How do I give someone a referral on LinkedIn?

Giving someone a referral on LinkedIn is a great way to endorse their skills and experience to your connections. A referral allows you to proactively recommend someone for a job opening, business opportunity, or as a connection to other people in your network. Here are some quick tips on how to successfully give a referral on LinkedIn:

Understand the Power of Referrals

Referrals can be extremely helpful for the person you are referring. A referral from you carries more weight than a generic application or request, because it comes as a recommendation from their contact. Rather than just applying cold to a job or connection request, a referral gives them a boost by having you proactively endorse them.

Some key benefits of giving a referral include:

• Gets their foot in the door and makes them stand out from other candidates
• Provides social proof of their skills, experience and work ethic
• Leverages your personal networks and connections
• Conveys your trust and confidence in the person’s abilities

For these reasons, referrals can increase someone’s chances of securing jobs, projects, clients, investments and other opportunities. The power of personal recommendations and word-of-mouth should not be underestimated.

Decide Who to Refer

Referrals work best when given to connections you know well and can confidently endorse. Some things to keep in mind when deciding who to refer:

• Former colleagues, employees, clients or vendors you’ve worked closely with
• Members of your professional networks and communities
• Friends, family members or acquaintances looking for a career change
• Recent graduates or those transitioning into a new industry
• Connections who have asked you directly for a referral

Make sure you only refer people you genuinely recommend connecting or doing business with. A half-hearted referral can be damaging rather than helpful.

Reach Out First

Before sending a referral request, it’s courteous to reach out to the person first. This gives them a heads up, makes sure they are interested in receiving the referral, and gets their consent before you share their information.

Send them a message on LinkedIn or by email saying you would be happy to refer them. Specify what you are referring them for – a job, client, business partnership, etc. Make sure they are interested in the opportunity and express appreciation if they want to move forward with the referral.

Customize Your Referral Message

When giving the referral, avoid a generic template message. Take the time to write a personalized recommendation highlighting what makes the person a great fit for the specific opportunity. Mention details like:

• Where you know the person from
• The skills, accomplishments and traits that impress you
• Relevant projects, education, or experience they have
• Ways they specifically match the opportunity’s requirements

The more thoughtful praise and relevant details you can provide, the better. This custom endorsement helps the recipient put a name to a face and gives them confidence to move forward.

Send Through Official Channels

To send a referral request on LinkedIn, there are a few official channels you can use:

• Job postings – Look for openings marketed to your network and click “Refer”
• Career Pages – Click “Refer a friend” on a company’s career page
• Profile links – Click “Refer” on a member’s profile
• Job applications – Select “Refer for job” when a connection applies
• My Network page – Click “Recommend someone” to send referrals

Using these official referral channels sends a notification to the recipient and allows them to easily apply or express interest in the opportunity.

Follow Up Politely

Avoid repeatedly following up with people you’ve referred or pressuring the company to hire them. You’ve given the referral, now step back and let things run their course. The next steps are up to the recipient to interview, negotiate and ultimately earn the opportunity themselves.

You can politely check in with both sides after some time has passed, asking the recipient if they’ve heard back and if the company has any updates on the hiring process. But do so in a way that has no pressure or expectations behind it.

Share Success Stories

If your referral leads to the person successfully getting hired or doing business with a connection, share the great news through a post on LinkedIn. Celebrate their success and thank everyone involved for the opportunity.

Highlighting referral success stories gives visibility to the opportunities you’re referring, shows the power of referrals, and motivates more people to pay the favor forward with their own networks.

Conclusion

Giving referrals is a great way to help someone advance their career, land new business, and expand their opportunities. By endorsing your trusted connections, you open more doors for them to succeed in landing jobs, projects and other prospects. Just be sure to give well-thought-out recommendations for referrals who are a great fit for what they are applying for.

Giving referrals on LinkedIn is simple and impactful. Follow these tips to share meaningful recommendations that help your connections succeed.

Giving someone a referral on LinkedIn provides a professional endorsement of their abilities and increases their chances of securing jobs, projects, clients and other opportunities. However, there are some best practices to keep in mind:

– Decide who to refer carefully. Only recommend people you know well and can sincerely vouch for. Avoid referrals as favors simply based on personal relationships.

– Get consent from the person first before referring them. Reach out to confirm they are interested in and qualified for the specific opportunity.

– Customize the referral message with specific details and praise. Generic or impersonal referrals are less powerful.

– Refer through official channels on LinkedIn when possible. This gives the recipient notification and ability to follow up on the opportunity.

– Avoid pressuring the company after sending a referral. Be patient and let the normal hiring process play out.

– If a referral successfully leads to an opportunity, share the news and celebrate the success story.

– Focus on quality over quantity of referrals. Thoughtful, personalized referrals carry more weight than spamming connections with lots of mediocre recommendations.

Overall, referrals are a great way to pay-it-forward in your network and help opportunities come the way of your trusted connections. Use them judiciously to make meaningful endorsements that aid their career or business goals.

The Benefits of Giving Referrals on LinkedIn

Providing referrals on LinkedIn offers advantages for both the person giving and receiving the recommendation:

Benefits for the person referring:

• Demonstrates you are a connector willing to share opportunities
• Exhibits generosity and commitment to helping others succeed
• Builds goodwill and social capital within your network
• Shows you have confidence in someone’s abilities

Benefits for the person referred:

• Provides a competitive edge over other applicants
• Validates skills, experience and cultural fit
• Opens doors and serves as a personal endorsement
• Leverages the referrer’s relationships and influence

The referral process strengthens connections between the referrer and recipient, while advancing the recipient’s goals and opportunities.

Who to Refer on LinkedIn

Certain connections make better candidates for referrals than others:

Good people to refer:

• Former colleagues who did great work
• Long-time contacts familiar with the recipient’s abilities
• Promising recent graduates or industry newcomers
• Members of your close professional network
• Acquaintances who specifically request a referral

riskier people to refer:

• People you don’t know well enough to recommend
• Contacts who gave you subpar work in the past
• Casual friends or family members you’re biased towards
• Strangers who send spam referral requests

The credibility of your referral depends on the recipient being a great fit. Focus on referrals likely to reflect highly on your judgment.

Following Up After Referrals

After sending a referral, follow these tips for follow-up communications:

• Let the recipient know you referred them and for what opportunity
• Ask if they need any other information or supporting materials from you
• Politely check in after 1-2 weeks to see if they have received any response
• Refrain from excessively following up with or pressuring the hiring manager
• If the referral is successful, congratulate the recipient and share the news publicly
• If it is unsuccessful, offer encouragement and discuss other potential opportunities

Thoughtful follow-up shows you stand behind the referral and want to support the recipient’s success.

Referral Etiquette on LinkedIn

To make sure you are abiding by best practices, consider this referral etiquette:

• Only refer candidates who are qualified and that you would hire yourself
• Keep the referral professional – don’t try to influence with personal appeals
• Make referrals one-on-one rather than mass blasts
• Personalize messages with specific details about the candidate
• Proofread for errors before sending the referral
• Express genuine enthusiasm and confidence in the candidate’s abilities
• Follow up once after referral, then leave the process alone
• If requested, provide additional information on the candidate
• Thank the hiring manager for considering your referral

Following proper etiquette lends credibility and exhibits professionalism in using LinkedIn’s referral tools.

Alternatives to LinkedIn Referrals

Beyond LinkedIn’s official referral features, you can also proactively recommend connections through:

• Introductions – Personally connecting promising candidates to hiring managers in your network
• Sharing job posts – Proactively sending unlisted opportunities to qualified contacts
• Writing recommendations – Penning endorsements featured on their profile
• Offering advice – Suggesting tactics to stand out from other applicants
• Coaching – Helping prepare for interviews related to the role
• Following companies – Keeping up with news from employers to inform referrals

Depending on the situation, these alternatives may also assist your connections in securing new opportunities and roles.

Conclusion

Referrals on LinkedIn provide a simple but powerful way to help your trusted connections advance their careers or business opportunities. By proactively endorsing someone for a specific role or need in your network, you give them a meaningful edge that generic applicants lack. However, only refer people you genuinely would recommend hiring or doing business with, follow up politely, and focus on quality over quantity of referrals. Used judiciously, LinkedIn referrals allow you to open more doors for your network to succeed.