Job Referral Tips

I asked 443 people who landed a job in the last 6 months how they did it - and because I'm relentless, I DM’d several of them for the details 👀 Here’s what they said: - 39% got hired through a job application only - 38% landed their role through a referral or someone in their network - 11% were reached out to directly - 12% marked “other” and DM'd me (saving these gems for another post!) For this post, I wanna talk about referrals. Because every time I bring them up, I get feedback from people who swear that referrals don’t make a lick of difference in their application. But the data says otherwise!! Referrals are JUST as effective as job applications. So why do so many people think they don’t work? My guess - it comes down to how people think about networking, and who they are networking with. Many assume networking = cold DM’ing your LinkedIn connections that work at your target company, and asking them to essentially tag you in the company’s ATS as a “referral”. This might work… sometimes… if you’re lucky. But for all the people that landed jobs and shared their stories, this was what actually worked: 💡 It’s not just about knowing someone at the company - it’s about knowing someone with hiring influence. - A hiring manager referred a rejected candidate to a colleague at another company - and they got hired. - A former supervisor vouched for someone internally, even when no job was posted. - Someone got passed over at first, but their referrer kept advocating for them - so when the first-choice hire didn't work out, they got the offer. 💡 Most referrals didn’t come from cold outreach - they came from past colleagues, former bosses, or professional acquaintances. - Someone caught up with an old coworker and learned about an unposted job. - Another had a standing check-in with a former boss, who later hired them at a new company. - One person told their manager they wanted to leave, and instead of quitting, the company created a role just to keep them. 💡 Cold outreach worked - but only when it wasn’t just about asking for a referral. - Someone cold-called companies just to ask what they look for in an employee. The CEO liked their initiative and invited them for an interview. - Another reached out on LinkedIn not for a referral, but to learn about someone's career path. That conversation led to a job. 💡 Some of the best networking didn’t even feel like networking. - A job seeker met a company director at trivia night, followed up, and got an interview. - Another ran into someone at the gym, and that casual chat led to a job. - A plus-one at a work event struck up a conversation - months later, they got hired at the company. So, the TLDR: Networking is effective when approached with the goal of building meaningful relationships, with people in positions of hiring influence, so that you are top of mind when the right opportunities come up. Have a story to share about networking efforts that lead to new opportunities? Let's hear it!

Sending another application today? Cool. Just know that hitting 'submit' isn't the win you think. Here's the thing: applications feel productive. They're measurable. They're safe. But they're not moving you forward 👇 STEP 1) Redefine your finish line - Stop counting applications sent. Start counting conversations had. One real conversation with someone at your target company beats 20 cold applications every single time. - The goal isn't volume, it's connection. STEP 2) Pick one person this week - Find someone doing the work you want to do. Someone who's been where you're trying to go. Reach out with a clear, specific ask. "I'd love 15 minutes to learn how you approached X" works better than "Can I pick your brain?" - Make it easy for them to say yes. STEP 3) Show up prepared - Don't waste their time with questions Google could answer. Come with insight. Share what you've learned about their company, their role, their challenges. - Ask how they'd approach a problem you're thinking through. - This isn't an interview, it's a conversation between two professionals. STEP 4) Follow through - After the call, send a thank you. Share something useful. Stay visible. The relationship doesn't end when the Zoom closes. - People refer candidates they remember, not resumes they forgot. The application makes you feel busy. The conversation makes you memorable. Leave the dopamine hit of clicking 'apply' behind. Start building the relationships that actually open doors. One conversation this week. That's the finish line that matters. Go find it ✌🏼

People ask me all the time how to network. Here’s a short, tactical guide on how to actually do it - grounded in real data, real results, and 3,500+ jobs found through relationships. 🎯 The #1 misconception Networking is not: “Let me ask you for a job.” It is: “Let me have a real, human moment with someone in this industry.” ✅ What actually works This is how you build meaningful professional relationships - the kind that lead to real opportunities: 1️⃣ Be around. Events, Discords, social posts, games projects, ticket giveaways, community coaching - just show up. Start by being visible. Over time, become memorable for the right reasons. 2️⃣ Don’t pitch. Connect. Ask questions. Be genuinely curious. You’re planting seeds, not harvesting. This takes months and years. There are not shortcuts to building real relationships. 3️⃣ Look sideways, not up. A junior colleague can often help you more than a C-level exec. Build trust, first, with people at your level or just above it. 4️⃣ Follow up like a human. Send messages that matter: “Just played [X] - loved the level design.” “Your GDC talk really stuck with me - thank you.” “Noticed you moved from QA to design - would love to hear how.” 5️⃣ Give before you get. Share insights, leave helpful comments, support others’ work - anything that builds trust and makes you recognizable. 6️⃣ Say hi when there’s nothing to gain. That’s the best time. No stakes, no pressure - it’s when real relationships start. 7️⃣ Don’t just “shoot your shot.” ❌❌❌❌❌ Never reach out with “Can you get me a job?” That closes doors, fast. Lead with curiosity and conversation, not a transactional, cold ask. 🔥 If I wanted to be provocative… I’d say this: Applying to jobs without connective tissue is very inefficient. Particularly for early career and more senior folks. Instead of asking, “What should I apply to?” - ask, “Where can I build a relationship?” Posting about hundreds of applications is understandable, but it misses the point. Focus on how many real connections you’ve made - then work backward to the right applications. 🧠 Avoid the Dream Company Trap Too many people focus only on the one studio they love - and end up pinging the same five people as everyone else. I always ask: Where do I already have network strength? Where can I go that everybody else isn’t going? We track 3,000+ game studios. 1,000+ of them hire. Go outside the top 50. 🪜 Think in ladders and sidesteps Instead of aiming straight at your target studio, look at who owns that studio. Think conglomerates. Think sister teams. Adjacent verticals. 📊 The data backs it up. Across our community: Cold apps: ~1–2% yield Apps with any warm connection: 10–20x+ better odds 🧭 The shift is simple Spend more time building bridges than sending résumés. Relationships are the infrastructure of hiring. Build that first. The first thing I ask anyone who's stuck is: Are you spending 80%+ of your effort building relationships? If not, do that.

When I first started messaging people for referrals on LinkedIn, I used to write things like: "Hey, could you please refer me for any suitable open roles in your team or organization?" Most of the time, there was no reply. It took me a while to understand that the problem wasn't always the person—it was the way I was approaching them. After experimenting and learning from others, I realized a few small changes in how you message someone can improve your chances of actually getting a response or even a referral. Here’s what helped me: ✅ Don’t just say “Hi” and wait for a reply This was one of my early mistakes. If you're serious about a referral, share everything in one clear and polite message—right from the beginning. ✅ Mention the exact job you're applying for Don’t expect them to search the careers page for you. Share the job title or job link directly so they can help you quickly. ✅ Make your message short and structured People don’t read long messages on LinkedIn. Write in simple lines and keep it easy to skim. ✅ Reach out to multiple people from the same company Sometimes the first 2–3 people may not respond. Try messaging 5–7 folks from different teams. It increases your chances of finding someone willing to help. ✅ Polish your profile before asking Make sure your LinkedIn looks solid before you reach out. – Clear headline that matches your role – Brief, impactful ‘About’ section – Updated work history and skills – Add featured posts or projects if possible ✅ One polite follow-up is okay If you don’t get a reply, you can follow up after 5–6 days. But just once—keep it respectful. Here’s a simple message that worked for me: Hi [Name], I came across a job opening for [Job Title] at [Company], and I believe my experience in [mention key skills] aligns well with the role. Here’s the job link: [Insert Link] I’ve also attached my resume for reference. I’d be grateful if you could refer me or guide me on the next steps. Thank you so much for your time! A small effort in crafting a thoughtful message can really make a difference. And even if someone doesn’t respond—don’t take it personally. Just keep trying, respectfully. If you’ve ever received a referral through LinkedIn, or if a different approach worked for you—drop it in the comments.

Online applications have a 2% response rate. Referrals have a 40% hiring rate. And yet, every Monday, lakhs of candidates are still refreshing their inbox waiting for a callback that'll never come. Why referrals work the way they do: > Most job openings never go public: 70% of positions are filled before they're even posted. > Your resume sits in an ATS with 500 others. A referral skips the queue entirely. > Recruiters get 250+ applications per role. They act on referrals within 24 hours. What actually gets you referred (that nobody tells you): ✔️ Your LinkedIn activity matters more than your DMs: Commenting on posts of people in your target company gets you on their radar before you even ask. Recruiters notice who engages consistently. ✔️ The ask is everything: Don't say "Can you refer me?" Say "I noticed an opening for X at your company. Here's my resume. Would you be comfortable sharing it with your HR?" Specific. Easy to act on. ✔️ Second-degree connections are underrated: Your best referral won't always come from a close friend. It'll come from someone you helped, worked with briefly, or engaged with online. Map your second-degree network first. ✔️ Internal job boards > public job boards: Many companies post on internal boards 1–2 weeks before going public. A connection inside the company can flag this for you before 500 people apply. ✔️ One strong referral > ten cold applications: Companies hire referred candidates 55% faster. They stay longer. They perform better. Hiring managers trust a known source over an unknown resume. If you're job hunting right now, stop spending 4 hours applying blindly. Spend those rebuilding your referral network instead. That's where the offers are hiding. #jobsearch #referral #hiring #careertips #dreamjob #interviewcoach #network

Referrals don’t always lead to interviews. You read that right! Why? Because all referrals aren’t created equal. When you boil it down, there are two kinds: 1. The One And Done 2. The Advocate The One And Done is what most people end up with. Somebody at the company finally says “yes” and offers to pass your resume along. Typically, this means they put you in the company tool or they send your resume to a recruiter. Problem is, they don’t do much else. They don’t sell your experience, they don’t push to get you in the door…because they can’t. They still barely know you! Advocates, on the other hand, are doing all of the above. They don’t just put your resume in the referral pool. They send the hiring manager an email speaking to your value and the direct impact you’ll have on the team. They share the same message with other colleagues. They follow up to make sure you're scheduled for an interview. Then they champion you all the way through to the offer stage. So, the next time you get a referral, make an ask! Ask your referral if they'd be willing to email the hiring manager directly. Then provide them with all of the info and copy they'd need to make a strong case for you. Turn that One And Done into an Advocate! I promise you'll land more interviews.

I wrote a book called The Referral Engine to make the case that referrals should be your #1 lead source—but there’s a catch. Early in my career, I thought doing great work was enough to keep clients coming. And for a while, it worked. One happy client led to another, and I stayed busy. Then, one day, the referrals slowed down. And I found myself wondering: Where’s the next client coming from? That’s when I realized something many business owners eventually figure out: Referrals don’t just happen. They have to be built into your marketing system. Too many businesses think referrals are random. They do great work, cross their fingers, and hope happy clients will spread the word. Yes, that better be happening. But that’s not a strategy. I started asking myself some different questions. ~ How do I make referring me the easiest thing my clients can do? ~ How do I teach my best customers to tell the right story about me? ~ How do I bake referrals into every stage of my client experience? Just thinking this way changed everything. Instead of waiting for referrals, I created a system to generate them. Here’s what I figured out. First, people don’t refer businesses. They refer experiences. If your work is just “good,” no one is talking about it. If your process is clunky, no one is bringing their best contacts into it. The easiest way to get more referrals is to create something worth talking about. Second, most people would be happy to refer you, but they don’t know how. If you want more referrals, you have to make it easy. Give people the right language to use. Create a process that naturally encourages introductions. Make referring you feel like a win for them, not a favor to you. Finally, the best way to generate more referrals is to teach before you sell. Create content that positions you as the expert people want to send their friends to. Be the person people naturally think of when someone asks, “Who do you know that does great work in this space?” When someone tells me their lead generation is inconsistent, I don’t tell them to start cold calling. I tell them to make referrals a system, not an accident. So I’m curious—what’s one thing you do to make referrals a natural part of the customer journey?

Here’s how I got 10+ job referrals (And how you can too.) Most cold DMs fail because we do one of two things: ❌ Write a full-page life story that gets ignored ❌ Send generic spam with zero personalization I’ve been there. I used to send 100+ messages and hear nothing back. Then I changed my approach. Here's the exact message that worked "Hey [Name], Great to connect with you! I came across [Company]’s opening for a [Job Title/Job ID] role and noticed the emphasis on [specific skill/responsibility from the JD], which really caught my attention. Over the past [X years], I’ve: • [Accomplishment with impact tied to that skill] • [Another metric-driven win that aligns with the role] I’m actively exploring opportunities where I can bring this experience to the table, and [Company] seems like a perfect fit. If you’re open to it, I’d truly appreciate a referral, or even just pointing me to the right person I could speak with." 💡 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬: • Mentions something specific (not a generic mass DM) • Gives a quick context of what you do • Keeps the tone warm, not desperate • Makes it easy to reply or pass along ✨ 𝐏𝐫𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐩: If you’re not sending cold messages, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. Start today! Make sure to personalize it to stand out from the crowd:) 📌 Save this. And send it to 3 recruiters today. 𝐏.𝐒. I share job search tips, referral strategies, and data career insights in my free newsletter. Join 12K+ readers here → https://lnkd.in/dUfe4Ac6

It's 2025, Referrals don't work anymore! Right? "What’s the point of getting a referral when the resume goes to the same ATS system" One of my clients recently asked me this, and I know many of you think it’s 2025, and referrals don’t work anymore! So, I’ll explain how it all works and why referrals help, even if the application ends up in the same system: [1] 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮: An employee submits your resume internally or to HR. [2] 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Your application is marked as a referral, which usually means it gets prioritized for review. [3] 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬: You’ll go through the regular hiring steps, but you might get faster interview scheduling. [4] 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: If you’re hired, the employee could receive a bonus. Here’s why referrals help, even if the application ends up in the same system: [1] 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Referred candidates often get noticed because someone within the company has vouched for them. [2] 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: Referrals can sometimes be processed quicker since there’s an internal recommendation. [3] 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: The referrer’s support can give you an edge. [4] 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐲: The person referring you might push your application further along. How to get a referral: [1] 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Look for openings on LinkedIn and check for connections before applying. [2] 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬: Use LinkedIn to find employees in relevant roles. Prioritize connections or ask for introductions. [3] 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐎𝐮𝐭: If you don’t know anyone, send a friendly connection request.  Example: “Hi [Name], I’m interested in [Job Title] at [Company]. I’d love to connect and learn about your experience there.” [4] 𝐀𝐬𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐥: Once connected, politely ask for a referral if you’re a good fit for the role. Example: “Hi [Name], I saw the [Job Title] role at [Company] and believe my experience in [field] makes me a great fit. Could you refer me?” [5] 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞: Mention something specific about their work or the company. [6] 𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: If they agree, they’ll refer you or guide you through the process. [7] 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐔𝐩: After a week, follow up politely if needed and thank them for their help. This process is simple and keeps you on good terms with your connections! Follow Sahaj Bana for more!

🚀 This is how I landed interviews at LinkedIn and The New York Times with referrals from my secondary network I saw open roles at LinkedIn and The New York Times (NYT), but didn’t know anyone directly working in those teams. What most people do: 💬 Send cold DMs asking for referrals directly. But I took a different approach—I reached out to people I already knew and asked if they knew anyone in those companies or teams. 🔗 New York Times: When I saw an opening at NYT, I reached out to my ex-manager at The Washington Post. Since she had worked with people at NYT, there was a high chance she knew someone. She did. She connected me with them and sent a stellar intro message. I got a referral from her network, which led to an interview. 🔗 LinkedIn: I found a role at LinkedIn in a team I had no connections with. Instead of cold DMing, I reached out to a VP I had built a strong relationship with. He knew the hiring manager and put in a good word for me. The result? I got an interview! 💡 In 2024, I learned you can leverage your secondary network to get amazing opportunities. But remember—only ask for this kind of favor if you’ve built a strong relationship and the person can vouch for your work. Next time you see an open role and don’t know anyone at the company, ask your connections if they know someone there. Don’t just ask for a referral—ask if they can introduce you to the right person. #career #network #tips #jobsearch #earlycareer #students