Introducing Ask for a Referral: Making It Easier to Find Your Way In

If you’ve had your eye on a specific role or have always wanted to work for a particular company, referrals are one of the best ways to get your foot in the door. In fact, the #1 way that job seekers have reported first discovering a job, was through someone they knew. Not that surprising as nearly 50% of recruiters say referrals are the leading source of quality hires. And once you've asked for one and applied for the job, you're 4X more likely to hear back from a recruiter at that company. Long story short - it's important to know who in your network can help you find your next role - and how to reach out.

Today, we’re introducing Ask for a Referral to help make this process even easier.

With Ask for a Referral you can:

1. See jobs where you already know someone through the “In Your Network” search filter on LinkedIn Jobs.

2. Easily request a referral by clicking the “Ask For A Referral” button on jobs where you know people.

3. Know what to say with suggestions on how to craft your message and put your best foot forward.

How to use Ask for a Referral:

When you’re searching for a job...

While you’ve always been able to see your connections on job listings, now we’re making it even easier to search for jobs where you already have an in through someone you know.  

We’ve introduced a new job search filter on desktop so you can look specifically for jobs “in your network”. Of course, you can still use additional filters like location, industry, job function, even specific companies to find the role that’s perfect for you.

Once you’ve found a job where you can get referred...

You're ready to tap into the people you know to find your way in. At the top of the job listing, tap the "Ask for a referral" button, then select the person you'd like to reach out to. We'll help you write your request by suggesting a pre-populated message, but we recommend you personalize your message. Here are 3 tips:

1. Remind them how they know you. Jog their memory of where you met if you haven’t been in touch recently. Call out things you have in common, like if you went to the same school.

2. Share why you’re a good fit. Include why you’d be a good fit for the job, including your skills and relevant experience. This will make it easier for the person you know to recommend you to the hiring manager or recruiter.

3. Highlight why you’re interested. Stand out by telling them why you’re interested in this role. This can be anything from being a fan of the company’s product or service to wanting to move to the city their office is located in.

Let your network help you connect to your next opportunity. Be sure to check back for more tips and insights and we hope these new features help you find your way in to your next role.