Add to favorites Examiner Bio

Referrals are a great tool in your job search

Ask for a referral as you tell friends, family and business colleagues about your job search.

Recent statistics suggest 70-80% of people are finding their job through networking. The number is expected to go up given the online social and business networking sites. Don’t overlook good old fashioned face to face networking. This means reaching out to past friends, business colleagues, etc. Once you are talking to them, ask for their help finding the well connected people in your industry. Whether you reach out to their connections yourself or have your friends reach out on your behalf will depend on the circumstances. 

Insurance salesmen have always been trained not to leave a customer without asking the customer for 10 referrals. The same strategy will work in your job search. Ask your business colleagues and friends for their ten referrals. They may be able to come up with ten or only a few, but when asked, people like to help and will come up with something to assist you with your job search.

When you are reaching out to the referrals on your list, remember you already have a common connection. This is a great ice breaker. Once you are talking with your new connection ask if his company has any openings, are aware of any openings, etc. Then ask them for ten referrals. Also, find out if they are on LinkedIn and suggest you connect that way as well. This will help you grow your contact base even more.