I've been doing a lot of referrals lately — for mentees, former colleagues, and even people I barely know who reached out thoughtfully. Here's what I've learned from the other side of that equation, and what I wish more job seekers understood.
A referral doesn't guarantee you'll get an interview. But regardless of the outcome, you need to tell the person who referred you what happened — and thank them. I've spent real time helping people, and more than once, the person either got the interview and never told me, or disappeared entirely after not hearing back. Both feel equally bad. It creates a poor impression and makes me less likely to help the next person who reaches out. I've told mentees before: if a lot of people aren't responding to your LinkedIn outreach, the problem might not be you specifically — it might be that those people had a bad experience helping someone who wasn't grateful, and they've started saying no to everyone.
When you ask someone to refer you, try to find a person in a related department who doesn't have direct competitive overlap with you. I recently referred someone for a product marketing role — same marketing department as me, but different team and different manager. That matters. Asking someone in a completely unrelated function to refer you isn't ideal either, because they won't be able to help you prep for the role-specific questions.
Don't just send your resume and hope for the best. Write a short paragraph or two introducing yourself — why you're interested in this role and this company, and what makes you a fit. The referrer doesn't have the time or obligation to write a glowing essay about you. Make it easy for them.
At the end of the day, people refer others for a few simple reasons: your message showed genuine effort, your background closely matches the role, or they already like and trust you.
© 2026 Rachel Hong · Accelerator Consulting