How Important Are Referrals during Your Job Search

Last updated on May 10th, 2023 at 09:20 am

Public relations are an important tool in any profession and the job market is no exception. If you are someone who has been on the lookout for a new job or are a potential job seeker, then it is of the utmost importance that you establish and maintain meaningful connections when it comes to your professional life. Essentially, if you know people who know people, then the chances of you landing a job that you actually care about, are definitely higher! Do you remember the cover letters that most of you are prompted to write when applying for a job on various job portals? Well, the chances are that the potential employer will not even bother reading those.

There is one thing, in particular, however, that can prove to be the golden ticket for you, forgetting that dream job; an employee referral. We are not saying that having a referral program like that in place will ensure you land the job, but they do increase the chances of your application landing on top of the pile. This, in turn, helps in increasing the chances of your application being viewed by the recruiter. However, if you are still confused as to what we mean by an employee referral, here is a quick round off of the whole concept!

What is an employee referral?

An employee referral can essentially be described as an endorsement by a person, like a friend or a former colleague, to a potential employer in whose company they are working, about you! Such an endorsement allows the employee to talk about your talents to the employer and how they might fit into the open job role that the company is looking to fill.  

This sort of referral can either be formal or informal in nature. When it comes to an informal referral, it basically entails the casual mention of a job seeker’s name, with reference to a particular job opening, to a potential employer. However, a lot of companies also have an employee referral program, under which an employee of the company can refer the name of a candidate to an employer, and if that particular candidate is hired, then the employee gets rewarded.   

There are many reasons why employers are keen on conducting such programs. The potential hires that come through this program end up being a better fit, culturally, in that particular company’s space. Other than that, they also happen to have a better knowledge of the company through the eyes of the employee who referred them. Having an insight into the workings of the company via another employee, gives the potential hire a better chance of retaining their job, if offered, in the company

How do referrals help during a job search?

When a person gets referred, they essentially are able to get an (almost) bird’s eye view of the functioning of the company. As job seekers, they are then aware of the culture and atmosphere of the company and know exactly what they are getting into when they get referred to that company.

It is also a fact that candidates who are referred usually get preference over candidates who come via portals. The chances of a referred candidate’s resume being looked at are much higher as a result. Since every recruiter follows a particular hierarchy when sorting through the many candidates that might have applied for a particular position, a referred candidate, will more often than not, land on top of the pile!

A referred candidate, however, should not get complacent and think that once they have been referred, they have got the job in the bag. At the end of the day, what it comes down to is whether or not you are a good fit for the role that you have applied for! Of course, the chances of you getting the benefit of the doubt are more, as a result of which the employer could end up spending more time scanning their resumes and application forms. However, this still does not mean that the referred candidate will land the job!

If you have been on the jobs seekers list for some time now, the need to network and put feelers out into society is important. This is why having someone on the inside of a company to vouch for your talents and merits are required to make sure that you are at least considered for the role.

Employees that work in a company offering incentives, when one provides a reference of potential hires, have a larger chance of reaching out to their network in search of the right candidates. This is why it is important to become a part of such networks, so as to be aware of potential job opportunities.

If you have established a good rapport with most of the people in such networks, you will surely hear about potential job opportunities through them. However, it might be tricky to approach them and ask them to refer you, especially if you haven’t been particularly active in your working relationship. This is why it is important to understand where you are in your professional relationship, prior to asking them for help regarding the reference; otherwise, the whole scenario will only be doing more harm than good to the bond.

Thus, at the end of the day, it is extremely important to have a good professional relationship and network to learn about new and better job opportunities, even if you aren’t actively looking for a job!