Referrals. Wow, people sure are hesitant to give them out.
As a normal non-recruiter human being, I completely understand. Will my friend or co-worker be upset if I passed along their phone number to a recruiter? Will they think the role I referred them to is a complete miss?
This dilemma recently came up for one of my friends who reached out to me after getting an email from a recruiter. The job in question would’ve been a step up career wise, but wasn’t necessarily coming at a good time. She was in a position she was happy enough in and moving jobs didn’t seem like the right choice.
She asked me how to respond as she could be interested, but also had someone in mind that could fit the role. Here’s what I suggested:
Option one: Let the recruiter know you’re interested in at least discussing the role further with the precursor that you’re happy in your current position.
Option two: Thank the recruiter for reaching out and let them know you’re happy in your role, but suggest someone you know looking that could be a good fit for the role in question. Including their email address or phone number as well would be a nice touch.
Either way, as a recruiter, I suggested responding. Sure, your lack of response generally sends the message that you’re not interested. Being kind and respectful isn’t hard, though, either. A quick no thank you takes only a minute or two or your time.
My friend ended up reaching out to her referral about the position and it ended up being a total miss. Turns out, the role was a lot lower level than what they were targeting. Still, what did it hurt to ask? Recruiters often have other positions they’re looking to fill outside of the one they’ve reached out to you about and can provide more value outside of just that one job.
In case you’re still reluctant, here are some facts to back up why you should hand out referrals. According to an article on Jobvite, referred applicants are 15 times more likely to be hired than candidates who apply via a job board. When candidates are referred, that candidate is hired 66% of the time. Those sound like great odds to me!
If your friend truly isn’t interested, they are not obligated to speak with the recruiter beyond a simple “no thank you” email. If you’re not even sure if they’re looking, send them a quick text asking if it’s cool to give out their email address. I can’t imagine why someone would be angry with you trying to help advance their career.
Say you’re referring someone for an opening within your company specifically: check into employee referral programs. Employers list referrals as their best way to source candidates and will usually compensate you for it with a bonus. Statistics show that 63 percent of employers follow a regimented employee referral program. After all, what’s better than working with a friend and getting paid to help them out?
No matter what, consider this: referrals work. If you as the job seeker are really interested in a job, consider anyone you know that works there. Even if they don’t perform the same role or even work in a similar department, they are a proven resource for the company and their opinions hold weight.
If you have a company in mind you want to work at, start networking with folks on LinkedIn. A few strategically placed connection requests and kind messages can go a long way.
When going through the job process for my current role, I was reached out to by a current employee that I had worked with on a group project in college. While that month-long project was our only interaction, I can guarantee I wouldn’t be where I am today if I were a bad group member and left a sour impression on him. One negative piece of feedback could have severely affected my chances.
Instead, I got to address a lot of my questions and concerns with him while also having someone to vouch for me along the way. In the end, this holds just as much weight as being a fit in other areas.
If you take one thing out of this article, I want it to be this. Consider giving a referral next time you get reached out to by a recruiter instead of angrily deleting or declining their message. You could make someone’s career that way, especially in the terrible Covid times we’re in.
This article is my own and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TEKsystems.
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