Skip to main content

Get a better job referral - don't just send a resume

 A lot of my friends keep asking me for a referral in my company. However, the chances of getting hired depends a lot on not just their skills or their resume, but also on how many people the resume reaches, even if the job requirements are remotely related. While people often talk about going through your connections and network to get the best referrals and positions, you have to make the process of forwarding your resume as smooth as possible.

 The purpose of this post is two-fold. The first is that I cannot repeat this to everyone who sends me a resume. Secondly (and more importantly), the topic is delicate for anyone who really wants a job, but I cannot tell them that you are screwing your own chances by just sending a resume. Consider this anonymous feedback for public good.

1. Make a better resume

As oft-repeated as this is, there cannot be a simpler tip to implement. Please take a look at Gayle's resume tips here: http://www.careercup.com/resume. No objectives, accomplishment oriented short bullet points, with as much useful numerical data as possible. Make it easy for the recruiter to read it - force the eyes to go to the points you want. Also, if I keep forwarding bloated undecipherable resumes to people (even to my personal connections), I lose my reputation. Please help me send at least professional resumes forward.

2. A meaningful email = a good cover letter

Most corporate referral systems have a section where I can make a comment about a candidate who I am referring for a position. Usually, I have to write down how far do I know you personally, why you'll be a good fit, etc. Please make my job easier, by providing some text in your email itself that I can literally copy-paste, or put in with minimal edits.

3. Do not spray and pray

The worst mistake you can do when you are sending your resume is to declare, "Hey dude can you forward this resume for any internal postings?". No, I cannot. Because I don't have time to go through your resume, then do a keyword search, filter by location, external requirements, etc. and then write your cover letter for you and then apply. Really - I don't. Instead, do your homework. Find out from the corporate job listing website exactly which position(s) you are looking for. And then send the requisition numbers or the link to the position, etc. in your email. See, now you just made my life easier - referring you will be just a few clicks away.

4. Follow up, but don't nag

It is okay to reach out after a week and check whether there has been any progress. It serves two purposes. First, if I have really forgotten about the resume (not me, those other people), I can send it at that time. Or, if there is an email from the hiring manager asking for more information about you, I can take the action. Second, if I run into the hiring manager or the recruiter socially somewhere, I might put in a good word about you or just follow up - it brings your resume to the top of the pile.

5. Miscellaneous

Mention what kind of attachment you are sending (and don't forget the attachment). If you don't mention it and I find that there is a suspicious attachment, I will probably mark it as spam. Also, PDF resumes are preferred (since some recruiters have the bad habit of twisting your resume to "enhance" experience for a position), and you also don't me to suddenly copy and paste your resume format for my own. Finally, make sure you are not asking for a favor beyond the level or acquaintance between the two of us. If you are my close friend, I'll dig through the corporate job postings on my own and apply on your behalf to a hundred positions in addition to just the one you sent. However, if you are a casual acquaintance I met at a party, don't ask me to apply to all available Product Manager positions in your email. Ain't gonna happen.

So, what would a good email look like? Like this:

Hi Sudipta, 
 Hope you are doing good. 
 I was going through the job listings on XYZ and noticed this post that really caught my eye: http://www.xyz.com/jobs/posting?id=98765, for a Senior Solutions Engineer. 
 I think I would be a great fit for the position. I have worked with clients before (such as A11 and B22), and have a good knowledge of the business ecosystem of the retail vertical. I noticed that the job role requires Python and MySQL experience, and I have been using those technologies for quite a while now. In addition, looking at the general trend of job postings and news articles of XYZ, it seems you are looking for people who can help move the data to a consolidated data warehousing system. I would be the perfect candidate for the job, since I have been a program manager in our internal data warehousing team for quite a while. 
 Attached is my PDF resume - please forward it to the relevant people and let me know if you need more information. 
Cheers,
Applicant

Comments

  1. Interesting tips, Sudipta. It's funny how many people do not know how to prepare a resume. They get stuck at that stage.

    I think you're right. Most potential employers would be more interested in your qualification and experience than your long term objectives etc. I don't think many of us have an idea about long term objectives anyway.

    Luckily I have avoided this in my career by becoming a self-employed professional. Still, it's useful to have a short profile handy to send to prospective clients.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Hari - and I am proud of you for being your own boss! :)

      Delete
    2. Well, I am a lawyer. It's a traditional profession, but yes, I chose not to work under the wings of any senior. Still, it's going reasonably well. :)

      Delete
  2. Sudipta, you have done a good job. These things are very important to understand by the candidates. A professionally written resume with great referrals is a good combination.
    -Neha
    ResumeWriterForYou.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Neha - thank you. I'll let your little self-plugin about your own website remain just because I am feeling generous tonight :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maa khuh chihal a panjam hastam

The hit counter on my blog reached 20074 today. Why you may ask, is that news, and why hadn't I cheered myself up when it was at 20,000 for example? Well, it is news because 20074 has been a very special number for me during my entire college life: it was my admission number, and my system-wide unique identity. It is strange, and surprising, how these numbers become a part of our identity. The social security number, the passport number, the id number in the college, or even your roll number somehow becomes an almost innate part of the day-to-day life. As soon as I see the same number somewhere else: maybe on a telephone, on a hitcounter, maybe somewhere else... a thousand memories are triggered. As my eyes struck the hitcounter showing 20074 right now, I was thrown back to memories of filling up exam answer sheets, hostel admission forms, library recall requests, and so much more! I believe that number was present on almost every official form which I filled in college: even when

Swami Vivekananda and the Indian Renaissance

The following is an article I sent to my mother based on which she presented at one of her conferences. Do read. =======================================  The common perception of Swami Vivekananda as the religious leader who preached Hinduism to the West and established the Ramakrishna Mission in India is a very limited definition of the impact he had on the collective psyche of the common Indian. Besides his direct impact in adding steam to the Indian Renaissance, a large part of his thoughts and writings also affected the other stalwarts of the movement. While fathoming the entirety of his impact on the Indian Renaissance would be impossible, we will briefly explore some aspects of his influence in the following pages. Raja Ram Mohan Roy is generally credited with ushering in the revolution. His numerous ventures that contradicted the prevailing religious opinion of right and wrong broke the stranglehold of the prevalent quasi-religion, the norms of society and its sole autocrati

Tips and tricks for the GRE

Hello everybody, First of all, I thank all of you for the good wishes and congratulations that you have sent... either as mails, PMs, or anyhow. I have also been getting a lot of mails from people asking for tips and tricks and how I made it to the 800 in quants and 700 on the verbal. So if you are prepared for a lot of gyaan (which I love shelling out), here you go: 1. How long does it take to prepare? A: There is no definite time frame. But about 2-3 dedicated hours a day, for about two-and-a-half months is enough. Then, again, it is dependent on your level. To find that out, I'd suggest that you should take one paper-based test that is there in the front of the book (Barron's, Kaplan, anything... or even the Big Book). If you score about 750 on the quants, and about 500 on the verbal (no cheatings, etc) then the time frame I've said should be enough. If you scored more, great... you should try to get to around 1550!! But if less... well, spruce up depending on how