If you have been asked to recommend an application within a SurveyMonkey Apply site, you can refer to our commonly asked questions to assist you if any questions arise.
For questions on updating your account details and login credentials, you can refer to our General Account FAQ.
- I have "no pending recommendations"
- How do I submit my recommendation?
- How do I know my recommendation was submitted correctly?
- I can't edit the recommendation task
- What happens when I accept/decline a recommendation?
- I am having trouble attaching my recommendation
- Can I view/download the application that was submitted by the applicant?
- Can the applicant see my recommendation?
- What is the difference between the traditional Recommendation experience and Quick Reference?
- How long are the secure, one-time links valid?
- How does Quick Reference change the Recommendation experience of our users?
- How do I change my Recommendation Task to leverage Quick Reference?
- Will enabling or disabling Quick Reference impact any recommendations I’ve already received?
- Can I enable/disable Quick Reference while my program is live?
Recommendation FAQs
I have "no pending recommendations"
If you were recently sent a request from the application and have logged in to find no application available to recommend, there are a few potential reasons why this may occur.
- The applicant has been moved to the next stage of the application process.
- The applicant has rescinded their request for a recommendation within the site
NOTE: If you are currently experiencing this issue we would recommend reaching out to the administrators of the site to understand what might be causing the issue.
How do I submit my recommendation?
Once you have completed your recommendation whether by filling out a form or attaching a letter to the site, you will need to Submit your recommendation to include it with the application.
To submit your recommendation:
- Complete the recommendation task
- Click Submit
How do I know my recommendation was submitted correctly?
Once you have completed the recommendation task for the application you will need to Submit the task. Until the recommendation is submitted the request will appear "In Progress." Once the recommendation has been completed the "In Progress" status will appear as "Completed" with the date and time it was completed at.
This will allow you to ensure that the recommendation was submitted. The applicant will also be notified that the recommendation has been completed and will be required to confirm and submit the recommendation fully within their application.
NOTE: Whether or not the applicant can view the recommendation will depend on the setup of the site by the administrators.
I can't edit my recommendation task
If you are unable to edit the recommender task within the site there are a few potential reasons:
- The deadline has passed on the application or the recommender task
- You have completed your task and the administrators do not wish for you to be able to make changes.
If you are unable to edit a task and wish to understand why, you can contact the administrator of the site for more information on the application process.
What happens when I accept/decline a recommendation?
When the request has been accepted or declined, the applicant will be informed within their applicant portal. That way if the request is declined they will be able to send a new request to another recommender.
Depending on the site configurations by the administrators of the site, they may also be sent an email to inform them of the decision.
If you decline the recommendation request, no further steps will be required of you.
If you accept the recommendation request, you will be prompted to complete and submit the recommendation task on behalf of the applicant.
I am having trouble attaching my recommendation
Depending on site configurations put in place by the administrators, they may request that you attach a file for the recommendation, as opposed to filling out an internal form.
If you have been requested to attach a file but are experiencing difficulties there are a few potential reasons this may occur.
- The file is not in an available format.
Check to ensure that the file type you are trying to attach is one of the accepted formats in the site - The file is encrypted
SurveyMonkey Apply will not accept encrypted files. In order to attach your file, it will need to be un-encrypted. - The file is corrupted
It is possible that the file you are trying to attach is a corrupted file. In order to resolve the issue, re-save the file to a new folder on your computer and attempt to attach the file again. - A task related issue.
Depending on the issue it is also possible that the error is related to another setting on the task. For example, you are unable to edit the task.
Can I view/download the application that was submitted by the applicant?
Whether or not you can view/download the application will mainly depend on the configurations of the site by the administrative team.
If the functionality has been enabled:
- Click to View the recommendation for that applicant
- Click Preview Application
Can the applicant see my recommendation?
Whether or not the applicant can view your recommendation will depend on the configurations put in place by the administrators of the site. If you wish to inquire more in regards to this we would recommend reaching out to the administrators.
Email FAQs
I didn't receive an email invite, what should I do?
If you have spoken with the applicant who requested the recommendation and they have informed you of the invite, but you have not received an email from the site you can perform the following steps to resolve the issue:
1. Reach out to the applicant and confirm that they have sent the invite to the correct email address and there are no spelling errors.
If the information is correct
2. Check your Spam/Junk Folder. Sometimes these emails can get stuck in the spam/junk folder, depending on your email service provider's spam/security settings.
If you are unable to locate the email in any inbox
3. Have the applicant Resend the Invitation. Once the applicant has resent the invite you can repeat step 2, if necessary.
If both options do not work correctly
4. You can contact our support team. It is important that you contact us yourself with no additional recipients on the email. Once we receive your email we will be able to assist you with logging into the site.
Quick Reference
What is the difference between the traditional Recommendation experience and Quick Reference?
The traditional recommendation experience required Recommenders to create an account or log in to an existing SurveyMonkey Apply account to provide recommendations for applicants. Quick Reference on the other hand allows Recommenders to leverage secure, one-time links to provide recommendations for applicants.
How long are the secure, one-time links valid?
Secure, one-time links sent to Recommenders are valid for 14 days OR when the Recommendation Task has been completed OR when the task/stage deadline has elapsed.
NOTE: "one-time" links do not expire the first time they're used and are accessible during the full 14-day time period. However, since these links are on a per-recommendation basis, once the recommendation has been completed, it will no longer direct to that QR.
How does Quick Reference change the Recommendation experience of our users?
Administrators: In terms of the SMA Admin User Interface, the change is minimal; We’ve added an option for the SMA Admin to enable “Quick Reference” as part of the Recommendation Process.
Applicants: The User Interface and Flow for the Applicant will not change. They will still enter the first name, last name, and email address of the recommender to start the process.
Recommender: The User Interface for the Recommender will not change other than it will circumvent the registration/login process if Quick Reference is enabled and limit their view to the specific Recommendation they are accessing.
Reviewers: Enabling Quick Reference will have no change to the Reviewer Experience; Reviewers will still be able to view Recommendation documents as usual.
How do I change my Recommendation Task to leverage Quick Reference?
Start by navigating to your Program Workflow, open up the task settings for your Recommendation Task, and enable “Quick Reference”. Please note: this setting is on the task level, which means if you wish all of your Recommendation Tasks (in the same program or others) to leverage this functionality, each task will need to be updated.
Will enabling or disabling Quick Reference impact any recommendations I’ve already received?
No. Enabling or Disabling Quick Reference will not impact any of the recommendations you have already received.
Can I enable/disable Quick Reference while my program is live?
Yes. Enabling or Disabling Quick Reference is possible even after your Program has gone live, and will have no negative impact on your process.