I have worked in and around HR for over 20 years, and yes, it’s true that when someone refers you for an open job, you will get more attention than someone who just submits a resume stone cold. However, if the person who refers you doesn’t know you that well and can’t speak directly about your work, then the referral isn’t all that helpful.
Therefore, when you reach out to people for help on your job search, you do NOT want them to pass on your resume. If they offer to do so, you should thank them profusely but then redirect your conversation to other ways they can better help you – like giving you inside information on the company, its job and its staff. Information is much more valuable than a resume share.
Besides, even if someone says they’ll share your resume, you can’t be 100% certain that they will. They may forget, or they may submit it to the wrong person (and they probably won’t follow up to ever know whether they submitted it correctly or not).
Too many job seekers waste valuable networking leads and meetings asking for the wrong things, like asking others to share their resume. Now that you’ve been warned. you know better!
I coach my clients on how to structure their networking meetings to get the most out of each and every contact. You only have one chance to make a first impression.
I coach my clients to avoid these traps based on my 20+ years of recruiting, evaluating thousands of candidates and seeing what it really takes to get hired. You too can get a recruiter’s perspective on what works and doesn’t work in the job search.
Check out Behind The Scenes In The Hiring Process, my online course with 48 video lessons on all aspects of the job search – from identifying what you want to negotiating and closing the offer.
