Poor Response Rate of Referrals
I am a fresh college grad, and I have an oncampus offer from a PBC already. I have been trying to get competing offers by getting referrals from my connections and/or acquaintances whenever I see an opening on the career portal, but strangely enough, very few people (1 out of 10) replies. And the fact is, I send them a single message with my details, achievements, resume and all other stuff. What do you guys think is the reason for such low response, and how can I improve it ?
I used to respond to everyone with detailed feedback but recently stopped because people apply with 0 skills-role overlap, ask for a referral without specifying the role or sending their resume (have to ask for it before they send it). Also, never liked LinkedIn so I use it very infrequently
I think it's a combination of being busy and slightly reluctant to refer people they don't know... What kind of a message are you sending across?
Hello <Person Name>
I am so glad to be a part of your network.
It would be great if you could please me help me with a referral for the position of <Position Name with Job ID> at <Org Name>
Brief About Me : I am currently pursuing my Bachelor's in Computer Science from <Institute Name>. Talking about my technical skills, I am skilled in Data Structures and Algorithms. I have solved <Number> problems on LeetCode, and I am Guardian rated on the platform. I have solved more than <Number> problems on GeeksforGeeks, and 5 star rated on Codechef as well. Besides, I have also interned with <A big PBC Name> for summer intern and secured a Pre-Placement Offer with the firm.
Talking about my interpersonal skills, I am good in communication skills as well as good in working in a team. I feel I am ready for technical interviews and deserve a chance. I've also enclosed my resume for your kind consideration.
Hoping to hear from you
<My Name>Looks okay, but here's what I would like if I was a recipient (keep in mind I possibly have a lot of biases) -
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Make the message more brief and crisp
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Instead of beginning the conversation with this huge message, maybe begin the conversation with something about me - for example: If I'm a fashion designer, begin the conversation by complimenting or expressing what you think about my work - this would make the conversation more personal for me and once I respond to that, you can use that opening, something along the lines of - "I was hoping to land an internship at XYZ, I see the founder of XYZ is a batchmate of yours, could you possibly send in my name? I'm sure a referral from you would hold a lot of weight!"
Most of the time such messages read as very cookie cutter and it's clear the message has been sent to 50 different people, so I might simply think "Oh one of those other 50 people might help him" or if the call to action requires significant effort on my part without any pay off, I might end up forgetting about it or neglecting it
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See what kind of referrals are you asking for and what kind of action is required by the person to refer you; the more tedious the action, the less likely they are too refer you
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I'm not sure how you'll convey this, but as @StuckInBlr put it, 99% of the people asking for referrals don't implement suggestions, not to mention, if you respond, they completely ghost you So I simply feel like it's a waste putting in all that effort in the first place Your message should somehow convey your sincerity and that you've put in the effort too (by personalising the message or taking the time to establish a meaningful connection with someone)
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This kind of goes back to Point 3 but if the act of referral means you can fill a form with my name under the "Referred by tab" or if I get some kind of a referral bonus with no limit on number of referees, I'd say yes to almost everyone, but if a referral requires me to personally forward,
Way too many ask nowadays and expect the referrer to do all the work. I have received pings saying refer me for a role, no cv, nothing. Can't follow up like this to refer. I still do referrals but have toned down the number since all of them till date (barring 1 which was a good fit) have been rejected
Guys don't even care to change the name. They copy paste the same message and send it to everyone in the company. Everyday I get messages for referrals with other people's names in them. Some guys get referred by more than 4 people in the company, none gets the benefit.
It is happening to such an extent that it looks like spam.
Yup, and this problem arises because we are never certain whether x person would refer or not...so the candidate sends referral requests to multiple people
Freshers(including final year and just graduated) have to go through freshers' hiring drives either at their respective colleges or outside. Referrals won't work because HR will have a different recruitment plan for freshers. Referrals are mostly for lateral hires.
Not really. I know some people who cracked off campus offers for entry level positions
Lol I’m the opposite. I always refer people to my company absolutely no questions asked. Must have referred over a hundred people till date
There are not much opening in my company for the role for which people approach me on LinkedIn. If their is an opening I provide them the referral else I don't give a reply.
I try to refer as much as possible. But it’s hard to catchup with the number of people asking for referrals and messages on LinkedIn.
HR also made the process difficult for us and easier for themselves
