Peer Referrals

Make a New Friend Before You Begin

Peer Referrals are another great source of information for the company you’re researching. These are people that you have something in common with and can help you connect with the manager you wish to meet. Many companies pay their employees a bonus if their referral is hired – so there is something in it for them. For ideas on finding the contacts review the discussion on Finding a Sponsor.

When you make your contact tell them you’d like to explore opportunities within their company and you’d be interested in hearing about their experiences. Make sure that you have a list of insightful questions before you begin so that they know you are interested in more information other than who to contact about a job. After you’ve had a few different discussions you will have developed a good understanding of the company culture and know if this is a company you want to explore.

Finally, ask your new contacts to forward a summary of your experience to their manager. Typically you can expect them to add their comments when forwarding the document.