You’ve heard the saying: “It’s not what you know but who you know that matters”. 

If you’ve been targeting a job at a specific organization, referrals are the way to get your phone ringing faster for a job interview.  When you’re qualified and meet the requirements of the job, relationships and referrals are a good strategy to move your resume to the top from the crowd of candidates.

 Referrals and recommendations apply to all aspects of life. Here’s a very common example most can relate to: someone you know and trust recommends a restaurant and speaks highly of their experience there. Although there are many amazing restaurants, chances are you will be inclined to try this specific place after hearing their positive review. 

This concept also applies to jobseekers; someone putting in a good word for you, gives priority consideration to your resume. Human Resources and hiring managers take the time to look into employee referrals because they believe employees refer individuals who would be a good fit at their company. 

According to the 2015 Recruiter Nation Survey, referred applicants are 15 times more likely to be hired than applicants from a job board.

If you don’t have a contact internally, you may know someone who knows someone, working in the organization you wish to work for. You may have to ask your mutual connection for an introduction. Don’t be shy to and seek their help in opening some doors; most people will gladly help. Check your LinkedIn contacts, your volunteer or alumni groups to see who you know that can refer you. If the person doesn’t know you personally and hesitates to do this, ask if they would be available for a short phone call to introduce yourself. During this call, focus on demonstrating how your skills, professional experiences and career goals are in line with the job you want.  If you make a positive impression, it will make this person feel confident about referring you.

You can also use LinkedIn’s Get Referred feature. Learn more about it on LinkedIn’s blog here.

Referrers can put in a good word by sending a reference email (with your resume attached) to Human Resources and the hiring manager and copying you (in cc), by following their internal company policy for employee referrals, and in some cases, even writing a recommendation letter to include with your job application. 

Wishing you much success!

Karine

About the author

Karine Shogher Touloumjian is a bilingual Canadian Certified Resume Strategist with a background in Recruitment and Human Resources.

For more information about our services, visit us at www.distinctresume.com or contact us at info@distinctresume.com.