I asked some linkedIn connections who are working for big firms like Google, Amazon, etc. Almost them refused or ignored the request to refer me. I thought they should refer as much as posible to get referal bonus and in return, give a chance for referee to be challenged with the interview peocess.
Referring someone just for the sake of bonus? there is a reputation attach to reference... So yes, people are cautious when referring people for specific jobs
Big firm employees also have to protect their credibility, if I refer you and you are not up to the bar, that ruins my credibility
Thanks. This reminds me about carefully selecting potential referees for my company as well. Not to bother our recruiters
Why should I refer strangers? In addition, most companies now have a ‘how do you know this person’ question as part of the referral process.
Everyone here pretty much sums it all. Not everyone is chasing the referral bonus, which is not a lot in the grander scheme of things. Reputation, credibility, these are priceless especially when you are building up your career.
Nobody wants to lie as part of the referral process. And a referral has pretty much no value if you say "I don't know this person at all"
What reputation hit do you take though? The only thing I can even imagine a dud referral affecting would be a later referral. But even that seems unlikely if you look at this from HR's perspective, with five billion applicants in the ATS without a referral
I agree with you. I really don't see where the backlash might come from. Although, I can see how that might close doors to a specific group if one were to reach out in person.
If someone refers a candidate to me, I will assume they know the candidate and actually did some modicum of due diligence. Referrals get phone screens at a minimum. If a referrer didn’t do that, I’m going to think they are an asshat for wasting my time and it will negatively impact their reputation. We don’t need employees referring random strangers, we have a recruiting team to filter those candidates out.
I only refer people I actually know.
I see no reason why I'd refer someone i don't know.
I remember when I was in same position as you when I was working with Samsung. Most people ignored to refer even my own classmates. But once I somehow managed to get in Amazon the scenario was opposite. If you think you are well prepared and have the potential don't worry keep asking people, not everyone will ignore. I refer most people but I browse through their resume first.
Many thanks for the comment. This is exactly my situation now. Thanks for the advice :)
It wasn't him, it was you.
You mean my profile is not good enough? :)
That would be my first guess.