The most effective way to land a new job is to get yourself in front of the HR recruiter or hiring manager through a referral. Applicants who are referred are also four times more likely to be offered a job than those who weren’t referred.
In this post, I’ll show you how to ask for a referral, who to ask for, and where to find good ones.
How to ask for a referral
Before you pinpoint who you want to ask a referral from, do the following to prepare yourself:
- Gather information to include in your referral request.
- Decide which tone and vehicle you want to use when making initial contact.
- Decide how you’ll follow up after contact.
Information to include with your referral request
Think about (and gather) all the information your contact will need to make the referral. You’re asking someone to stick their neck out for you and you want to make them feel at ease about your qualifications and suitability for the position.
You also want to save them time and effort. The easier you make it for the person to refer you, the more likely it is that they’ll follow through.
Always have the the following documents on hand:
- Your resume or CV
- A copy of the job posting for the position you’re pursuing (if there’s no formal job posting but you found out about the position through word of mouth, be sure to put that in your email or letter)
- A link to an online portfolio or samples of your work
- Reference letters from former supervisors, teachers, guidance counselors, and others
- Links to online testimonials about your work performance from your current customer base
You can even pre-write a referral letter on their behalf to save time, as long as you don’t think providing such a draft is too presumptuous.
Deciding whether to go with the formal vs. informal approach
Once you’ve gathered all the relevant information they’ll need to fulfill your referral request, it’s time to approach them to ask for a referral for the position you want to apply to.
Depending on how well you know the person, their professional position relative to yours, and any inside knowledge you have about their preferences, you can approach them in an informal manner (i.e., greet them by their first name and make the initial outreach personal and chatty) or in a more formal way (i.e., send a formal cover letter using proper greeting titles, keeping the tone professional and businesslike).
Whether you choose a formal or an informal tone, it’s best to reach out to the person in writing so you can share the information you’ve gathered about your background, education, and credentials.
Email is usually best, although you can make your request via mail or through LinkedIn. Using other social media platforms (e.g., Facebook or Instagram) isn’t recommended because you might alienate your prospective referrer by imposing on their personal space.
You can create an email template if you plan to reach out to several people for referrals, but keep in mind that each email you send should be personalized for the specific recipient.
No matter what route you decide to take, be sure to:
- Introduce yourself or remind the person how they know you.
- If you’re reaching out to them because of a mutual friend or connection, say so.
- If you know them but haven’t been in contact for a while, put in a reminder about how you’re associated.
- Put this information succinctly in the subject line. For instance, your email subject line might say, “Request for job referral from Jane Doe, a mutual friend of Jack Smith.”
- Be upfront about why you’re writing to them.
- Cut to the chase as quickly as you can by stating that you’re writing to ask them for a referral for a particular job.
- Point out that you’ve included a job description, your resume, and, if applicable, work samples.
- Give them an out if they aren’t comfortable offering a referral. The last thing you want to do is put anyone on the spot or make them feel uncomfortable.
- Qualify your request by offering your referral source a way to decline your request. You can say something like, “If our past history as classmates gives you sufficient confidence to refer me, I would appreciate your assistance in passing my resume on to the hiring manager,” or,
- “If recommending someone you’re acquainted with through a mutual colleague is something you’re not comfortable with, I’d appreciate your referring me to the appropriate person at the company.”
Here’s a simple template you can use when reaching out to ask for a referral, remember to make it personable!
Hey Ramit,
I noticed you’re connected to Jennie Jones at Acme on LinkedIn. I would love to chat with her to get some advice about Acme. I promise to be respectful of her time.
Would you mind connecting me? I can send you a pre-formatted introductory email to make things really easy for you. Is that OK?
Thanks,
-Chris
You can also reach out initially via phone call or even seek a face-to-face meeting, depending on the circumstances, although you’ll need to follow up in writing to provide the information you’ve compiled about the job and your credentials.
If you don’t have contacts to ask for a referral, it’s vital you learn how to get the attention of a hiring manager who sees THOUSANDS of resumes each week. In this video, I’ll show you how to get your resume to stand out from the rest.
Following up on a request
A lot of the time people may not respond to the first email, so I would respond to the original email 3 days later with this follow-up:
Here’s a template you can use to follow up with your contacts:
Hi John,
This is Scott from Acme following up. I know your inbox must be flooded, so I didn’t want this to fall through the cracks…
—————–
[FULL ORIGINAL MESSAGE INCLUDING ANY ATTACHMENTS]
Always make it a point to follow up on your request. This is especially important if your initial contact was in person or over the phone, but it’s also important if you want to keep abreast of the referral source’s progress or to ensure they’ve followed through with their promise of a referral.
In addition to following up via email, another strategy I use is the Cascade Sequence, where after I send the initial emails, I send them a message on LinkedIn after 2 days, and another message on Twitter 2 days after that.
Thanking the referrer (regardless of the outcome)
Don’t forget to thank your referrer, preferably with a hand-written thank-you note. If the referral culminates in an interview or a job offer, you’ll want to offer your thanks.
If you know them well enough or it seems appropriate, you can even offer to take them to lunch or out for a cup of coffee to thank them in person. Even if the referral doesn’t land you an interview, though, it’s important to let them know that you appreciate their taking the time and trouble to go to bat for you.
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Who should you ask for a referral?
The best source for a job referral is someone who’s currently employed at the company you want to work for.
Employee referrals are valued by in-house recruiters and hiring managers, so much so that many companies have created a referral program that pays cash rewards to employees who refer promising job candidates. Programs like this are a win-win for the employee and you.
While current employees might be the best sources for job referrals, anyone with a strong connection to a company can also be the source of a good referral. Look for opportunities for existing customer referrals, referrals from vendors and suppliers, and referrals from a friend or family member.
Where to find good referrals
If you already know someone who’s working at the business you’re applying to, consider yourself lucky.
Finding a good referral source can be the most difficult part of the process. If you don’t have an “ace in the hole” referral source already, though, you’ll need to do some sleuthing to find someone you can approach.
A good place to start is your college or graduate school alumni listings. Some schools offer online alumni directories that you can search by company or location. You can also call the school’s alumni office and ask if they can introduce you to a fellow graduate who works at the company you’re interested in.
Another resource is searching LinkedIn profiles for possible referral sources. Conduct a search of the company name to see if any of the people listed as business owners, employees, or affiliates are members of your network. You can also check out the company’s website and look for a list of employee bios — these are often found in the “About Us” or “Our Team” tab.
Even if you don’t know any of the people listed, look for commonalities like schools attended, prior workplaces, or the same hometown. You might be able to find someone among your personal and professional contacts who can make an introduction.
The referral is the starting point of your Dream Job
Imagine waking up to emails asking you to interview that week because you’d taken the hiring manager out to coffee, instead of aimlessly firing off your resume on job search sites and hoping to hear back.
Imagine walking into an interview and negotiation totally comfortable and confident, and knowing exactly what to say … because the hiring manager had actually told you his exact hopes, fears, and dreams.
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