#15 Issue. How to use your network like a Pro (for a Job Referral) and cool facts about ⚫️ Friday & 💻 Monday
It's been a tough couple of weeks, with one of our biggest clients announcing a massive layoff. I couldn't help but feel this issue should focus on techniques and strategies to help those in the ‘job market void’ looking for new opportunities.
Let's talk about referrals, as they are the ultimate goal of any networking.
What about them? – you might ask.
Well, referrals can be a powerful tool in your job search — but only if you know how to use them wisely. Asking for a referral is more than just passing along your resume; it's about creating opportunities through genuine relationships. Here's how to turn your network into a referral-generating machine (no kidding😉)
First, you must realize why recruiters and employees won't refer just anyone. Referrals are like personal endorsements. They carry weight because they come from someone vouching for your skills, character, and fit for a role. However, they’re not magic. A referral doesn’t bypass hiring requirements or guarantee you a job. Recruiters and employees are selective because their professional reputations are on the line.
So, if asking, "Can you refer me?" isn't the right approach, what should you do instead to land referrals that will help your job search?
1. Connect strategically
Start by identifying professionals in your target field or companies. Use platforms like LinkedIn or join relevant professional groups. Your goal isn’t to ask for a job but to learn and grow.
2. Set up informational interviews
Ask for a brief chat to discuss their career journey, challenges, and advice. Remember that you intend to learn — not to ask for a favor. People are often more open to mentoring conversations than direct job-related requests.
3. Add value and stay connected
After your conversation, nurture the relationship. Share relevant articles, introduce them to useful contacts, or simply stay in touch periodically. Networking is about mutual value, not one-off asks.
4. Timing is everything
Once you’ve built rapport and they understand your career goals, ask if they’d be comfortable referring you for roles. A well-timed ask feels natural and is more likely to get a positive response.
Think of referrals as the outcome of a well-tended professional relationship. Would you recommend a stranger for a role in your company? Probably not. That’s exactly why cold asking for referrals — especially from someone you barely know — rarely works.
Instead, I would like you to invest time and effort in building genuine connections. Over time, these relationships will naturally lead to opportunities, including referrals.
The Power of Context
So, what's the secret to getting insanely valuable job search advice? It's all about providing relevant context when you ask for help. The more a mentor/recruiter knows about your specific situation, the more targeted and actionable their guidance will be.
Think about it this way: when you're struggling with your search, you're basically a detective trying to solve a mystery. The clues are all the details about your background, experience, goals and challenges. The detective's sidekick - the Watson to your Sherlock - is the recruiter, career coach or networking contact you turn to for help cracking the case.
But just like Watson needs all the clues to be helpful, your job search mentor needs plenty of context from you to play their part. They can spot critical patterns and connect dots that you're too close to see, but only if you share the whole story with them.
Here are some of the key details to provide when asking for job search advice:
Example: I've been a virtual assistant for three years, primarily supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs. The ideal role for me would be a remote, U.S.-based virtual assistant role with a startup or digital marketing agency. In addition to managing email, coordinating calendars, managing social media, and providing customer service, I also provide email management services. My unique value is that I’ve helped several clients streamline their workflows using tools like Asana, Trello, and Zapier, significantly improving their efficiency.
In the short term, I’m looking to secure a full-time virtual assistant position with growth potential, while my long-term goal is to move into an operations manager role.
My biggest challenge is standing out in a competitive market. Despite applying to multiple remote positions and optimizing my resume, I'm not getting many responses. I've also started building a portfolio to showcase my work, but I'm unsure if I'm highlighting the right achievements.
Could you review my resume and portfolio to see if I’m positioning myself effectively? I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to make my applications more compelling or build stronger connections among remote workers.
This example gives clear context about the person’s background, target roles, unique skills, challenges, and specific areas where they need advice, making it easier for the mentor to provide actionable feedback. When you paint a robust picture of where you're at and where you want to go, advisors can identify exactly which areas you need to work on. They can see the gaps and suggest ways to fill them. They can point out things you might be doing wrong or opportunities you might not take advantage of.
For example, instead of a generic "your resume should be one-page" tip, a mentor who understands your background could say "Given your 10+ years of marketing experience, it's fine for your resume to be 2 pages. Ensure you're going into more depth on your recent roles and cutting down older positions to just a few bullet points."
See the difference? Context enables personalized problem-solving.
In the next 08:28 Issue, we'll discuss combining that context with targeted questions to unlock next-level job search insights. Until then – stay tuned; you've got a lot of things to do🦅
🚰 COOLER TALKS 🚰
As Black Friday is just around the corner, following Cyber Monday, I gathered three facts about this worldwide madness (who knows, maybe reading those helps both you and me to save money in my pocket this year😉)
1. Black Friday” was first used to describe the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy in the 1960s by newspapers in Philadelphia. At the time, the newspapers felt the massive crowds in stores and insanity in the aisles were comparable to the original “Black Friday”: a stock-market panic that followed the collapse of the price of gold on September 24, 1864.
2. Cyber Monday, on the other hand, was a pure marketing term coined in 2005. “Cyber Monday” was designed to encourage a digital counterpart to the physical shopping frenzy of Black Friday. It has rapidly become the biggest e-commerce event in the US. A record-breaking $12.4 billion was spent last year. Globally, the event has also seen huge growth, with 73.1 million people shopping online (NFR 2023).
3. The traditional distinction between the two was that Black Friday was a physical event, and Cyber Monday was digital. However, things have changed, and Black Friday has rapidly become an e-commerce event in its own right: online sales jumped by 9% YoY to over $16.4 billion last year (per Salesforce).
This year, Black Friday 2024 will take place on November 29.
Does your company or you plan to offer time-sensitive deals to clients/customers?
Let's spread unique opportunities by sharing them in the comments below!