🎯 How To Increase Your Interview Chances By 85%

Hello there 😎 

One tech employee turned their network into a profitable side hustle.

And made $30,000 in bonuses from 1,000+ referrals 🤯 (source)

The bottom line: referrals are still the most powerful way to get hired.

Here's what you'll learn today:

• The insider method that puts your resume at the top of the pile

• The exact scripts to ask for referrals (without being pushy)

• Advanced LinkedIn search tricks to find the right people

...and more!

But first, let’s look at some open roles I’m excited about.

🏗️ Work the referrals (because referrals work)

The math is clear:

• 85% of referred candidates are more likely to land a job than those who apply cold.

• Despite making up only 7% of applications, referrals account for 40% of hires.

(source)

If you’re applying online without a referral, you’re fighting against thousands of other resumes—and your chances of landing an interview drop dramatically.

So, how do you get referrals faster before the hiring process moves on without you?

This was the exact challenge my client, Nahian, ran into:

⌛ “How do I ask for a referral NOW without being pushy?”

Getting referrals is like walking a tightrope.

You need to be direct enough to get results, but thoughtful enough to build real relationships.

Spray-and-pray messages don't work.

Neither does being too timid to ask.

I've seen hundreds of these attempts fail.

Most job seekers fall into one of two traps:

1️⃣ The Desperate Spammer: They blast generic "Hey can you refer me?" messages to anyone with a pulse at their target company. Nothing screams "I didn't even read your profile!" louder.

2️⃣ The Shy Networker: They have great conversations but never actually ask for the referral. By the time they work up the courage, the role is filled or the hiring manager has moved on.

Both approaches lead to the same dead end: no referral, no interview, no job.

(BTW, here’s the framework I use to land 3 job referrals in 5 days.)

🎯 4 Steps To Land More Referrals (That Actually Work)

The key is to get specific, be direct, and make it easy for someone to say yes. Here’s the exact process to increase your chances of getting a referral—quickly.

1/ Do your research to personalize your outreach

Here's how to research your potential referral contact.

This can take as little as 5-10 minutes so don’t skimp. Trust me, this small investment pays off.

🔍 For Individual Connections

• Read their LinkedIn posts and articles to understand their perspective

• Check their social media presence for shared interests

• Map their professional network for mutual connections

🏢 For Target Companies

• Review recent news and press releases

• Read employee reviews on Glassdoor (the good AND the bad)

• Study the company's LinkedIn presence

Before hitting send on any messages, double-check:

• Have you found things in common (school, background, career path)?

• Do you understand their interests based on what they post?

• How might you add value to them?

Here's a real message one of my clients sent. It shows how to be personal, direct (more on that below), and ask for what you want:

2/ When it’s time to ask—ask

Once you've built rapport, it's time to make the ask. Be specific and direct about what you want. Don’t dance around it.

Here's a template that works:

Why does this email work?

• References your previous conversation

• Names the exact role you want

• Makes it easy to say yes (or no)

• Offers to do the heavy lifting

Depending on the rapport you have with this person, you can even mention that the job posting has been up for X number of days and you know how important it is to move with urgency.

3/ Find more referrers with Boolean operators

Here's a smarter way to find referrals:

Most people just blast messages to random employees. Instead, try these targeted search strings to find people who are actually hiring or could refer you:

🔍 For Hiring Teams

This simple search helps you find people actively looking to hire. Just replace "product manager" with your target role.

🔍 For Potential Referrers

The real magic happens when you add a personal connection:

This would help you find Google engineers who went to your school.

(I love little “hacks” to find new connections and open roles. Here’s another way to find open roles using LinkedIn posts in your LinkedIn feed.)

4/ Follow up (no matter what)

Look, 80% of your outreach won't lead to an immediate referral. That's normal.

But most people make a crucial mistake: they never follow up.

Here are the three script templates I use to follow up in the referral game:

1️⃣ After Initial Chat (No Referral Yet)

2️⃣ After Getting the Referral

3️⃣ If You Don't Get the Role

In the game of referrals, following up is 80% of the battle.

When you follow up with people—no matter what happens—you build better relationships, show that you're thankful for their help, and make it more likely they'll want to help you again in the future.

(Follow-ups are critical after interviews, too. Here’s how to do it the right way.)

💫 The Bottom Line

Referrals are the fastest way to land interviews. But most job seekers don’t get them because they:

• Spam employees with generic requests

• Wait too long and miss the hiring window

• Don’t follow up after initial outreach

How you can succeed with referrals:

• Do your research before reaching out

• Be direct and ask for the referral upfront

• Use Boolean search to find the right people

• Follow up—even and especially!—if the first attempt doesn’t work out

80% of outreach won’t lead to a referral. But that 20% that does?

That’s how you land your next remote job.

I love meeting new people. Say hi on LinkedIn 👋

🚪 Looking for a remote job?

🎯 Product Roles

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• Senior Product Marketing Manager-Platform at Huntress → Apply here

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👥 Customer Success Roles

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• Customer Success / Support Manager at PeopleForce → Apply here

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• Senior Customer Success Manager, Enterprise at Muck Rack → Apply here

• Customer Success Manager at Aisle AI → Apply here

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• (German) Senior Customer Success Manager (13-month contract) at Hootsuite → Apply here

That’s a wrap. See you next week 👋