Recently, my professor tagged me in a post on LinkedIn about a story—a reality shared by a recruiter that many people might not know about what would happen after they submitted their applications for a job.
According to the article, the average job applications are six times more than the pre-covid period. The recruiter got approximately 1400+ applications per job. Therefore, he won’t have enough time to view every application.
Luckily, he shared with us about who would get the interview. They are:
- People from the first 200 applicants
- People who InMailed/emailed him to make a case for how their skills/experience align with the role (less than 20 ppl did this so it was easy to stand out )
- People referred to him by his network.
Eventually, his story starts to freak me out. Now, I learned that mining my network for referrals is the key to get interviewed at least. This is an article I write for myself (because I am looking for a job) but hopefully, it will helpful for others who are looking for jobs.
Who to Ask for a Referral?
Employee referral is the best, but if you know someone like clients, vendors, friends, family, and others who are connected to the company, it will worth reaching out.
How to Find Someone to Refer You?
LinkedIn: searching for connections through company names, you can find lists of people that you could assist.
Ask your network: spend some time to go through your network to see if one of your connections is currently working at the company you want to apply to. Ask if they can help you. You can contact the alumni office if you are a graduate student to see if you are able to connect with alumni who work at the company that you're interested in.
How to Ask for a Referral for a Job?
Writing a message or email through LinkedIn or social media is better than calling them directly. So that people will have time to think over your request. Referrers can choose to accept or decline your request and they can do that through writing. It’s better than talking.
This is how am usually write when I ask someone to refer me through LinkedIn.
Hi [ ]
I hope you are doing good. I am interested in this position (LINK) at [Company], and I wanted to ask if you could help refer me to the appropriate individual for an interview opportunity as I am highly interested in this position. I have sent my Resume and Cover letter to your e-mail (email), for your reference. I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you so much!
Best,
Name
I don’t know if it’s the best message but it worked for me every time I ask someone I know to refer me.
How about if you don’t know that person?
Try using this cold message template from fastcompany.com:
Hey [Name],
My name is [Your name] and I saw this [name or role and insert a link to the job posting] opening. I’m really interested in this role and all that is going on at [Company]. I read about [mention some positive news about the company from their blog or press article], it sounds like it’s an exciting time and there’s a lot going on! I’d love to chat with you more about [Company].
A little bit about me:
I’m currently a [your role at your company]. I’m responsible for [describe what you do].
Previously, I was a [role at the previous company]. In my time there I [describe what you did]
I’ve attached my resume for a detailed context.
Would you be for up for a phone call in the next couple of weeks? If so, I can send over a handful of time slots.
Thank you!
– Your name
If that person responds to your cold message and a phone call doesn’t work for them and they might ask “what question do you have for me?”
Be ready to ask them some specific questions and ask for a referral.
Yeah, don’t be afraid to ask for a referral as I am telling me to do so. I'm going to check out some referral letter examples and the thank you note after receiving the job referral.
Good luck to me and to anyone who is looking for a job.
Works Cited:
Doyle, Alison. How to Ask for a Job Referral. www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-ask-for-a-job-referral-2062989.
Horton, Anisa Purbasari. “How To Ask Someone To Refer You For A Job (And Not Irritate Them).” Fast Company, Fast Company, 15 Mar. 2018, www.fastcompany.com/40544788/how-to-ask-someone-to-refer-you-for-a-job-and-not-irritate-them.