In the current day and age, where competition is rife. There is power in a job referral. It is no surprise that employers are more willing to hire a job seeker that has been vetted and validated by an employee within the organization.
Unfortunately, most fresh graduates do not have the luxury of snagging a job with the help of someone from the industry. However, if you play your cards right and network with the right people. You might be able to gain a referral or two.
As a manpower recruitment agency in Singapore, we have a few tips and tricks to help you gain a job referral. Either from your current place of employment or internship. Scroll down for more enlightening information.
Benefits of a Job Referral
Before we begin listing the different ways for you to gain a job referral. We want to start the article off by specifying the benefits of a job referral. As a job seeker, you might be aware of how beneficial a job referral in Singapore can be during the gruelling job searching process.
Less time job searching: In an article by HRM Asia, it is revealed that employers spend 55% less time to hire when job referrals are involved. This can be advantageous to some job seekers who are looking for a job, fast.
Better quality hires: It seems like organizations and employers prefer to hire job seekers because of the better quality of hires. Employers believe that referrals are the best way to secure above average hires. As such, acquiring a referral can be a good boost to your resume.Additionally,statistics show that job seekers who have been referred to an organization are more likely to stay at their job longer compared to hires from a job board.
Missed job opportunities: Keep in mind that organizations will have to spend large sums of money advertising the available jobs. Additionally, some organizations will seek the help of a manpower recruitment agency in Singapore for access to some of the best talents in a specific industry.
Thus, not all companies are willing to advertise all job opportunities to the general public. This means that job seekers without an “in” to an organization might miss out on some job opportunities.Break into specific industries and companies: According to Business Insider, job seekers looking to break into the tech industry are willing to pay up to $50 for a referral. Of course these job seekers are willing to pay exorbitant prices for job referrals to major tech companies such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon to name a few.
While there is no word that these referrals are available to job seekers looking to break into Singapore’s tech and IT industry. It is a sound reminder that job referrals might be important to land a job in competitive industries.
Now that we’ve established the importance of referrals for employees looking to break into the different industries. Let’s list the many different ways a job seeker can gain a referral (or two)! Keep in mind that these tips below apply to job seekers of all industries.
4 Ways to Getting a Job Referral
Getting a job referral isn’t as difficult as one might think. Here are 4 ways job seekers and employees in Singapore can acquire a job referral.
Cold emails: One way to gain a job referral is by emailing everyone you know. Reaching out to friends and even extended family members might lead to a useful referral or two. These cold emails are also known as soft referrals.
When it comes to cold emailing, the trick would be to reach out to everyone you know. Even if it’s someone you knew briefly. You’ll never know where or what these cold emails will lead to!Utilise social media: If cold calling or emailing didn’t lead to anything fruitful. You might have better luck using social media to get a referral. BGC Group recommends that websites such as LinkedIn can be a useful tool when it comes to gaining referrals.
A useful tip from Business News Daily would be to look for an “in” into the company based on the degree of the connection. What you can do is scour the company profile and check to see if you have any first or second degree connections with the employees in the company. Alternatively, you might want to keep a lookout for any mutual connections you might have in the company.Ask your current colleagues: If you’re already working, either as an intern or as an employee with a full-time job in Singapore. You might have colleagues in the same field, willing to provide you with a referral. This might seem like a daunting task for some of us out there. However, the trick to successfully gaining a referral from your colleague is by first establishing a genuine connection with them.
If you think about it, at the end of the day. All it takes to establish a genuine connection with an older, more experienced colleague is to show that you’re passionate and working hard to reach your goals. For full-time employees and job seekers in Singapore who have trouble showing just how productive they are during the current work from home season. You might want to check out this BGC Group article.
Pro-Tip: Keep in mind that employers do scrutinize the type of colleague you gain your referral from. For instance, a referral from a manager or supervisor might be of higher value to a potential employer.Enlist the help of a manpower recruitment agency in Singapore: Recruitment agencies are professional referrers. Not only do they link you up with your ideal careers, the best recruiters in Singapore will also help you rifle through and clean up your resumes. Keep in mind that a manpower recruitment agency will often have access to several unlisted and rarely advertised job opportunities in Singapore. Plus, despite the misconceptions, recruitment agencies in Singapore provide free help to job seekers.
What are some useful ways for job seekers in Singapore to gain a referral? Share them with us in the comments section below!
Read More: 5 Reasons Why Job Seekers Should Keep in Touch with Former Employers