product craft aligns with what Grammarly hires for.
Related company referral guides
- How to get a referral at Notion , Productivity software / workspace
- How to get a referral at Coursera , Online education / edtech
- How to get a referral at Duolingo , Language learning / edtech
- How to get a referral at Figma , Design tools / collaboration
See the full list of company referral guides or the general job referral playbook.
Find a referrer at Grammarly. Free forever plan, no credit card. Surface contacts inside Grammarly ranked by reachability, with outreach drafted in your voice. Start free →