The 3 Stages Of Getting A Job Referral

Join Isaiah as he dissects the right networking strategy to ensure you get a job referral

Here’s a quick rundown of this week’s episode…

• First, Isaiah discusses the goal of a networking strategy and points out two common mistakes PhDs make when networking
• Next, Isaiah reveals the three steps of his proprietary job referral strategy that will help you navigate the networking process
• Finally, Isaiah gives some pointers on how to execute the job referral strategy successfully

From This Week’s Show… 

What Is The Ultimate Goal Of Networking Online

The goal of your online networking efforts is to build a professional relationship where the other party feels comfortable enough with you to refer you for a job at their company, or otherwise help you further your efforts to get hired. It is a multiple-step process where every problem is followed by another problem.

I have worked with many PhDs who thought they would get hired if only they could finally get a reply after sending a connection request to someone on LinkedIn.

But then when these same PhDs finally started getting replies from industry employees and employers, they freaked out. They didn’t know how to keep the conversation going. So, they got stuck again.

Having a process and understanding each step of the networking process ahead of time will help you anticipate future problems and avoid roadblocks in your online conversations.

PhDs make two main mistakes when it comes to generating referrals. They either go too deep too soon in terms of professional intimacy by asking “Why did you do this” or “What specific techniques do you use for XYZ” and other complex, intense questions, or they never go deep enough to build long lasting relationships.

The Three-Stage Job Referral Strategy

To avoid these mistakes and transform your connections into job referrals, you need to understand the process of building professional intimacy and how to go from one level to the next.

This is why I created a three-stage job search referral strategy; a proprietary methodology that helps PhDs navigate the networking process – from connecting with and getting a reply from an industry professional to getting a referral.

The three stages of the strategy are (1) getting a reply, (2) adding value, and (3) informational interviewing.

How To Follow The Three-Stage Job Referral Strategy

before you get a reply, you have to connect with someone properly. Most often, you will have to send three to four messages to a contact, on LinkedIn or otherwise, before getting a response. Each of these messages should add value in new and different ways.

Once you get a response, however, your goal shifts. Now, not only do you want to add value, you want to carry the conversation to a deeper level of professional intimacy. If you fail to do this, things will get awkward, and the other person will go silent very quickly.

Circular conversations that get stuck at the same level of professional intimacy are exactly what you want to avoid. The key is realizing that YOU are responsible for carrying the conversation forward because you are the one who reached out to connect.

If you fail to carry the conversation forward by asking questions that prompt mildly more intimate, yet professional responses in a graduated way, then your online rapport will break and you will ruin your chances of getting a referral.

Understand that the other party wants to talk about deeper issues, but slowly. They want to dive deeper into more interesting and meaningful topics, but in a natural way that doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable.

If you carry the conversation forward correctly, you can move the other person into an informational interview so naturally that they won’t even realize, or care, that it’s happening.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.