How to Personalize Job Referral Requests

Tired of sending "tell me about your job" DMs? Here's how to make mentorship requests stand out! I get DMs every week from folks interested in my path to being a software engineer. Most start with, "Hi, I see you work at [company] – what's the culture like? How'd you get in?" While I want to help, these generic questions are tough to answer meaningfully. What works so much better is showing initiative and tailoring your questions. Here's my recommended approach: 1. Introduce yourself with impact. "Hi [Name], I'm [Your Name] with a background in [area of expertise]. I'm currently building [project] using [technologies]." 2. Ask targeted questions. Replace vague inquiries with: "I loved your blog post on [topic]. Could you elaborate on [specific idea]?" "How do you balance [skill] with [skill] – an area I'm working to improve?" "Your work on [project] is impressive. How did you approach [challenge]?" Why this works: Tailored feedback: Specific questions get you answers that directly help you grow. Skill practice: Articulating your background and goals upfront is like a mini-interview prep. Give before you get: Demonstrate your interest and work ethic, making experts more invested in your success. Instead of asking "what's your job like," show who you are and ask for targeted help. You'll stand out and get the insights that truly matter. Let me know what you think in the comments! #mentorship #softwareengineering #careergrowth #networking

I’ve received over 500 LinkedIn DMs asking for a referral. Do these 4 things to 10x your responses: 1. Be personal. (never use AI) I get a ton of messages that are either written by AI or obviously copy and pasted to 100 people. Be personal by mentioning something you have in common with the person you’re messaging or what you got out of one of their posts. 2. Have a specific job that you want to apply for and send the link. “Can you look and see if there are any openings?” is incredibly rude and inconsiderate of the person’s time. If you want them to help you with a referral, do the work for them by sending them the link, why you’re a good fit, and other needed info. 3. Reach out to people who are active on LinkedIn, but not content creators. Everytime there’s an opening at my company, I get 50 messages asking for a referral. As much as I want to, I can’t refer everyone. Therefore, look for those to connect with at a company you’re interested in that post occasionally on LinkedIn, but are not content creators. These people will be active enough to see your message, but not have 3 dozen other messages asking for the same thing. 4. Build relationships way before you ask for a referral. While I don’t do many referrals bc of how many inquiries I get, I’d be much more likely to refer someone who adds to the conversation by commenting on my posts, creates good posts themselves, and overall seems like a smart, nice person. Doing this turns you from a complete stranger to a friend. I know a lot of people are pressed for time on here, but building relationships is what networking is all about. Do that effectively and your network may offer you referrals when there’s an opening. Do these 4 things, and I guarantee you’ll get a better response rate than not doing them. (As I said in this post, I’m unable to do referrals because of how many ask every single day. Wish I could help everyone, but I can’t.)

TLDR: Understanding job referrals! 🚀💼   Last week, I shared an exciting opportunity for interning and #referrals at Amazon. However, I've also noticed a few gaps regarding referrals that I'd like to address. For anyone currently on the job hunt, I want to share valuable insights about the referral process.   𝟭) 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴: ⏱Referrals are typically made before you apply for a job or even begin the application. This practice is widespread across the industry. Always reach out before applying; otherwise, we will get an error message: "The Candidate Has Already Applied".   𝟮) 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘀: 🔁 Having multiple referrals for the same company won't help you stand out. In fact, you can't have more than one on your profile. Some companies attach referrals to a candidate for 6 months. It's best to follow up with your original referral provider for new applications too.   𝟯) 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰: 🏹 When reaching out, clearly state that you're seeking a referral, the specific job you're applying for, and why you're interested. This helps the person understand your goals. Also, keep your LinkedIn profile updated in case they need to refer to it for more details.   𝟰) 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗨𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲: 💢 If someone has taken your resume for referral, give them 2-3 days to get back to you. They may need to use their work laptop to submit the referral and have other high-priority tasks. Once referred, keep them in the loop about your application's progress.   When someone refers you for a job, they invest time in reviewing your profile to see if you're a good fit for the role. They then fill out your details, sometimes following up for missing information. It's a process that takes time and requires a context switch from their daily work. As a candidate, you can make this process smoother for both parties by following these suggestions. 🙌🏻   𝗣𝗦: If I missed anything, feel free to add it in the comments. I aim to create more content like this, all based on my own experiences. You can follow me here or comment for any questions! 🗯🙂   𝗣𝗣𝗦: If you're interested in working at Amazon and need a referral, don't hesitate to reach out – provided you're following these best practices! :)   #mentoring topmate.io #BeAvailable #jobsearch #referrals #internships #bestpractices #linkedin