Referral interviews are not the same as job interviews. You, the job applicant, ask for, set up, and conduct referral interviews as part of your networking activities. Often overlooked by job seekers, referral interviews are an important step toward the ultimate goal of landing a job. Once you have identified your success factors and have a targeted job objective, you should talk with people who work in your area of interest.
You have five basic goals in a referral interview:
• establish rapport
• get information
• get advice and reaction to how you are conducting your job search
• extend your network of contacts
• be remembered favorably and actively by those you interview
The value of referral interviews cannot be overstated because these interviews will impact on every other aspect of your job search. Someone with whom you conducted a referral interview may hear of a job opening that fits your accomplishments and your goals. He or she passes your name on to the hiring manager who calls you for an interview and you are later offered the job. You conduct a referral interview with a firm that has no openings in your line of work at that time, but later the interviewer remembers you when a vacancy occurs and you are called in, interviewed, and eventually offered the position. During your informational interviews you ask about salary ranges for the position you are targeting. Later, when offered your targeted position at another firm, you use the salary information you gathered during referral interviews to negotiate a higher salary than the employer initially offered.
The key to referral interviews is to never ask for a job. Ask instead for information, advice and referrals.Conducting referral interviews can be one of the most powerful job search strategies you employ. Sometimes referred to as informational or networking interviews, because they offer an opportunity to gain so much information useful to your job search, they often result in referrals as well. Your goal is not to get a job with these people—only useful information, advice, and contacts for more information, advice, and referrals. Chapter 5 will focus on referral interviews.
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