Q: An acquaintance from graduate school asked me to refer her for a position at my company. I’ve only known her in an academic setting. How should I handle this?

A: With the unemployment rate what it is right now, most organizations are encouraging employees to make recommendations for new hires. As that employee, make sure you are aware of the types of input you could be providing: Are you making an introduction? Offering a referral? Providing a recommendation as a reference? Before giving information to anyone, consider how well you know the person and how confident you are in her background and potential fit within your organization.

It sounds like you are being asked to provide a referral, not a recommendation. If you liked your classmate in school and thought she was intelligent, articulate, and a person of integrity, then pass her resume on to a manager or HR with that information — this is exactly how networking works. But don’t be afraid to be open about the situation with your internal contact: “Rachael and I went to graduate school together. I always found her to be very intelligent, hard-working, and conscientious. I don’t have any experience with her in the workplace, but I think she is worth considering for this role.’’ As long as you are honest about the level of your relationship with the candidate, that’s good enough.

Before making a referral, you might want to first check her out yourself. If you have mutual friends or acquaintances who have worked with her or have insight into her as a professional, ask them whether they think referring her is a good idea. If your own unofficial research reveals trusted contacts who think it’s a good idea, then you can feel pretty confident in your decision to move forward.

A recommendation goes a step further than a referral. If you don’t have direct experience with this person’s professional skills and qualities, make sure you don’t allude to them, pretend that you do, or lie in any way — that’s when you get yourself in trouble. You don’t want your unfounded recommendation being part of the hiring selection when you have no idea whether the information is accurate. A recommendation is more involved than a referral, and you need to have a concrete basis for it.

If you have reservations about a referral, say no. Simply state, “I’m sorry, I don’t know enough about that job/manager/ department to feel comfortable making a recommendation.’’

So, what’s in it for you? Bringing good people into your organization is always in your best interest. Companies often look for employees to use their networks to find talented people (that’s why many offer referral bonuses).

It’s also good networking karma. At some point, you might find yourself in the same or a similar situation: You might have a third-tier networking connection at a company you really like, and you hope that person will get you the introduction you need, whether he or she is a former classmate, friend of a friend, or fellow book club member.

All you’re doing is providing this person an opportunity — they sell themselves in the interview, and later, on the job.

Elaine Varelas is managing partner at Keystone Partners, a career management firm in Boston, and serves on the board of Career Partners International.