Referrals
Referrals constantly occur during your Networking process. They are high value leads from the research you pursue as you learn more about specific careers, disciplines, companies, and industries. Referrals are the building blocks that help you make decisions about your direction, provide a lead to a current open position, a potential unposted position, or gain internal operational information about a company, industry, individual, or career path.
Skills you will develop from Referrals:
- Determining where and when to start the referral process
- Utilizing friends, family, and former and existing associates
- Understanding that those you contact are willing and even eager to assist you
- Reciprocating when it comes to sharing information
- Connecting with the referral contact by presenting your Verbal Resume as an ice breaker
- Listening to all suggestions, openly and completely
Keep in mind a referral will originate from a person you know, in most cases. For example, you might ask a friend for a contact in a legal firm because you know a family member is a lawyer or ask a neighbor who recently had a legal settlement and knows at least one referral to a law office.
When you contact a referral, it is vital to introduce yourself by letting the contact know they were referred to you by a mutual friend or colleague. This changes the atmosphere of your meeting and opens doors to needed and unexpected leads. You have a common connection.
The referral process can be difficult to initiate if you have had little or no experience. I had a client ask me: “Why would a person be willing to talk to me, a stranger, about their company, industry, processes, or available opportunities?”
The process starts with people you know: a family member, relation, former associate, neighbor, or acquaintance. When a person you approach for a referral is someone you know and they refer you to a new contact, they are connected in some way to that contact, who is very likely to assist you, willingly and happily. Most referrals are more than willing to extend themselves regarding time, information, and additional contacts.
During your networking meeting, you also may have an opportunity to reciprocate by passing on information of interest you have uncovered.
“I’m not looking for jobs…”
I remind you to open by saying: “I’m not looking for a job in your organization or company or jobs you may know about anywhere else. I’ m looking for general information about a company, industry, discipline, or perhaps their client base, which will help me make decisions about my current, or next career move.”
Remain Open to All Suggestions
Occasionally a job or career suggestion made by contact may seem out of line for you or way off course at first mention but may become an exciting and challenging opportunity. I have seen many happy landings from what started out as: “No way” when it was first suggested.
Be Direct with Your Referrals
Avoid placing your contact in the middle of your referral. Clients tell me the contact providing the referral may want to schedule a meeting themselves to see if the contract approves of the referral. This intermediate connection through your contact should be avoided.
Keeping the person referring you in the middle of scheduling a meeting can cause unnecessary delays and may jeopardize making the connection you need. Get the referral’s contact number from the present contact and make the call yourself. Tell the referral your mutual friend referred you, and the reason for the call.
Look for updates and details on the Referral process in my Source Blog and in my upcoming book, Job Hunting – Launching to Landing.