

The 2-step trick to getting sweet-ass job referrals - jaf12duke
http://www.humbledmba.com/the-trick-to-getting-a-sweet-ass-job-referral

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naner
_I'm thinking in the back of my head: go figure out what you want, and then
come back when I can actually be helpful. But what I tell her is this:

Sounds good. I'll let you know if I hear of anything.

And I won't. She won't pop into my head again._

I know you need to let people figure out their lives on their own, but if
nobody is blunt with this person what chance does she have of moving past
this? Shouldn't he just have said what he was thinking in the back of his
head?

~~~
Entaroadun
Totally agree. What she needs is guidance and he could have provided it to her
with an honest opinion. Why not speak your mind?

~~~
reledi
I agree. He gave up way too easily with her and then places the blame on her.

If someone is seeking guidance from you, then guide them. If you can't, tell
them why. If you can but aren't willing, then don't offer guidance.

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wccrawford
I think the real answer here is to stand out. She's spectacular, but doesn't
market herself well because she's good at everything and doesn't give him an
easy hook.

There's something weird about this situation, though. Why is she asking him
for job referrals when he obvious doesn't know anything personal about her? He
doesn't know anything that she likes or dislikes... This might as well be
their first meeting. (And might have been!) Sounds more like a recruiter than
a friend.

But it's not a recruiter, because a recruiter would just submit her to
anything that even slightly matches... Which for her is everything.

So while I think the advice is good and on-target, I think there's a pretty
small window of usability.

~~~
mattdeboard
> _I think the real answer here is to stand out..._

That's the opinion the author is rebutting here, and I agree with him. It's
not enough to just stand out. You have to tell people how you stand out, and
what you want. Narrow your scope, have high standards. Of all the things
you've done in the past, pick the one or two things you liked the absolute
best and pursue whatever it was that made those things awesome.

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JacobAldridge
If you run a business, the same point (clarity of focus) is specifically
applicable for receiving client referrals as well. I'm in a fairly broad
industry (business coaching) and I have colleagues who, variously, work with
businesses from solopreneurs to listed multi-nationals, across countless
industries, 27 countries (and counting), and on projects that range from
cashflow management to cultural purpose and intent. I can, and have, helped
businesses with all of that myself.

But if I asked you for a referral and told you I was looking for a business of
any size in any industry in any country that needed any guidance, how many
would come to mind? Zero, or at least none that you felt were specific enough
to refer to me. In fact, you probably wouldn't refer to me because it sounds
like I'm saying I can do everything and that's probably (and actually) not
true.

Alternatively: "I am looking for young, energetic business owners in London,
turning over £2M-£20M per annum and looking to grow by learning from someone
else's experience".

How many come to mind now? Probably still none, especially if you're not in
London. But for the people who can make the right referral for me, the
specific definition of my ideal client makes it easier to understand who I
want an introduction to, and for them to make that introduction.

So whether for a job or your next client, I whole-heartedly agree that knowing
what you ideally want and being able to articulate that will lead to results.

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joshklein
> Maybe if someone in the next 2 days randomly asks me if I know anyone in
> online marketing looking to make a jump.

My agency is looking for a talented strategist who has the flexibility to work
on a number of different accounts across industries. Feel free to pass along
my info (in profile).

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electrichead
Oh man, the first thing I thought was of the KXCD comic <http://xkcd.com/37/>

~~~
mattdeboard
Referrals for sweet ass-jobs would be another type of blog post I think.

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mikecane
I watched the Steve Jobs 1997 Keynote chat this week and he again defined
focus, which the subject in that post is lacking. Jobs (paraphrasing): "People
think focusing means saying 'Yes.' No. Focus means saying 'No.'"

~~~
cpeterso
I love Jobs' advice to Nike's CEO: _"Nike makes some of the best products in
the world. Products that you lust after. But you also make a lot of crap. Just
get rid of the crappy stuff and focus on the good stuff."_

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adeaver
I call BS. If she's asking for help, help. Figure out a way to help. I'm the
same way. I'm industry agnostic and have worked in both large and small
companies. When I talk to recruiters or friends looking for intros the ones
that sit and talk to me for more than 2 minutes get a good idea what the types
of projects I'm looking for.

By limiting myself to a certain industry (finance for example) I might miss
out on a completely perfect project in BioTech or something. If I say 'small'
companies, something in a big company might be skipped over because of it.

OP should have asked more question to find out what 'type' of work she likes
and gone from there instead of dismissing her as unfocused or hasn't figured
out what she wants.

~~~
tptacek
The point of this post isn't to judge how he handled the situation. His
handling of the situation is a framing device for advice about how to ask for
job referrals. Comments like this muddy the waters; his advice is obviously
correct.

~~~
TheloniusPhunk
I agree. The point of this article is to refute the belief that a broad and
open field of employment interests will increase your chances of finding a
job. The reality is that a refined interest is better. Same goes for job
postings; it's better to pick a company and hone in than it is to blanket
resumes across a number of potential employers.

~~~
adeaver
I will agree 100% regarding the job postings. 'Carpet bombing' companies
rarely works. However the same doesn't always apply to dealing a recruiters
and/or friends, your reality isn't everyones.

I'm only expressing that there is validity to not narrowing your interests,
fields or industries and that dismissing someone out of hand because they are
'unfocused' is just as bad and unhelpful as dismissing someone because they
don't have a degree. (an entirely different conversation)

~~~
tptacek
There is value in being wide open to opportunities, but there is no value in
being wishy-washy when asking for a referral.

You are imagining every conceivable conversation you could have with someone
in a position to help you network for a job, and searching for something that
breaks the pattern of "being specific and actionable". Lo and behold, there
are cases where "specific and actionable" doesn't fit! For instance, if you're
asking for advice about what kinds of roles fit your skills and interests,
maybe you don't want to lock the conversation down to a specific title.

But that has nothing to do with _asking for referrals_.

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impendia
This reminds me of the classic "What Color is Your Parachute?" which I
cheerfully recommend to all. One-sentence summary: You have to have a
particular goal in order to achieve it, and boldness and politeness are of the
utmost importance along the way.

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mrzerga
IMHO: don't see no problem or valuable advice in the post above. If you are
really interested in helping person, you will explain the need for specifics.
If not, you'll give an answer you gave.

Move on, nothing to see here.

