The Power of Employment References and Job Referrals

Referrals and references remain the strongest tool available to job seekers.

Referrals and references remain the strongest tool available to job seekers.

Seventy percent of jobs are obtained via referral according to the U.S. Department of Labor and the article “How to Get Job References Without Asking,” on TheLadders.

Referrals do not automatically mean you have the job or that you will guarantee you an interview, but they are a big advantage, said a recent article. in the Wall Street Journal.

A referred candidate may be given immediate attention, potentially speeding them to the interview stage. Michelle Vasquez, 43, says she landed a phone interview for a senior marketing job last month thanks to a referral from a friend of the hiring manager. Ms. Vasquez, who has been out of work for the past year and a half, was later invited to interview with several of the company’s senior managers, though she later found out she didn’t get the job. “I didn’t have out to fill an online application,” she says. “I went straight into the interview pool.”

(Image by Billy Proudfit via Flickr, CC 3.0)

More on networking, interviewing and personal branding:

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• Why You’re Still Unemployed One Year Later
• Self-Assessment: Are You a Leader By Nature or Nurture?
• The Best Advice for Committee Interviews
• Lunch Interview Tips

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