A nasty heartbreak is bearable but an unanswered CV, that’s just something else. You quit your job because your boss was a douchebag. Its been two weeks now, economic kungunis are biting hard on your broke skin.

You decide to go job hunting, drop a few CVs here and there, with Abraham’s faith that you will be called for an interview in at least one or two. A month clocks, no response from the dropped CVs. Waiting much longer is atrocious to your situation.

You are looking for a job, but how employable are you?

You call all your friends asking for money to push through, you even ask for some connections but they tell you they were connected too so they can’t help you much. Why don’t you ever get connected?

Why firms prefer referrals to CV hunting

The workforce landscape is shifting drastically. Employers don’t have time to recruit, take you through a rigorous training so you can start being a resource to their firm.

They love it when employees come in hot baked, ready to kick-start the operation and perform tremendously. For an organization, referrals save the trouble of going through one thousand plus CVs looking for a qualified candidate.

When someone is referred, the employer is confident about that bird in his hand unlike a hundred others stacked at the receptionist with pathetic CVs.

Emotional Kamene Goro shed tears as she leaves her job at Kiss FM

The employer is positive that the referred person will bring good tidings to the business and working together will be a decision he will never have to question. Similarly, the employer hopes that as they bring you on board, you are as good as they come.

How to make it to the referral list.

Meet at least one new person each day rule.

Share ideas, exchange contacts, keep the conversation going. Thing is less much familiar contacts you keep interacting with are better placed to help you get a job because they might have connections to different companies and jobs. Linkedin has a contact page, where you can get lots of potential referrals.

Someone in the inside. How much do they want to help and how much they can help, should give you a potential referral.  Search for people you know directly in the company.

Look for a second-degree connection like friends of your friends. Try those people you went to the same school with. People who used to work where you used to work with or volunteered together for an organization.

Meet and greet. Don’t feel intimidated to meet with influential people and have a little chat with them. Go to events, talk to people. Network network network. You won’t miss a person or two asking telling you about a big gig out there.