How To Get Job Referrals ?

The first step towards getting your dream job is to apply for a job posting to get shortlisted for the interviews. The tricky thing here is that even if your profile perfectly matches the job description, you may not get a callback from the recruiter. The reason being, the recruiter must be getting numerous profiles everyday all of which might be matching the job requirements. There is a high chance that your profile may not make it to the eyes of the hiring team and you might get an automated rejection email without even getting a chance to get your profile reviewed. This is where job referrals can help you.

A job referral is like a recommendation from a person already working at the company to consider the profile of a candidate for a job posting. The best thing about getting a job referral is that your profile will be seen by the recruiter before making any decision. So if your profile matches the job requirements, there is a very high chance that you will get an interview call.

Getting a job referral in itself can be a tough task, but it is definitely worth it. It is better to get make an effort to get a job referral somehow than to apply at numerous of companies and face rejection via an automated email. There are multiple ways you can get a job referral. Easiest way is to reach out to your network of friends, college seniors, leaders in your previous companies and your Linkedin network. If any of them are working at your target companies, they can easily refer you. At times, I hear that people feel ashamed about asking for a job referral. There should be no shame in it. It is a widely accepted industry practice. Big tech companies even encourage their employees to refer good candidates in their network so as to speed up the hiring process.

If you are finding it hard to get a referral from your immediate network, there is another way. Make a list of companies you want to apply for. Then connect with employees working at those companies in a similar profile as yours. Once the connection request gets accepted, message them requesting a job referral. Do not directly send out your resume. Instead, introduce yourself, tell them about your skills or projects, and make a request if they can help you with a referral in their company. Do not write a long message, keep it short. If they reply, then you can take the conversation forward by sharing your resume. Many companies provide a referral bonus to their employees if their referred candidate gets selected. So there is an incentive even for the employee to refer you, if you are a good candidate. I have myself referred to so many profiles via Linkedin messages while I was working at Google, and some of them got selected as well.

Next time you are applying for your dream job, do not plainly apply at careers page or on Linkedin job postings. Instead give your best effort to get a job referral first. This can make a big difference in the number of callbacks you get for the interviews.