Ask Your Internal Contact for These 4 Things Before Submitting Your Resume

“I can’t believe it,” you tell yourself. “My dream job has just been posted online AND I know someone inside the company!”  You might think the stars are aligning for you in your job search. And they might be – IF you know how to effectively leverage the relationship with your internal contact.

Applying online and telling your internal contact afterwards is too late to benefit from the relationship you’ve built. You will have missed out on key pieces of information, feedback, and game planning that would better position you for success. 

There are better approaches to benefit from your relationship. Below are four ways to fully leverage your relationship with your internal contact at your target company before applying:

1.           Ask for information and insight:  The information and insight gleaned from your internal contact – be it leadership style, company culture, learning and development opportunities, internal and external rewards etc. – could help you determine if you definitely want to apply. In addition, the information you learn can help with crafting an impactful resume and cover letter.

2.           Ask for a resume review and critique:  A resume review and critique from your internal contact can help determine if it is effectively targeted to the role you are intending to apply to. This scenario happened to a client of mine, which I discussed in this video. Tap into the brain of your internal contact to determine what will or won’t appeal to the hiring manager. That information is priceless when crafting a resume.

3.           Ask to have your resume delivered to the hiring manager:  You want to get your resume into the hands of the decision maker, which is typically the hiring manger. Submitting a resume online MIGHT get it seen by someone in Human Resources, who MIGHT be able to determine your fit for the role, and who MIGHT forward it to the hiring manager. That’s a lot of MIGHTs. Instead of stringing together a bunch of MIGHTs, ask your internal contact to hand deliver your resume to the hiring manager. It really is that easy. And so much more effective.

4.           Ask for a referral:  Employee referrals work.  According to SHRM, “Employee referrals continue to be employers' top source of hires, delivering more than 30 percent of all hires overall in 2016 and 45 percent of internal hires.”  Companies realize that current employees are unlikely to refer unproductive candidates who will make them look bad. Instead, current employees are likely to refer candidates who are competent, will contribute to the company in a productive way, and make them look good. Referrals are given serious weight in the recruiting world. So just ask your internal contact for one.

You’ve spent months or years building a relationship with someone who works at your target company. Don’t hesitate to fully leverage that relationship. Your internal contact can help and wants to help, but they need to know how. Asking for 1.) information and insight; 2.) a resume review and critique; 3.) to have your resume delivered to the hiring manager; and 4.) a referral will help determine whether the company is a good fit, make your resume more impactful, get your resume seen by the hiring manager, and increase the odds of getting invited in for an interview. 

Other candidates are reaching out to their internal contacts for job search assistance to help secure an interview. Don’t hesitate to do the same. Take control of your job search and career and ask for help from your internal contact. Your future, happily employed self will thank you! 

[Originally published on LinkedIn on 11/22/21: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ask-your-internal-contact-4-things-before-submitting-leonard-mhrm/]