TCW #012 | Debugging your Networking Approach

I’ll have you convinced that networking with randos is the highest ROI way to job search, plus I’ll provide tactics and copy-paste scripts you can use for the highest odds of networking success.

In today’s issue, I’ll teach you 3 straightforward networking approaches to get warm intros and referrals for jobs (without sounding desperate or needy).

When you’re actively job searching, you’re likely drowning in conflicting advice around finding the right balance between applying directly, networking, and getting referred.

The average candidate spends 80% of their time cold applying, and only 20% networking.

We do this because shipping an application feels like tangible progress, ie: every new application feels like a new chance at a role. (It’s a numbers game, right?)

Networking, on the other hand, feels like a lot of unstructured work with unclear return on effort.

The data tell a different story, though.

According to a recent study by Silkroad Technology, 30% of people land jobs via referrals. This number is on the rise, as employers offer more incentives to fill their talent pipelines with top-tier talent.

If you’re not spending at least 30% of your job search energy on networking, you’re not listening to the data.

My take: candidates should spend 30%, even 60%+ of their job search energy on networking for introductions or job referrals.

My data suggests that candidates who have the fastest, most satisfying job search results are the ones who spend most or all of their time (80%+) networking (and limit their cold applications to 1-2 per week).

Let’s dive in.

Why take the time to get referred?

In the Age of ATS, 99% of companies use ATS, and 75% of resumes are screened automatically using filters (and in the future, I predict it will be by ML algorithms).

Getting referred is the only way to ensure that a human will review your resume.

Even if the human only spends ~8 seconds looking at your resume, it’s your best chance of moving into the interview process.

Humans reading your resume instantly increases your odds of getting considered for the role by 2x-4x.

So, it’s worth it.

Why getting referred wins (and is easier than you think)

In bullets:

• most tech companies have referral programs

• if you get hired, the referring employee gets paid $500-$5000

• employees have to do ~10 minutes of work to refer you (if you make it easy for them, it’s only 5 minutes of work on their part)

3 ways to get referred

1. Get to know an employee of the company and then ask for a referral

2. Ask a stranger to refer you (via Reddit, Fishbowl, or Blind)

3. Network with the hiring manager

#1 takes longer but you’ll get more intel on the company along the way. You might even learn that it’s not a great place to work, and then save yourself the effort of interviewing entirely.

#2 is short, quick, and easy but definitionally transactional. Very few strangers who refer you will want to get to know you or help you beyond just submitting your name and resume. They are playing the lottery game to get a shot at that referral bonus. It’s not personal.

#3 is the least frequently applicable but has a very high ROI (2x-4x more likely to land an interview). It generally only works at smaller tech companies or companies in your network where you are able to find out who the hiring manager is.

Tactic #1: get referrals from people you know at target companies

Usually, it’s as simple as reaching out, with a charm offensive. Some rules of thumb:

1. Avoid sounding needy

2. Make it easy for them to help you

3. Show some momentum — you’ve already got the ball rolling, you’re just inviting them in to share in your glory.

Below are some starter templates for emails you can send to people when you’re seeking a referral.

Someone you know well.

Hi <friend’s name>,

I'm applying for a role at <their company>!

Is there a referral program? I want to make sure you get the credit if I take the job.

I’ve attached my resume and here’s the link to the role: <link to role>.

If you know someone on the team, or the hiring manager, I would love an intro. I can send along a quick intro blurb if that helps.

Cheers!

<your name>

Someone you know, but not a good friend.

Hi <acquaintance’s name>,

I wanted to let you know that we might be colleagues soon!

I am interested in applying for this role: <paste link> at <their company>.

Can we connect for 15 minutes? I’d love to hear how your experience has been at the company. And I’d love to hear anything you know about the role (no problem if you’re not familiar). I'd really appreciate it.

I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

<your name>

During the actual call:

• ask them about the company and the role

• ask for any tips on the interview process

• at the very end, inquire if they have a referral program and if they would be willing to refer you to make the process easier

Tactic #2: Ask strangers for referrals on Blind

Many people ask strangers to refer them, and there’s nothing wrong with this.

The referral process at most tech companies is designed to get more people into the hiring funnel and to reward employees for helping out.

Referring employees do not have to lie and say they know you or your work. They just have to submit your resume.

🌼 Don’t be shy about using this option! It’s the one I most often recommend for job seekers in an open-ended job search (one where you are open to multiple roles or companies). This method is fast and works well to get your resume reviewed by a human.

Step 1: Request Referrals (but do it the Blind way)

To find strangers who are willing to give you a referral, head over to Blind: https://teamblind.com

First, you want to be sure you’re asking in a socially acceptable way.

Search for ‘referral’ and review a few examples to understand the conventions.

Search TeamBlind for referral request examples before creating your own.

This is a good example of a Blind referral request:

An example of a referral request post on Blind that respects the social norms of the platform.

Noteworthy elements of the referral request:

• Total Comp (TC) and Years of Experience (YOE) disclosures (many people will troll you if you don’t put your TC—total comp— and YOE—years of experience).

• By putting the hashtags of the companies, you make it easier for those employees to find you on Blind.

• You can see that many people offered their DMs (meaning “yeah, I’ll refer you, just send me a message directly.”)

Step 2: Arm them with your information (in one fell swoop)

When you reach out to them via DM, include the following items.

These are required for them to refer you, so you’ll save them time (and avoid lossy back and forth) and improve your odds of landing that referral:

• The role(s) you’d like to be referred to (up to 3, in stack-ranked order, ideally send the IRL to the job posting)

• Your resume (as a PDF attachment)

• Your LinkedIn profile URL

• Your email address

• Your phone number

Note: This same process may work on other sites like Reddit or Fishbowl, but Blind is the top spot for stranger referrals in tech as of the time of writing this post.

Tactic #3: Network with a Hiring Manager at a Target Company

I’ve written extensively on this topic, so rather than regurgitate, I will point you in the right direction for this high ROI option (if you’re able to find the HM).

Step 1: Find and Engage Target Hiring Managers

Detailed deep dive into how to do this: The Career Whispers #005

Step 2: Connect with Hiring Managers (and Make it Impossible for them to Say No)

Detailed deep dive into how to do this: The Career Whispers #006

“I’m doing all of these things, but nothing is working.”

These tactics work for 93% of my coaching clients. If they aren’t working for you, that means there’s something to debug in your approach.

Below are the top 4 things I see people doing wrong with job search networking. If you’re not getting referrals or warm intros, one of these issues is to blame:

1. Bad blurb (for warm intros and LinkedIn connection requests). The Fix: #009

2. Your resume doesn’t match the role of interest. The Fix: #011

3. You sound desperate, ego-centric, or anything other than humbly optimistic. Getting people to want to help you is an art. It’s all about a campaign of (humble) optimism. See the sample scripts above as a starting point for tone, word choice, and length guidance.

4. Not following social hygiene or norms for professional networking. These can be platform-specific and community / event specific if you’re using online communities or IRL events. See #009

Final thought

If you’re getting referrals but not moving forward after talking to someone at the company, I recommend you work on your basic interview skills. Check out First Round Ready — it helps 93% of candidates pass 1st round interviews.

🎉 That’s a wrap!

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Debugging Your Job Search is a multi-week series at The Career Whispers. In this series, we explore how to use data to pinpoint what to fix in your job search (to get the results you want). All posts in the series:

• TCW #010: Debugging your Job Search

• TCW #011: Debugging your Resume

• TCW #012: Debugging your Networking Approach

• TCW #013: Debugging a Lackluster Career Story

• TCW #014: 3 Questions to Ask Before Sharing Your Compensation Numbers

• TCW #015: Simple Response Frameworks for 3 Common Job Screener Questions

• TCW #016: How to Throw Green Flags, not Red Flags (in Job Interviews)

• TCW #018: 3 Things You're Doing Wrong in First-Round Interviews (and how to avoid them)

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