Networking is the key to developing your career and getting professional and personal referrals. Moving up the career ladder is all about making connections with other people in your industry, on both a personal and professional level. Candidates are often hired for positions – before they’re advertised – on the recommendation of someone within the company. Candidates referred to a company are more likely to stay on board long-term and be confident about their role.
Referrals are a two-way street. They’re beneficial for both potential candidates and businesses on the hunt for new employees. We’re sharing five actionable ways that you can get more professional and personal referrals to help develop your career or organization.
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Develop your presence on social media
In the 21st century, your online presence is as important as your CV. Employers are always checking on LinkedIn and Twitter to make connections with potential candidates. Working on your online presence can help you network with others across your industry. Thanks to LinkedIn and Twitter, everyone is only a DM or tweet away. More young professionals than ever are choosing to create a dedicated professional account to act as an online portfolio for their work.
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Tell your clients and colleagues that you want referrals!
Even in the digital age, nothing can beat the power of word of mouth. Marketshare research has shown that word of mouth can boost the effectiveness of your marketing by 54%. People are more likely to trust and value the opinion of someone they know or work with.
If you’re looking for a new job or clients, you want to let your existing network know that you’re looking for opportunities. Even if they don’t think something is coming up in their own network, your name will be at the front of their mind.
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Attend conferences and make connections
Nothing has as much potential as meeting someone face-t0-face. As the pandemic ends, it’s never been a better time to sign up for conferences and networking events. It’s worthwhile looking for opportunities to speak at these events to cement your authority within your industry. Conferences are a way to connect with people who work within your niche. Even if you’re not speaking, you can attend dozens of events and make yourself known to different organizations and potential clients or employers.
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Speak to people in your organization
If you’re a business looking for candidate referrals, it’s worth speaking to the existing employees within your organization. They’re guaranteed to know people who have a similar skillset to themselves, whether they worked with them previously or attended the same school.
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Know when to look for referrals
While the job market exists 365 days a year, there are always peak times to have a recruitment drive or go job hunting. The springtime is when most upcoming graduates are looking for their first post-college job, which presents referral opportunities for both candidates and businesses. January and February are other popular times for job hunting as it’s when most companies have a new budget and can hire new employees.
Whether you’re a business looking for referrals or a candidate hoping to land a new job, networking is the secret to success. We hope these five times have helped you develop actionable steps to scale up your career or grow your organization.
About the Author
BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, and host of “Innovators” a weekly podcast interviewing top recruiters in BC and across Canada. Check out our recent interview with Aquatic Informatics’s Senior Marketing Manager Kevin Martin (Podcast link)
