Referrals are the source channel for 31% of GotAJob's verified offers — the largest single bucket. They also have the highest interview-to-offer conversion rate.
But people are bad at asking for them. Here's a script that works.
What doesn't work
"Hey, are you guys hiring?"
This puts the entire burden on them. They have to: figure out what role you want, check internally, find the right person, and then either pass along your CV or come back with no.
Most people just don't reply.
What does
"Hi [X]. I am looking for a senior backend role and saw [your company] just posted a JD that fits ([link]). Would you be open to passing my CV to the hiring manager? No pressure if not."
Three things this does:
- Specifies the role. No guesswork.
- Names the JD. They don't have to find it.
- Gives them a graceful out. "No pressure if not" lowers the cost of saying no, which raises the cost of ignoring you.
Who to ask
The best person to ask is rarely who you think. It's usually:
- Someone who joined within the last 12 months (referrals fresh in mind, often a bonus attached)
- Someone adjacent to the role (not necessarily on the team — adjacent teams can refer too)
- Someone you've interacted with once (you're not asking a stranger; you're also not over-asking a close friend)
What to send with it
Three things, in this order:
- A one-paragraph version of your "what I'm looking for"
- A link to your CV (PDF, hosted somewhere stable)
- One link to a recent artifact — a project, a writeup, a talk
That's it. Don't attach 4 files. Don't write a cover letter. The whole thing should fit in one phone screen.