LinkedIn says that some 50% of recruiters find referrals to be the best source for quality hires, while those who are referred for a role are 4X more likely to hear back from the recruiting organization. Getting your foot in the door via someone you’re connected can be a significant help, and through LinkedIn’s 546 million members, professionals are now more connected to each other than ever before.
Which is why the platform’s new ‘Ask for a Referral’ option makes perfect sense.
It works like this:
First off, LinkedIn has added a new search filter in the ‘Jobs’ tab which enables searchers to filter the listed roles by connections within your existing LinkedIn network.
Once you find a role you’re interested in, you can hit the ‘Ask for a referral’ option at the right of the listing (or below the main heading on mobile) to get in touch with whomever it is you know at that organization and ask if they’d be willing to put in a good word.
It’s simple, yet it will no doubt prove effective in helping job seekers boost their chances. It’s relative, of course, to the person or people you know within each organization, but you might find an old school connection, for example, or someone you weren’t aware of is in a position to be able to help you get your ideal role – which, as noted, can greatly increase your chances of a response.
When you do go to ask for a referral through the new process, LinkedIn’s system will automatically populate the field with a script you can use to seek that connection’s assistance.
LinkedIn recommends you personalize the message for each case, and provides three tips for doing so:
- Remind them how they know you – Jog their memory of where you met if you haven’t been in touch recently. Call out things you have in common, like if you went to the same school.
- Share why you’re a good fit – Include why you’d be a good fit for the job, including your skills and relevant experience. This will make it easier for the person you know to recommend you to the hiring manager or recruiter.
- Highlight why you’re interested – Stand out by telling them why you’re interested in this role. This can be anything from being a fan of the company’s product or service to wanting to move to the city their office is located in.
All are practical, simple steps, and customizing the request will help avoid the template fatigue that’s become common for LinkedIn connection requests.
As noted, the process is straight-forward, and makes good sense, and will no doubt prove significantly beneficial. If you’re looking for a job on LinkedIn, it’s worth checking out those listed under the ‘In Your Network’ filter to see what’s available, and whether there might be a good fit.