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Job Search Networking: How To Ask Your Connection Who Works At The Company For A Referral For The Job
When you ask for help, make it easy for someone to help you. Give them everything they need in order to do this is one step. Send a complete request that they can forward to the appropriate person or upload to a system if necessary. Since every organization has their own job referral process, send them the information they require in order to prevent delays in requests for additional details.
To help you get started, below is a basic template.
Book a free consultation with an Allora coach for help with your messaging.
While AI tools exist to conveniently assist with message composition, please keep in mind that a person will be sending this on your behalf, it is important that your message be sincere, unique and personalized.
TEMPLATE
Hi _______,
I’m writing to ask if you can help me with a referral for a job. I applied for the role of [JOB TITLE *ADD JOB POST LINK] on [APPLICATION DATE] and don’t want to get lost in the inbox. Any help you can offer to help my application be considered will be greatly appreciated.
I’m including a short note about why I’m a match for this role and I have attached my resume.
*The short note or ‘mini cover letter’ you include (sample below) is 1-2 paragraphs of 2-4 sentences each; First paragraph: 1 – 2 specific examples of your experience that support you as a candidate for the role; Second paragraph: summary of your career expertise
My experience with ____ when I worked for _____ resulted in ____. [OR MY DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF ____ AFTER WORKING WITH___ ]. My alignment with [COMPANY OR BRAND’S MISSION, VALUES, SCALE, PRODUCT, ETC.] is based on my _______ career expertise with [ADD YOUR MARKET OR INDUSTRY – for example, global reaching brands].
I admire _____[EXAMPLE – the team’s mission to maximize their impact beyond their sales with social good initiatives that give back to the community] and this is the type of team where I belong.
I appreciate your time and consideration to help me stand out as a candidate for this opportunity. I am happy to follow your suggestions for the next steps and can provide a full cover letter. Please let me know if I can also help you with any connections in my network.
Thanks!
[FIRST NAME]
[FULL NAME]
[EMAIL LINK]
[LINKEDIN PROFILE LINK]
[WEBSITE /PORTFOLIO LINK]
[FULL NAME]
[EMAIL LINK]
[LINKEDIN PROFILE LINK]
[WEBSITE /PORTFOLIO LINK]
If you’re ready to level up your career networking skills at any stage of your career, book a free session with an Allora coach!
When you work with our team, you’ll receive the appropriate Allora tools to enable continuous collaboration between you and your coaches between sessions and maximize your productivity. Our Allora Networking Planner gives you an easy way to map your network to identify and plan your outreach to add connections at your target companies and our Job Search Activity Planner allows you to track the progress of your referrals and introduction messages. Both of these tools are also used to request referrals or introductions from our team’s network when a client does not have any in their own network.
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Kelly Kugler
Kelly is the Founder of Allora Collective, a career manager with two decades of experience, and a relocation strategist for expats and digital nomads in the US, Europe, and LATAM. After creating talent programs for startups and global companies, including General Assembly, NFL, and Booking.com, she built Allora Collective. She manages the careers of individuals providing one-on-one coaching and partners with companies to customize workshops and coaching packages for their teams.
